Project description
How early colonialism shaped Pacific forests and communities
Did European colonial influence in the Pacific begin in the 1800s? There is evidence to suggest that it started much earlier. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the PacificPeopleForest project is studying how European contact as early as the 16th century may have triggered major demographic shifts from inland to coastal settlements. For instance, as populations abandoned upland areas, forests reclaimed the land. This means these forests, often considered native, may be younger and more altered than assumed. The project will focus on the Mariana Islands, and its research combines archaeology, history and plant science. The findings can help address today’s climate and demographic challenges across the Pacific region.
Objective
PacificPeopleForest provides a critical new perspective on early Modern colonialism in the Pacific. Against mainstream assumptions that the 19th century marks the beginning of European impacts in the region, we rely on preliminary archaeological and historical evidence to propose that European contact in the 16th century had large demographic consequences undescribed so far, shifting the weight of human settlement from the inland areas to the coast until today. Early European colonialism also had unknown environmental impacts since the 16th and 17th centuries. As fluctuating demography led to the abandonment of inland areas, these were subsequently recolonized by forest. Thus, forests recognized today as native, might in fact be fairly recent, and heavily modified. Europeans introduced a very large number of plants that are nowadays not only staples, but also socially and symbolically key to most Pacific societies. These species had an unknown role in shaping the island ecosystems, and led to changes in sustainable agricultural practices. Both the early colonial demographic and environmental impacts remain largely unaddressed for the Pacific. The project will focus on the Mariana Islands to weave historical, archaeological, and plant-based scientific lines of evidence that uncover the history, extent and chronology of the impacts of European colonialism in the Pacific Islands. We will examine its influence on island demography, settlement patterns and vegetation dynamics, as plants are key elements of Pacific ecosystems. By integrating interdisciplinary perspectives in an innovative doctoral programme, this project seeks to offer empirically-based insights into the interplay between human populations and forest dynamics, around European contact. Providing fine-grained chronologies for demographic shifts and plant introductions can address current vulnerabilities in the archipelago, ie. exposure to climate change and demographic challenges faced by Pacific peoples.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- humanities history and archaeology history
- social sciences sociology demography
- humanities history and archaeology archaeology
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences atmospheric sciences climatology climatic changes
- natural sciences biological sciences botany
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-DN - HORIZON TMA MSCA Doctoral Networks
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-DN-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
28006 Madrid
Spain
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