Green desert or all you can eat? How diverse and edible was the flora of Vanuatu before human introductions?

Lebot Vincent, Sam Chanel. 2019. Green desert or all you can eat? How diverse and edible was the flora of Vanuatu before human introductions?. In : Debating Lapita: Distribution, chronology, society and subsistence. Bedford Stuart (ed.), Spriggs Matthew (ed.). Canberra : ANU Press, 403-415. (Terra Australis, 52) ISBN 978-1-76046-330-4

Résumé : The islands of Vanuatu are relatively young geologically, having been formed through tectonic activity. They were colonised very early after their formation by plant species that have come from three main sources (northern Melanesia, New Caledonia and Fiji), carried by winds, ocean currents, birds and bats. When Lapita people arrived, they most likely found edible species there. This paper attempts to understand how settlers could have diversified their diets with plants collected directly from the local flora. Although this flora is considered rather poor compared to the three main source regions, this paper outlines how these colonising settlers could have foraged for local species whose leaves, fruits and tubers could have been eaten readily upon arrival, providing support for their subsistence during initial settlement. Different approaches will be considered to clarify the debate over Early Lapita diets in Remote Oceania.

Mots-clés Agrovoc : flore, biodiversité, évolution, plante alimentaire, régime alimentaire

Mots-clés géographiques Agrovoc : Vanuatu

Mots-clés libres : Océanie, Lapita, Archéologie, Botanique

Classification Agris : F70 - Taxonomie végétale et phytogéographie
P01 - Conservation de la nature et ressources foncières
S01 - Nutrition humaine - Considérations générales

Auteurs et affiliations

• Lebot Vincent, CIRAD-BIOS-UMR AGAP (VUT)
• Sam Chanel

Source : Cirad-Agritrop (https://agritrop.cirad.fr/594454/)

Métriques

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