Early anthropogenic change in western Mediterranean mountains (Sierra Nevada, SE Spain) Alba Sánchez, María Francisca Abel Schaad, Daniel López Sáez, José Antonio Sabariego Ruiz, Silvia Pérez Díaz, Sebastian Luelmo Lautenschlaeger, Reyes Garrido García, José Antonio Human impact Long-term approach Pollen Palaeoecology Landscape changes Funding: This study was supported by Spanish government: State R&D Program Oriented to the Challenges of the Society, Project references RTI2018-101714-B-I00 and CS02017-83576-P; FEDER/ Andalusian Government - Ministry of Economy and Knowledge / Project reference B-RNM-404-UGR18; and Andalusian Plan for Research, Development and Innovation, PAIDI 2020, Project reference P18-RT-4963 Human impact on western Mediterranean mountains is gaining more attention, as they harbour a rich plant diversity threatened by global change. This paper presents an analysis of two pollen records from both sides of Sierra Nevada, the prime plant-diversity centre of the Mediterranean, spanning the last 5400 years. The analysis sought to answer the following key questions: When did natural systems transform to cultural landscapes? What was the intensity and extent of alterations driven by the diverse civilizations? A compilation of archaeological and paleaeoclimatic data supported this analysis, as well as a multi-proxy palaeoecological study using pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs and microcharcoal, searching for the imprint that diverse societies left on these mountains. Results suggest that human influences started earlier than expected, with a strong impact on forest cover, oriented more towards crops on the southern face and towards livestock on the northern one, whereas mining and metallurgy were initial key drivers of population dynamics. Irrigation has supported farming since at least the Islamic period. More recent anthropogenic control and land-use management have allowed a further spread of the tree cover. Proper conservation strategies need long-term perspectives, including palaeoecological studies. The preservation of traditional human activities like grazing, high-elevation cropping or irrigation systems become essential to maintain current biodiversity. 2021-03-22T09:02:10Z 2021-03-22T09:02:10Z 2021-03 journal article Alba-Sánchez F, Abel-Schaad D, López-Sáez JA, Sabariego-Ruiz S, Pérez-Díaz S, Luelmo-Lautenschlaeger R, Garrido-García JA, Early anthropogenic change in western Mediterranean mountains (Sierra Nevada, SE Spain), Anthropocene (2021), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ancene.2021.100278 http://hdl.handle.net/10481/67370 10.1016/j.ancene.2021.100278 eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ open access Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License Elsevier