Studying the spread of Olea and mosaic landscape formation in the Mediterranean
Mediterranean agro-sylvo-pastoral landscapes are at the focus of crucial environmental and social issues linked to mosaic landscape creation. Islands throw light on long-term cultural and environmental dynamics by amplifying geographical and cultural determinants. The Balearic Islands are crucial for the study of these interactions during the Holocene due to their late human colonisation. With this in mind, the EU-funded OLEA project aims to focus on the drivers and timing of the spread of Olea macchia as a central feature of the current Balearic landscape. To this end, it will combine high-resolution studies of coastal lagoon cores and archaeological sites, pollen morphology, multi-proxy analysis, fire history, data integration and agent-based modelling. This work will further scientific understanding of, inter alia, mosaic landscape formation in the Mediterranean. Moreover, OLEA wants to give insights on how humans transform the environment and faced societal and climate challenges throughout history. See CORDIS website for more info.