c.

c. AD 800 – 1200: Excavations on the island of Nevis have demonstrated the impact of large-scale environmental management during the Troumassoid period. Research by A.H. Versteeg and S.M. Wilson indicates that as populations grew, indigenous groups increasingly modified the landscape through forest clearing and the creation of terrace systems to manage water runoff on the island’s volcanic slopes. This intensification of land use is reflected in the archaeological record by a shift in settlement patterns toward more permanent, upland villages. These findings underscore the active role of “First Islanders” in shaping the biodiversity and topography of the Lesser Antilles long before European arrival.