Resumen de Neolithic land-use and environmental degradation: a study from the Western Isles of Scotland

Coralie M. Mills, Ian Armit, Kevin J Edwards, Pamela Grinter, Ymke Mulder

• Investigation of a partially waterlogged Neolithic site, on an islet in a Scottish Hebridean loch, showed that early strategies of exploitation were already environmentally damaging. Loss of soil fertility through intensive ploughing is well-documented, but stripping the turf can be equally damaging to the environment. Working on the lake settlement of Eilean Domhnuill in North Uist, the authors show that turf was cut for building material and used as fuel and that this practice contributed to a rapid degradation of the land surface through erosion.