Later prehistoric vegetation dynamics and Bronze Age agriculture at Hobbister, Orkney, Scotland

The Bronze Age in Britain was a time of major social and cultural changes, reflected in the division of the landscape into field systems and the establishment of new belief systems and ritual practices. Several hypotheses have been advanced to explain these changes, and assessment of many of them is dependent on the availability of detailed palaeoenvironmental data from the sites concerned. This paper explores the development of a later prehistoric landscape in Orkney, where a Bronze Age field system and an apparently ritually-deposited late Bronze Age axe head are located in an area of deep blanket peat from which high-resolution palaeoenvironmental sequences have been recovered. There is no indication that the field system was constructed to facilitate agricultural intensification, and it more likely reflects a cultural response to social fragmentation associated with a more dispersed settlement pattern. There is evidence for wetter conditions during the later Bronze Age, and the apparent votive deposit may reflect the efforts of the local population to maintain community integrity during a time of perceptible environmental change leading to loss of farmland. The study emphasises the advantages of close integration of palaeoenvironmental and archaeological data for interpretation of prehistoric human activity. The palaeoenvironmental data also provide further evidence for the complexity of prehistoric woodland communities in Orkney, hinting at greater diversity than is often assumed. Additionally, differing dates for woodland decline in the two sequences highlight the dangers of over-extrapolation from trends observed in a single pollen profile, even at a very local scale.

Genetic provenance and best practice woodland management: a case study in native alder (Alnus glutinosa)

In recent years, the native woodlands of Europe, including those of Britain and Ireland, have increasingly come under threat from a range of biotic and abiotic factors, and are therefore a conservation priority demanding careful management in order to realise their inherent ecological and cultural benefits. Because the distribution of genetic variation across populations and regions is increasingly considered an important component of woodland management, we carried out a population genetic analysis on black alder (Alnus glutinosa) across Northern Ireland in order to inform “best practice” strategies. Our findings suggest that populations harbour high levels of genetic diversity, with very little differentiation between populations. Significant F IS values were observed in over half of the populations analysed, however, which could reflect inbreeding as a result of the patchy occurrence of alder in Northern Ireland, with scattered, favourable damp habitats being largely isolated from each other by extensive tracts of farmland. Although there is no genetic evidence to support the broad-scale implementation of tree seed zones along the lines of those proposed for native woodlands in Great Britain, we suggest that the localised occurrence of rare chloroplast haplotypes should be taken into account on a case-by-case basis. This, coupled with the identification of populations containing high genetic diversity and that are broadly representative of the region as a whole, will provide a sound genetic basis for woodland management, both in alder and more generally for species that exhibit low levels of genetic differentiation.

Contamination of Donana food-chains after the Aznalcollar mine disaster

On 25 April 1998 part of the tailings pond dike of the Aznalcollar Zn mine north of the Guadalquivir marshes (Donana) in southern Spain collapsed releasing an estimated 5 million m³ of acidic metal-rich waste. This event contaminated farmland and wetland up to >40 km downstream, including the 900-ha 'Entremuros', an important area for birds within the Donana world heritage site. In spite of the contamination, birds continued to feed in this area. Samples of two abundant macrophytes (Typha dominguensis and Scirpus maritimus) were taken from the Entremuros and nearby uncontaminated areas; these plants are important food items for several bird species. Analyses showed that in the Entremuros mean plant tissue concentrations of Cd were 3-40-fold (0.8-7.4 ppm) and Zn 20-100-fold (20-3384 ppm) greater than those from control areas. Comparable dietary concentrations of Zn have been reported to cause severe physiological damage to aquatic birds under experimental conditions. Elevated Cd concentrations are of concern as Cd bioconcentrates and is a cumulative poison. Metals released in this accident are moving into this food-chain and present a considerable risk to species feeding on Typha sp. and Scirpus sp. Many other food-webs exist in this area and require detailed examination to identify the species at risk, and to facilitate the management of these risks to minimise future impacts to the wildlife of Donana. Copyright (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd.

Participation of Smallholders in Agroforestry Agri-Environmental Scheme: A lesson from the rural Mount Kenya region

The likelihood of smallholder farmers not participating in agroforestry agri-environmental schemes and payments for ecosystem services (PES) may be due to limited farmland endowment and formal credit constraints. These deficits may lead to an ‘exclusive club’ of successful farmers, which are not necessarily poor, enjoying the benefits of agri-environmental schemes and PES although agrienvironmental schemes and PES have been devised as a means of fostering rural sustainable development and improving the livelihood of poor smallholder farmers. Smallholder farmers in parts of rural Kenya continue to enroll in ‘The International Small Group Tree Planting Programme’ (TIST), an agri-environmental scheme, promoting agroforestry, carbon sequestration and conservation agriculture (CA). The question remains if these farmers are really poor? This study examines factors that determine the participation of smallholder farmers in TIST in parts of rural Kenya. We use survey data compiled in 2013 on 210 randomly selected smallholder farmers from Embu, Meru and Nanyuki communities; the sample consists of TIST and non-TIST members. A random utility model and logit regression were used to test a set of non-monetary and monetary factors that influence participation in the TIST. The utility function is conceptualized to give non-monetary factors, particularly the common medium of communication in rural areas – formal and informal – a central role. Furthermore, we investigate other factors (incl. credit accessibility and interest rate) that reveal the nature of farmers participating in TIST. The findings suggest that spread of information via formal and informal networks is a major driver of participation in the TIST program. Furthermore, variables such credit constrains, age and labour supply positively correlate with TIST participation, while for education the opposite is true. It is important to mention that these correlations, although somewhat consistent, were all found to be weak. The results indicate that participation in the TIST program is not influenced by farm size; therefore we argue that the TIST scheme is NOT an ‘exclusive club’ comprising wealthy and successful farmers. Older farmers’ being more likely to join the TIST is an argument for their long- rather than widely assumed short-term planning horizon and a new contribution to the literature. Given the importance of poverty alleviation and climate smart agriculture in developing countries, sustainable policy should strengthening the social and human capital as well as informal networks in rural areas. Extension services should effectively communicate benefits to less educated and credit constrained farmers.

Airborne Laser Scanning and the Archaeological Interpretation of Ireland’s First World War Landscape”:The Case Study of Randalstown Training Camp

The training of Irish soldiers for service in the British Army during the First World War required the establishment of training camps across the island, such as at Shane’s Castle Estate, close to Randalstown in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The camp saw active use from 1914 to 1918 but after the war it was demilitarised and returned to use as farmland. Archaeological investigations have revealed that earthwork traces of the camp can still be identified in the modern landscape. Comparison of a map of the camp from 1915, Airborne Laser Scanning data and aerial photographs has enabled the footprint of the camp to be re-established, while also helping to identify the location of specific elements such as the remains of barrack huts, stores, mess halls and officers’ quarters.