Holocene palaeoenvironments of the Cederberg and Swartruggens mountains, Western Cape, South Africa: Pollen and stable isotope evidence from hyrax dung middens

The use of pollen analysis of herbivore middens in arid and semi-arid areas has facilitated palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and interpretation in places where this may otherwise be impossible due to the absence of organic sediments. This paper presents evidence based on pollen analysis and stable isotope data of hyrax (Procavia capensis) dung middens in the reconstruction and interpretation of the Holocene vegetation history of the Cederberg and Swartruggens mountains. Hyrax middens from upland sites in the Cape Fold Mountains, specifically at Katbakkies Pass (KB) in the Swartruggens and Truitjes Kraal (TK) in the Cederberg, are used to reconstruct past vegetation and palaeoenvironments. Radiocarbon dating of a 20 cm sample at Katbakkies confirms a late Holocene sequence, with sedimentation commencing around 3700 cal yr BP and terminating within the last 600 years. At Truitjes Kraal, a smaller (11 cm) section appears to represent much of the Holocene, with accumulation spanning the period from around 9500 to 1300 cal yr BP. Stable isotope and pollen analyses concur in indicating only relatively subtle changes in vegetation conditions over the Holocene, a conclusion that is compared with and supported by other palaeoecological evidence from the region.