October 2017
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47 Reads
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2 Citations
The Island of Madeira is situated in the Atlantic Ocean (32°23′N–33°07′N, 16°15′W–17°15′W) and has officially been discovered in 1419 by captain Zarco and his crew. The abundant vegetation cover they encountered upon arrival promised fertile soils and sufficient water supply for prosperous agricultural activity, which led to a quick colonization of the island in the following years. In 1469 Manuel Afonso de Sanha received land for colonization in the central north of Madeira Island nowadays know as Ponta Delgada, where thick native woodland covered steep mountain slopes reaching from the sea shore to altitudes of more than 1000 m above sea level. Settlers transformed the steep slopes, which were difficult to access, from wooded into arable land, thereby causing profound changes in site characteristics: extensive terrace and complex irrigation systems were established. Land owners desired to extend the agricultural terrace systems until the base of vertical rock sections above the village of Ponta Delgada. The scarcity of accessible crop land in combination with the absence of public land close to the houses forced numerous inhabitants to use natural resources provided by the mountains to earn a living. The indigenous mountain forests provided fire wood, construction material and alimentation to raise sheep, goats and cattle. Over more than 500 years intense human – landscape interactions have changed the evergreen island ecosystem “Laurisilva” that fascinated it’s discoverers. Between heights of 700 and 1600 m above sea level some woodland areas, located in remote gorges, are classified today as remnants of undisturbed autochthonous woodland. Scientific projects of vegetation mapping have been carried out in these zones, providing a large number of plant species lists showing the composition of the natural vegetation cover. These data compared with current vegetation mapping data obtained in the research area of Ponta Delgada is a rich source of information to address a variety of questions on the environmental history. Systematically conducted vegetation mapping can reveal the extension of past human influence in the landscape and locate different intensities in past use of mountain resources. Which altitudes were used for which purpose? Has there been a division between areas for collection of forage, for cutting of firewood and for felling timber? Furthermore the living and working conditions of peasants can be investigated: how far would they have walked from their living space to collect necessary resources from the mountains? How much time would they spend to fulfill these tasks? What kind of infrastructure was in the hills, were there main footpaths and places next to springs, which were used as places for rest? A study of local toponymy completes information on former land use and activities within the mountains. For quick visualization of results thematic maps have been elaborated using a Geographical Information System.
