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Palynological evidence for Holocene palaeoenvironments from the lower Gordon River valley, in the World Heritage Area of southwest Tasmania

Centre for Palynology and Palaeoecology, Department of Geography and Environmental Science, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia; Environment Division (Bld 34), ANSTO, PMB 1, Menai, NSW 2234, Australia

Dominic A. Hodgson

Department of Plant Science, University of Tasmania, GPO Box 252C, Hobart 7001, Tasmania, Australia; British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK

Peter A. Tyler

School of Aquatic Science and Natural Resources Management, Deakin University, PO Box 423, Warrnambool 3280, Victoria, Australia

A Holocene palaeoenvironmental history from the World Heritage Area of southwest Tasmania is reconstructed using an 8000-year palynological record from Lake Fidler, a small meromictic lake adjacent to the lower reaches of the Gordon River. The sequence indicates that cool temperate rainforest has remained dominant in the region for at least the last 8000 years, confirming the wilderness value of this important conservation area. There is little evidence for fire in the region throughout this period and no discernible evidence for anthropogenic impact until approximately 1815 when small-scale convict logging activities commenced along the Gordon River. The record demonstrates the long-term presence of stands of one of the world's oldest living trees, Huon pine (Lagarostrobos franklinii), with significant increases in this species in the mid-to late Holocene. This expansion is evident in several Tasmanian records and is associated with declines in other important Tasmanian plant species. It is proposed that it represents a regional phenomenon possibly related to climate change. Examination of the climate signal from other Australian Holocene pollen records provides some support for this interpretation.

Key Words: Holocene • Tasmania • Gordon River • pollen • charcoal • Huon pine • Lagarostrobos • rainforest • climate change • World Heritage Area

The Holocene, Vol. 9, No. 2, 149-162 (1999)
DOI: 10.1191/095968399677220198


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