PLEISTOCENE VEGETATION OF THE HUMID TROPICS OF NORTHEASTERN QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA

The humid tropics area of northeastern Queensland has provided a subst antial and detailed history of rainforest and rainforest-savanna inter actions from the pollen analysis of a number of sites on the volcanic Atherton Tableland through the latter part of the Quaternary period. A recent extension of the record to close to the base of the Quaternary from examination of an offshore core provides a broad regional and te mporal context for evaluation of the true significance of late Quatern ary changes. It is apparent that the major sustained change in the veg etation of the region occurred relatively recently, probably within th e last 140,000 yr, and that this change was time transgressive. It inv olved the replacement of extensive moist rainforest by open eucalypt w oodland and is considered to have been most likely caused by the burni ng activities of Aboriginal people. Some aspects of the record from th is region can contribute to the history of rainforest on a global scal e but other features of it re-inforce the unique nature of the develop ment of Australian vegetation patterns.