Vegetation history of SE Sicily from feudal land management to post-war agricultural industrialization.

A new marine pollen record from SE Sicily is presented. The pollen study was done at a sub-decadal resolution to assess the role and extent of human impact in driving regional environmental and land cover changes over the last four hundred years. The combination of palaeoecological evidence and historical documents provides a detailed report of the main ecological dynamics in relation to socio-economic events, past land use, and land management regulations in Sicily. Our palaeovegetational reconstruction reveals a remarkably stable landscape, preserved by traditional land use practices that have persisted through the long-lasting feudal history of Sicily. After centuries of human-induced environmental stability, an abrupt change in vegetation structure occurred around 1950 AD, reflecting the modern land use policies and agricultural reforms following the Second World War. This vegetational breakpoint in SE Sicily corresponds to a suggested date for the onset of the Anthropocene. • A marine pollen record reveals historical landscape transformations in Sicily. • Past vegetation changes reflect socioeconomic, political, and historical events. • Feudal land use practices were responsible for a long-lasting environmental stability. • Rapid environmental changes occurred after the Second World War in Sicily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]