RAIDING THE LANDSCAPE - HUMAN IMPACT IN THE SCANDINAVIAN NORTH-ATLANTIC

Between ca. A.D. 800-1000, Scandinavian chiefly societies with a mixed maritime and agricultural economy expanded into the North Atlantic, c olonizing Shetland, Orkney, Caithness, Hebrides, Faeroes, Iceland, Gre enland, and Vinland. The settlers brought continental European economi cs and expectations to a widely varied set of island ecosystems. In ma ny regions, rapid degradation of flora and soils took place associated with social and climate change. Recent research coordinated by the No rth Atlantic Bicultural Organization (NABO) highlights the extent of p re-modern impacts.