Late Pleistocene and Holocene Vegetation of West Java, Indonesia

Organic deposits from depressions have proven to be a useful tool in reconstructing the vegetation of earlier times. This book narrates the results of palynological research on lake and marsh sediments from sites above 1000 m in West Java, Indonesia. The main objective was to reconstruct the vegetational and climatic history of this areas during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene periods up to c.17,000 years ago. As an introduction, a survey is given of the physical environment and the present vegetation and vegetational zonation in western Java. The vegetational history of the latter region is compared with that of Sumatra, because the two islands share several vegetation characteristics. The discussion of the pollen evidence is followed by descriptions of more than 100 pollen and spore types. The present vegetational situation is shown in 8 black-and-white plates.