Interaction between climate and human impacts on vegetation changes in the National Park of Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici throughout the last 15,000 years.

The project aims to study the effects of climate, human activities and their interaction on vegetation changes in the National Park of Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici throughout the last 15,000 years. Palaeoecological and archaeological techniques are combined to: reconstruct the climate at secular time scales; reconstruct vegetation changes; establish the beginning of human presence and the fluctuations of its impacts on vegetation; and eventually to analyse the interactions between climate, vegetation and human use of high mountains. For managing purposes, the study is completed by: analysing past history as reference for current changes; valuating the National Park archaeological heritage in the context of the human history in the mountains; and producing outreach materials (iconography and visiting itineraries) for dissemination of the history of nature-human interaction in the mountains.

Duration: 2010-2012

 Funding agency: Organismo Autónomo de Parques Nacionales - MAGRAMA

 Coordinator: J. Catalan

 Participants: Jordi Catalan, Albert Pèlachs, Ermengol Gassiot, Ferran Antolín, Anna Ballesteros, Meritxell Batalla, Francesc Burjachs, Teresa Buchaca, Lluís Camarero, Ignacio Clemente, Xavier Clop, David García, Santiago Giralt, Laia Jordana Lluch, Marco Madella, Niccolò Mazzuco, Elena Mur, Miquel Ninyerola, Laura Obea, Joaquim Oltra, Ramon Pérez-Obiol, Raquel Piqué, Sergi Pla-Rabés, Carlos Rivera Rondón, Josep Manel Rodríguez, David Rodríguez, Alaberto Sáez, Joan Manuel Soriano