Researchers of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań analyzed changes in the composition of plants and pollen in various layers of peat in the Pawski Ług peat bog, a nature reserve in western Poland, near the town of Łagów. Their research was published in Scientific Reports shows how historical changes in human society and economies can change local environments.
Based on the presence of hornbeam pollen in older, deeper layers of peat, the authors concluded that Pawski Ług before the settlement by the Knights of St. John in 1350 was a very wet swamp, surrounded by a primeval forest.
The changes in land management introduced in the 14th century, at the beginning of the Polish feudal period, significantly influenced the forests and peat bogs of the Lubuskie Region. The discoveries of Poznań scientists illustrate the direct and significant impact of the economic transformation of Łagów from a tribal community to a feudal one on the disappearance of the primeval forest and the transformation of swamps.
