## 6 Conclusions  
This paper presents an overview on the potential of palynology within archaeecological research to assess human-environment interactions and reconstruct past landscapes. The analysis of pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs in natural records was able to detect landscape transformation by Neolithic communities in the Western Mediterranean, specifically in Corsica and NE Iberia, providing proof of major land-cover changes induced by the first farmers, affecting sclerophyllous and riparian forests in North Corsica, Mediterranean maquis in South Corsica and oak forests in NE Iberia. The socioeconomic changes involved in the adoption of farming, including permanent settlement patterns, a growing population and more intensive productive activities increasingly reiterated in the territory, started a progressive process of landscape transformation, involving deforestation to open clearings for agriculture, grazing or permanent open-air settlements. Both in Corsica and NE Iberia, wetlands were attractive areas for these first farming communities, offering a variety of ecological niches which would have supplied various natural resources, with signs of human impact being detected from the Early and Middle Neolithic. In addition, palynology was confirmed as a relevant source of data to address local palaeenvironmental evolution in wetlands and in archaeological sites, providing evidence of flocks (spores of coprophilous fungi), and changes in hydrology (salinity, dryness/wetness, aquatic/palustrine phases) and in geomorphology (soil erosion indicators).  
Finally, the analysis of pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs in archaeological sites (archaeopalynology) provided detailed information about site formation processes, social use of space and the use of plants and fungi in a lakeside settlement (La Draga, Girona, Spain). This work evidences the need to carry out complementary spatial and diachronic (profiles) analysis in archaeopalynological studies, in order to reconstruct palaeenvironmental evolution in different phases of occupation and determine depositional and post-depositional events in the formation of the pollen record. The interest in studying the spatial distribution of pollen and NPP is based on the spatial heterogeneity of different taxa caused by human activities, in terms of inputs of plants to the settlement (gathering, cultivation, storage, etc.), and the arrangement of structures or space configuring different depositional environments or inducing soil erosion.  
JR developed this research with a [PERSON] contract (FJC2017) (MCINN, Spain), in the research group GAPS (2017 SGR 836). The InstitutCatala de Paleoecologia Humana iEvolucio Social (IPHES-CERCA) has been funded by MCINN in the programme of Units of Excellence 'Maria de Maeztu' (CEX2019-000945-M). The research in Corsica was possible thanks to the funding of the PCR \"Approchegeoarcheologique des paysages de Corse al'Holocene, entre mer etinterieur des terres. Tra Mare e Monti\" and \"Bouches de Bonifacio\" research programmes, funded by the DRAC Corsica and was part of the MISTRALS-PALEOMEX programme of CNRS (INEE-INSU scientific departments). Theresearch in NE Iberia waspossibelthanksottheproject 'Paleoambiente, modelizacion del paisaje y analisis del uso de plantas en la transicion a la agricultura en el Noreste de La Peninsula Iberica (PID2019-109254 GB-C21)' fundedby MCINN (Spain).  
**Infrared Consent Statement:** Not applicable.  
**Data Availability Statement:** Following the ORDP, and aiming to improve and maximize the access to the research data, pollen datasets from natural deposits presented in this work have been submitted to the European Pollen Database (EPD, [[http://www.europeanpollendatabase.net/](http://www.europeanpollendatabase.net/)]([http://www.europeanpollendatabase.net/](http://www.europeanpollendatabase.net/))) (accessed on 27 September 2017 (SB2 Banyoles), 4 February 2020 (Saint Florent) and 15 April 2020 (Piantarella)).  
The author declares no conflict of interest.