Over the past decade Southern California has seen an increase in wildfires caused by both anthropogenic climate change and inefficient land management practices.

The region previously experienced a wave of wildfires about 13,000 years ago, which led to the largest extinction event on Earth in more than 60 million years and affected the flora and fauna of the region.

A group of paleontologists studying the causes and effects of environmental change, including climate change and human impact, conducted a study to better examine the changes that occurred in Southern California during the last major extinction event at the end of the Pleistocene. During this time, there were significant changes in the climate and a rapid increase in the human population.

Mammals that have characterized ecosystems for tens of millions of years have disappeared, including giant mammoths, bears, and wolves. Of mammals weighing more than 43 kg, more than 70% went extinct in North America, more than 80% in South America and almost 90% in Australia.

At first, it was unclear what causes contributed to its extinction. Researchers faced challenges in determining the precise role of warming, changing weather patterns, vegetation reorganization, and the impact of human activities. Scientists examined fossils in the La Brea Tar Pits, the richest Ice Age fossil bed in the world, and discovered that Southern California’s flora and fauna changed dramatically around 13,000 years ago.

The analysis showed that the cause of this change was a deadly combination of drought and climate warming accompanied by rapid population growth. These factors altered Southern California’s ecosystem and contributed to the extinction of mega-mammals such as mammoths.

Research at the La Brea Tar Pits and Lake Elsinore has provided scientists with a unique opportunity to study an ancient ecosystem and uncover the causes of its destruction. These findings can help develop strategies to prevent future catastrophic climate change and mismanagement of resources to protect natural ecosystems and life on Earth.