Historical Ecology and Archaeology in the Galápagos Islands: A Legacy of Human Occupation. Peter W. Stahl, Fernando J. Astudillo, Ross W. Jamieson, Diego Quiroga, and Florencio Delgado. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2020, 240 pp. $90.00, cloth. ISBN 9780813066271.

2021 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 421-422
Author(s):  
Michael H. Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Historical Ecology ◽  
Galapagos Islands ◽  
Galápagos Islands ◽  
Human Occupation

Historical Ecology and Archaeology in the Galápagos Islands

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter W. Stahl ◽  
Fernando J. Astudillo ◽  
Ross W. Jamieson ◽  
Diego Quiroga ◽  
Florencio Delgado
Keyword(s):  
Historical Ecology ◽  
Ecological Study ◽  
Galapagos Islands ◽  
Biological Conservation ◽  
Galápagos Islands ◽  
Anthropogenic Transformation ◽  
Sugar Plantation ◽  
Nature Park ◽  
Island Habitats ◽  
Emerging Ecosystems

Historical Ecology and Archaeology in the Galápagos Islands explores human history in the Galápagos Islands, which is today one of the world’s premier nature attractions. From its early beginnings, the Galápagos National Park connected a dual vision of biological conservation with responsible tourism. However, despite its popular perception as a pristine nature park, the archipelago has experienced protracted interactions with humans at least since its accidental discovery in 1535. This book contextualizes six years of interdisciplinary archaeological and historical research on San Cristóbal, the easternmost island in the archipelago. It focuses on the interior highland community of El Progreso and specifically the preserved vestiges of a 19th-century sugar plantation, the Hacienda El Progreso, which left the most intensive historic footprint of human activity in the islands. It did not do this alone, as other islands, particularly those with potable water sources, were varyingly impacted by human encounters. Proceeding within a framework of Historical Ecology, the book integrates archaeological research with historical and ecological study and incorporates three interconnected perspectives: 1. globalization and the increasing integration of the islands into an expanding network of human interests; 2. anthropogenic transformation of distinctive island habitats into novel or emerging ecosystems; and, 3. changing popular and scientific perceptions of nature and ecotourism’s role in biological conservation, preservation, and restoration.

Historical Ecology and Archaeology in the Galápagos Islands

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
PETER W. STAHL ◽  
FERNANDO J. ASTUDILLO ◽  
ROSS W. JAMIESON ◽  
DIEGO QUIROGA ◽  
FLORENCIO DELGADO
Keyword(s):  
Historical Ecology ◽  
Galapagos Islands ◽  
Galápagos Islands

scholarly journals Reconsidering Precolumbian Human Colonization in the Galápagos Islands, Republic of Ecuador

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atholl Anderson ◽  
Karen Stothert ◽  
Helene Martinsson-Wallin ◽  
Paul Wallin ◽  
Iona Flett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Phase ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Galapagos Islands ◽  
Luminescence Dating ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Galápagos Islands ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Optically Stimulated Luminescence Dating ◽  
Human Colonization

Fifty years ago, Heyerdahl and Skjølsvold (1956, 1990) collected material from five archaeological sites in the Galápagos Islands. They retained earthenwares of possible precolumbian origin and discarded ceramic, metal, and glass artifacts postdating the arrival of the Spanish in A.D. 1535. Consequently, they argued that each site was formed as the results of a series of discard events from unrelated short-term occupations extending from the precolumbian to the historical era, and that the earthenwares represented occasional visits by fishermen from precolumbian Peru and Ecuador. In 2005, we re-excavated the sites and collected all the excavated materials. Our results show that each class of material, irrespective of age or origin, was distributed spatially and stratigraphically in the same pattern, contradicting the former assumption of multiple, unrelated occupations. We reject the palimpsest model in favor of the null hypothesis of single-phase site occupation. Analysis of putatively precolumbian pottery using optically-stimulated luminescence dating indicates that it is mostly of historical age. Radiocarbon dating confirms that the archaeological sites are younger than the sixteenth century. Research on sedimentary cores shows probable anthropogenic impacts as restricted to the last 500 years. We conclude that there was no human occupation in the Galápagos Islands until the historical era.

scholarly journals Oceanic islands and climate: using a multi-criteria model of drivers of change to select key conservation areas in Galapagos

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Escobar-Camacho ◽  
Paulina Rosero ◽  
Mauricio Castrejón ◽  
Carlos F. Mena ◽  
Francisco Cuesta
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Environmental Change ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Marine Reserve ◽  
Galapagos Islands ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Galápagos Islands ◽  
Drivers Of Change

AbstractThe unique marine and terrestrial ecosystems of the Galapagos Islands are highly vulnerable to human-based drivers of change, including the introduction of invasive species, unsustainable tourism, illegal fishing, overexploitation of ecosystem services, and climate change. These drivers can interact with climate-based drivers such as El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) at multiple temporal and spatial scales, exacerbating their negative impacts on already fragile ecosystems and the socioeconomic system of the Archipelago. In this review, we performed a literature review based on published literature from 1945 to 2020 and local and global climate databases to analyze drivers of change in the Galapagos. We developed and applied a spatial impact assessment model to identify high-ecological value areas with high sensitivity and exposure scores to environmental change drivers. We identified 13 priority HEVA that encompass ca. 23% (14,715 km2) of the Galapagos Archipelago, distributed in nearly 3% of the Galapagos Marine Reserve and 20% Galapagos National Park. Current and future impacts are likely to concentrate on the inhabited islands’ highlands, whereas marine impacts concentrate along most of the Galapagos Islands’ shorelines. These results are important for guiding the design and implementation of adaptation measures aimed at increasing ecosystem resilience and human adaptive capacity in the face of global environmental change. Overall, these results will be valuable in their application for preserving Galapagos biota, securing the provision of vital ecosystem services for resident human populations, and sustaining the nature-based tourism industry.

Household preferences for improved water services in the Galápagos Islands

2021 ◽  
pp. 100180
Author(s):  
William F. Vásquez ◽  
Nejem Raheem ◽  
Diego Quiroga ◽  
Valeria Ochoa-Herrera
Keyword(s):  
Galapagos Islands ◽  
Water Services ◽  
Galápagos Islands ◽  
Household Preferences
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