Pre-Columbian palaeodemography in the Atlantic Forest (Brazil): evaluating the role and influence of extreme hydroclimatic oscillations

The Atlantic Forest is a major biogeographic zone of Brazil, encompassing biodiverse evergreen, semi‐deciduous, and Araucaria forests. It is presently home to millions of people, and, consequently, has experienced high levels of defaunation/deforestation through fragmentation and habitat loss in recent years. A growing archaeological and palaeoecological consensus indicates growing anthropic influences on forest distribution during the pre-Columbian period, hand-in-hand with land use intensification and increasing social complexity over time. 

Against this backdrop, this paper expands upon recent palaeodemographic work in South America to evaluate the role of long-term (centennial-scale) hydroclimatic oscillations (and the antiphasing thereof) in the Atlantic Forest domain as a potential "push factor" engendering human-driven forest expansion. It will synthesise archaeological, palaeoclimatological, and palaeoecological records, evaluate data quality, and identify areas for expansive future research.