What is it about?
Human activities have deteriorated Alpine soils over the last 3,800 years, destroying them 3 to 10 times faster than they naturally formed. By studying sediments deposited in Lake Bourget, in France, and using innovative geochemical methods, we have been able to reconstruct the evolution of Alpine soils over the last 10,000 years. We propose to call the period from which humans, through their agro-pastoral activities, become the major factor in soil transformation, the ‘ Pedological Anthropocene ’. This period is not homogeneous across the globe and is directly linked to the intensity and type of agro-pastoral practices in place.
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Why is it important?
This study shows that even moderate agro-pastoral activities can have a major impact on mountain soils. Against a global context of ever-increasing anthropisation and environmental degradation, it therefore seems vital to implement soil protection policies on a global scale, and in particular in fragile mountain environments.
Perspectives
Through this work, I hope to motivate other researchers to take an interest in quantifying the effects of human activities on the environment, so as to move towards a general consideration of the impact of our societies and our practices.
William Rapuc
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Human and climate impacts on the alpine Critical Zone over the past 10,000 y, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, July 2025, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2506030122.
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