A Cambridge University-led team of archaeologists have solved the mystery surrounding the decline of the Nazca civilisation of Southern Peru.

Famous for the giant geoglyphs which they etched into the Peruvian desert, the Nazca met their fate through a combination of freak weather and their own destruction of the natural habitat.  

The Nazca culture disappeared some 1,500 years ago, leaving us with evidence of a rich culture in the form of elaborate textiles and fine ceramics.

Through work in the lower Ica valley, Cambridge’s Dr David Beresford-Jones and his team have found that the Nazca collapse was caused by the clearing of Huarango trees, which had maintained an ecological balance in the area.   

Dr Beresford-Jones describes the Huarango as “a remarkable nitrogen-fixing tree” and an important source of food, timber and fuel for the people. 

The tree is an “ecological keystone species in the desert zone,” which underpinned the floodplain with one of the deepest root systems of any tree. As the Nazca cleared these trees to make way for their crops, this vital protection was lost.

“In time, gradual woodland clearance crossed an ecological threshold – sharply defined in desert environments – exposing the landscape to the region’s extraordinary desert winds and the effects of El Niño floods,” Dr Beresford-Jones explains.

The team used the 1998 El Niño floods as a model, showing that, without Huarango trees to protect against wind and water erosion, a similar event finally destroyed the Nazca culture altogether.

But the history of Nazca holds lessons for today, and the team’s discoveries hold huge relevance for present day settlers in the middle Ica Valley.

Here history is repeating itself as the Huarango trees, which take thousands of years to reach maturity, are being felled for charcoal production.

The time has come, Beresford-Jones argues, for us to stop sitting in our ‘ivory towers’ and educate the local people.

It is also believed that deforestation was crucial in the demise of both the Easter Island civilisation, and the fall of the Anasazi people of the south-western United States. The examples are also relevant to our present day struggles against global warming – a phenomenon partly caused by deforestation. 

Dr Beresford-Jones stressed that, while history shows us humans are capable of bringing about their own destruction, a knowledge of history may help to prevent such disasters.

“By understanding past mistakes we can learn how to manage our present resources better,” he said