Paper short abstract:

We highlight the ways in which human land use in tropical forests has changed through human history and the consequences for different aspects of the Earth system. We discuss the importance of interdisciplinary research for understanding past tropical land use and its legacies for the 21st century.

Paper long abstract:

The ‘Anthropocene’ refers to an epoch in which humans have become a dominant geological force on the planet. Land use is one of the major ways in which our species is making itself felt by the Earth system, with land cover changes having major impacts on biodiversity, soils, and climate. This paper argues that, thanks to their critical role in the function of different parts of the planetary system, exploring the impacts of land use on tropical forests through time is essential for exploring deep time pathways into the Anthropocene – from the emergence of food production to the impacts of European colonialism. Reviewing the available archaeological, historical, palaeoecological, and modelling toolkit available to researchers, we argue that better characterizing changes in tropical land use can reveal important legacies that shape our current relationship with the Earth and can help us to charter more just, sustainable routes forward into the future.