Although the North of Ireland’s peat-covered hills are now used mainly to commercial forestry, sheep-grazing, and outdoor recreation, they were once wooded or farmed. Credit: Helen Essell, CC-BY 4.0
Study finds that social conditions are crucial for long-term resilience during periods of dramatic change.
According to a study published in the open-access journal, April 27, 2022, a remote community in Ireland was able to adapt to environmental change over a millennium. PLOS ONEBy Gill Plunkett, Graeme Swindles, Queens University Belfast (Northern Ireland), U.K.
There are many examples of past societies that were severely affected by environmental changes, such as climate change, natural hazards, and other dramatic ecological shifts. These have all contributed to food crises and other calamities. However, it is difficult to determine the long-term impacts of environmental disturbances. This study examines environmental and community changes in Antrim Plateau, north Ireland, over a thousand year of occupation.
This study examined a peat core that recorded environmental changes over the past millennium at Slieveanorra. To infer changes in environmental and human occupation, the authors used data from microbes and natural plants. They also used historical accounts, ash layers, organic remains and historical accounts for fine-scale dating. The record provided no evidence of long term disruption to human occupation by environmental changes.
These results show a community that was able either to adapt to the effects of climate change or to rebound quickly. This remarkable resilience in a remote occupation was likely due to social factors like agricultural and trade practices that made the community adaptable and flexible.
The authors point out that not all human communities react the same to environmental change. This variation is largely due to the social conditions of each individual population. Understanding this complexity is key to understanding how communities are vulnerable to cultural collapse when faced with environmental change.
The authors add that while Ireland’s uplands appear barren today, they were occupied for centuries and farmed despite climate change, famines and plague.
Reference: Graeme T. Swindles and Gill Plunkett, “Bobbing the trend: Population resilience under marginal circumstances”, 27 April 2022 PLOS ONE.
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266680
