Recent research shows that medieval communities greatly increased biodiversity around Lake Constance, Germany, one of Europe’s largest lakes, over multiple centuries. The paper, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, uncovers the complex effects of how people influence natural ecosystems. These conversations were tremendously important in pushing this ecological victory forward.
An interdisciplinary, multi-institutional team, including researchers from Stanford University and the Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology, prepared the journal article. Key researchers Adam Spitzig and Adam Izdebski were instrumental in this expansive research endeavor. To do this, they used paleoecological and historical datasets. This methodology enabled them to read against the grain of the heavily documented Lake Constance region, known for its extensive environmental historical legacy.
During a period of climate-induced ecological upheaval, the researchers extracted fossil pollen from six sediment cores. They linked this data with archaeobotanical evidence, obtained from hundreds of archaeological sites. This multifaceted approach enabled them to reconstruct shifts in plant diversity over the last 4,000 years. Their findings indicated that a dramatic increase in plant diversity occurred near 500 CE. This diversity boom reached an extraordinary “plant diversity optimal” highpoint in the old world at approximately 1000 CE.
Today, the modern world is learning from that study—which shows us how medieval communities fostered significant cultural innovations. Their innovations in farming, managing their territory and movement on the landscape, benefitted biodiversity to a phenomenal degree. The researchers noted that these human-environment interactions exemplify a successful model of sustainability, showcasing how communities can positively influence their ecosystems.
The research underscores the importance of knowing past anthropogenic effects on biodiversity. These lessons can help inform our present-day conservation work in impactful ways. By documenting the long-term benefits of medieval practices, the researchers provide valuable insights into sustainable land management strategies that can be applied today.