Scientists have long debated when humans and their ancestors first began to dominate what had previously been a supposedly natural world. This question has been one of the cornerstones of research into the history of human development. A new study indicates that Neanderthals began transforming wooded land into meadows as early as approximately 125,000 years ago. The evidence found in the study represents the earliest 'witnesses' to a change in land use. By studying the Neumark-Nord region in Germany, where Neanderthals lived on the shores of lakes and the edges of forests, it was discovered that open areas began to appear in the forests during their time there.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2302065-neanderthals-may-have-cleared-a-european-forest-with-fire-or-tools/
https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/news/2021/12/neanderthals-changed-ecosystems-125000-years-ago

Photo: Wil Roebroeks/Leiden University