Kay Hamilton

Environmental histories of grazing and the sustainability of montane ecosystems: a case study in Eryri, North Wales.

I am primarily interested in Holocene climate change and adaptation strategies by the contemporary human communities responding to them. My proxy of choice for these investigations is pollen (and NPPs) because I'm a firm believer in the inherent potential that palynology presents for detailed environmental reconstruction. As an element of my PhD project I'll also be looking at testate amoebae as hydrological indicators which will enable the creation of climate models.

I'm currently a member of the AASP and the Association for Environmental Archaeology, for which I also serve as one of two committtee Student Representatives. I am currently working on a local pollen atlas (the Oxfordshire Pollen Atlas, or OPA!), which aims to create a reference database linking a taxon's pollen morphology to the originating plant and its ecological niche.

Thesis Abstract
The project will investigate the environmental history of montane heath in the Carneddau mountains, North Wales. This fragile landscape is classified as being in an unfavourable condition, affected by over-grazing and climate change. Plans to diversify grazing regimes and increase woodland are perceived by influential stakeholders as threatening centuries-old traditions of farming. This perception inhibits the changes that are needed to counter losses in biodiversity and the degradation of upland peats.

Research can provide the evidence-base to challenge these misperceptions and inform decisions about future sustainable management of mountain landscapes. There are few palynological studies available for Eryri, with the most recent work indicating spatial and temporal variability in vegetation, probably caused by changes in farming practices and climate. Archaeological and historical evidence points to variation in where and how humans farmed the mountain environment.