People are the key drivers of disturbance regimes and the consequent ecosystem attributes in agricultural landscapes. Consequently, human land-use history is a primary determinant of past, present and future landscape patterns and elements (e.g road networks).

In recent work with Dr Ian Lunt, we proposed the following hypotheses to describe the role of humans in landscape modification, and highlight the contribution which historical ecology can make to our understanding of the factors affecting remnant composition, structure and function in fragmented agricultural landscapes:

1. Spatial patterns of remnant vegetation is the result of previous human land-use decisions, and interactions with the biophysical environment. Consequently, these spatial patterns are often predictable and arrayed in logical ways.

2. Historical land tenure is a strong predictor of disturbance history and, consequently, of current ecosystem conditions.

3. Human disturbances and resultant ecosystem attributes have changed over time and continue to change. Some deleterious disturbance regimes have declined in intensity over time, leading to potential improvements in vegetation condition (see right). Consequently, a priori assumptions of ongoing degradation
are not always valid.

4. Some functionally important species or remnant ecosystems may now depend on current or future human disturbances for their maintenance and persistence.

5. A history of anthropogenic disturbances has created a range of distinct and sometimes novel ecosystem states, which differ in structure, composition and function.