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Data from: Mauritius on fire: tracking historical human impacts on biodiversity loss

Gosling, William D.1, 2; de Kruif, Jona1; Norder, Sietze J.1, 3; de Boer, Erik J.1; Hooghiemstra, Henry1; Rijsdijk, Kenneth F.1; McMichael, Crystal N.H.1; McMichael, Crystal N. H.1

Published Jul 18, 2017 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.f1c31

Data files

Jul 18, 2017 version files 40.24 KB

Abstract

Fire was rare on Mauritius prior to human arrival (AD 1598); subsequently three phases of elevated fire activity occurred: c. 1630-1747, 1787-1833, and 1950-modern. Elevated fire frequency coincided with periods of high human impact evidenced from the historical record, and is linked to the extinction of island endemics.