Late-holocene human impact and peat development in the Cerna Hora bog, Krkonose Mountains, Czech Republic

Pollen analysis of a small peat bog at Cerna Hora, Czech Republic, shows la te- Holocene human impact on the vegetation. The palynological results are compared with historical documentation. Macrofossil analysis and changing p ollen concentrations provide evidence that human impact on the regional veg etation determined changes in the hydrological conditions of the bog, and i n the peat accumulation rate. From approximately 2100 BP (start of peat gro wth) to approximately 1400 BP no human impact has been identified from the pollen record and the decomposition of the peat deposit indicates moderatel y moist conditions within the catchment. Subsequent changes corresponded wi th two phases of inferred human impact on the vegetation. From approximatel y 1400 BP (seventh to eighth centuries ad) and especially after 900 BP (ele venth to twelfth centuries ad), human impact (deforestation) became evident and the less decomposed peat was formed under locally wet conditions.