Holocene environments of the sclerophyll woodlands of the Wet Tropics of northeastern Australia

The Wet Tropics region of northeastern Australia has been the focus of palynological research into the late Quaternary history of climate, vegetation and human environmental impact for a number of years (Moss and Kershaw 2000, 2007; Kershaw et al. 2007, 2003a, 2003b; Kershaw 1994, 1986). Numerous palynological records covering the Holocene period have been examined, but they have either been concentrated within the core rainforest area due to the availability of volcanic crater sites on the Atherton Tableland (e.g. Kershaw 1983, 1975, 1971, 1970; Walker and Chen 1987; Chen 1988; Walker 2007); and/or situated in coastal areas where successional processes in mangroves have tended to mask more regional signals (e.g. Grindrod and Rhodes 1984; Grindrod 1985; Crowley et al. 1990; Gagan et al. 1994; Crowley and Gagan 1995). Recently, there has been a focus on high-resolution records that investigate the response of the Wet Tropics ecosystem to rapid climate change and human impact for the Late Quaternary period.