Drivers of Holocene Land Cover Change in Europe

The modern vegetation of Europe is a product of its history. Climate change, plant migration, and human activity have all been important drivers of Holocene (11,500 years ago to the present) vegetation dynamics, but it is difficult to disentangle the relative importance of the three processes. This thesis uses a vegetation model and land cover reconstructions based on pollen data to explore the drivers of European vegetation change. I conclude that human activity has likely been an important driver for many millennia, both through disturbing the vegetated landscape and possibly also through causing soil erosion in drought-sensitive areas, but that post-glacial migration is likely also an important factor. In the face of future climate change and intensifying human land use, it will be necessary to incorporate these results into landscape management and conservation planning.