The Kuk Creek flows through the entirety of the fan to a catchment in the lower hills of the south region. Channels were constructed to carry water past the reach of the fan. If these channels were blocked, the area would develop into a swamp, diverting water into smaller distributary channels. Archaeological evidence for early agricultural drainage systems, dating back to about 9,000 years ago, has been found here. Features such as pits, postholes, and runnels have been discovered at the site, indicating early agricultural practices such as planting, digging, and tethering of plants. Numerous banana
phytoliths have been found in the cultivation plots of the swamp. As bananas do not produce phytoliths in the same quantity and frequency as grasses and other plants, researchers have concluded that the abundance of banana phytoliths found in a managed grassland landscape between 6950 and 6550 years ago indicates deliberate planting. The bananas grown at Kuk Swamp were Eumusa bananas, which became the most significant and largest group of banana domesticates. This makes Kuk Swamp one of the earliest known sites for the development of agriculture. In recognition of its historical significance, Kuk Swamp was designated as a
World Heritage Site by
UNESCO in 2008. ==See also==