Early human migrations from Africa to the southern hemisphere were underway by the early part of the last ice age, with humans reaching northern Australia around 65,000 years ago. The first Palawa/Pakana (Tasmanian Indigenous) communities eventually settled in Tasmania (Lutruwita), making it the southernmost point humans had ever reached.
The lack of high-resolution paleoecological records from this period limits our understanding of the environmental impacts of early human migration, especially the role of fire in modifying habitats.
Scientists from the UK and Australia analyzed two paleoecological records from the Bass Strait islands to identify the beginning of human-driven landscape transformation by ancestral Palawa/Pakana people. By studying ancient mud samples containing charcoal and pollen, they determined how Aboriginal Tasmanians influenced and shaped their environment.
Scientists discovered that the first humans to arrive in Tasmania, over 41,000 years ago, used fire to shape and manage the landscape, about 2,000 years earlier than previously believed.
According to the team, the study offers detailed insights into-
1. How humans have been shaping the Earth’s environment for tens of thousands of years.
2. The long-term Aboriginal-landscape connection is vital for landscape management in Australia today.
Tasmania is currently located about 240 kilometers off the southeast coast of Australia, separated by the Bass Strait. However, during the last ice age, it was connected to the mainland by a land bridge, allowing people to walk to Tasmania. This land bridge disappeared around 8,000 years ago, as rising sea levels after the ice age isolated Tasmania from Australia.
The study’s lead author, Dr Matthew Adeleye from Cambridge‘s Department of Geography, said, “Earlier studies have shown that Aboriginal communities on the Australian mainland used fire to shape their habitats, but we haven’t had similarly detailed environmental records for Tasmania.”
Researchers analyzed ancient mud from islands in the Bass Strait, which once formed part of the land bridge between Australia and Tasmania during the last ice age. The study found a spike in charcoal around 41,600 years ago, followed by a shift in vegetation about 40,000 years ago, as indicated by pollen changes.
This suggests that early inhabitants, including the Palawa/Pakana communities, used fire to clear forests, likely to create open spaces for subsistence and cultural activities. Fire played a pivotal role in shaping the landscape to suit their needs.
Scientists noted, “Humans likely learned to use fire to clear and manage forests during their migration across the glacial landscape of Sahul—a palaeocontinent that encompassed modern-day Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea, and eastern Indonesia—as part of the extensive migration out of Africa.”
Adeleye said, “As natural habitats adapted to these controlled burnings, we see the expansion of fire-adapted species such as Eucalyptus, primarily on the wetter, eastern side of the Bass Strait islands.”
“Understanding this ancient land management practice could help define and restore pre-colonial landscapes.”
“These early Tasmanian communities were the island’s first land managers. Suppose we’re going to protect Tasmanian and Australian landscapes for future generations. In that case, we must listen to and learn from Indigenous communities who are calling for a greater role in helping to manage Australian landscapes into the future.”
Journal Reference:
- Matthew A. Adeleye, Felicitas Hopf, Simon G. Haberle, Georgia L. Stannard, David B. Mcwethy, Stephen Harris, David M. J. S. Bowman. Landscape burning facilitated Aboriginal migration into Lutruwita/Tasmania 41,600 years ago. Science Advances, 2024; 10 (46) DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adp6579