Colonization During Colonialism: Developing a Framework to Assess the Rapid Ecological Transformation of Mauritius's Pristine Ecosystem

The colonization of Mauritius exemplifies the role played by humans in altering the ecosystems of remote oceanic islands. This paper focuses on how we study those islands first colonized under the global mantle of colonialism. Here we aim to provide a theoretical framework for historical ecological investigations to disentangle the processes, impacts, and outcomes of colonization during colonialism, considering local, regional, and global drivers. The paper provides a review of existing literature, outlines a proposed research program encompassing paleoecology, paleoclimatology, archeology, and history, and offers details of potential research sites. We present historical ecology as a framework to aid future work, and argue that a refined understanding of the impact of human colonization can help create a nuanced chronology of environmental degradation that typifies Mauritius. Such detailed assessment is necessary to inform contemporary ecological conservation efforts. Finally, we argue that narratives of changing ecosystems and practice can help construct usable pasts, often missing from historical records, for the multicultural populace of the island.

Automated summary

The paper focuses on the colonization of Mauritius and its impact on the local ecosystem. It proposes a theoretical framework for historical ecological investigations and reviews existing literature in various fields. By studying paleoecology, paleoclimatology, archeology, and history, the paper aims to create a nuanced chronology of environmental degradation caused by human colonization, which is crucial for informing contemporary ecological conservation efforts.