Authors: Schafstall, Nick; Kuosmanen, Niina;Svitavská-Svobodová, Helena;Kuneš, Petr;Clear, Jennifer L;

In general, conservation practices are based on historical records of species distribution which do not extend further back than 200 years. Palaeoecology can be used as a tool to explore baselines further back in time, to create a better understanding of the history of different species. This research focuses on the foothills of the High Tatra Mountains in Slovakia, part of the Tatra Transboundary UNESCO reserve. A 1000-year high-resolution record of subfossil beetles (Coleoptera) was extracted from peat sediment, and changes in species composition and diversity were counted by identifying fossils to genus, or species level. By comparing the fossil beetle record with a fossil pollen record for vegetation, interactions between the local insect fauna and surrounding landscape were reconstructed. Significant declines in insect diversity occur from AD 1600 and are partially related to a continuous desiccation of the peat bog. These changes coincide with increased human activity in the region. Our results challenge the assumption of the High Tatra Mountains as a largely pristine environment and the focus on saproxylic beetles for nature protection of mountain areas in central Europe.