Revealing the Central African Rainforest's Past

Researchers study the impact of human processes on the prehistoric landscape

A small team of researchers from Washington State University launched a research project in May aimed at building a longitudinal record of the paleoecological history of the Central African rainforest.

The research project, entitled "Revealing the Rainforest's Past: Late Holocene Paleoecology and Archaeology in the Ngotto Forest Reserve, Central African Republic," received funding from the National Geographic Society.

The project is a collaborative effort involving historians, ethnoarchaeologists, and environmental archaeologists from WSU and CURDHACA (Centre Universitaire de Recherche et de Documentation en Histoire et Archeologie Centrafricaines), Universite de Bangui (Central African Republic), and the Boganda Museum (Bangui, Central African Republic).

Project team members in the Department of Anthropology include Karen Lupo (associate professor), Dave Schmitt (adjunct professor), and Chris Kiahtipes (M.A. candidate). Kiahtipes, a graduate student in the evolutionary anthropology stream, also received funding from the Explorers Club to participate in the project.

One goal of the project is to build a longitudinal Late Holocene paleoecological record for the Central African rainforest using macro- and microfossils obtained from paired cultural and natural sources (i.e., archaeological sites and adjacent wetland contexts). A second goal of the project is to document and reconstruct how prehistoric anthropogenic processes, such as deforestation, agricultural practices, and hunting, have influenced local ecosystems.

To initiate this project, the research team excavated a Late Holocene-age archaeological site and collected palynological cores from a nearby permanent wetland. Archaeological and paleoecological data for the Central African Republic are limited, and this research is the first of its kind in this area.

Analysis of these data will shed light on how prehistoric anthropogenic processes influenced rainforest ecosystems and can serve as a template for evaluating the impacts of modern processes. Because the impacts of current anthropogenic processes can best be understood when placed within a historical, cultural, and ecological trajectory, analyses of these data will allow forest managers, conservation entities, and local populations to more accurately craft management plans and evaluate ecosystem disturbances.