Environmental History of south-austral Chile (X-XII Region) during the Holocene

Abstract

Numerous natural and cultural processes have affected the southern-austral region of Chile during the last 13000 years. To understand many of these processes, an interdisciplinary approach that integrates natural and social sciences is a must. Our attempts to link these two sciences have leaded us to Environmental History; a term coined by History, and usually referred to as a social discipline. Our concept of Environmental History, however, is wider and includes the contributions of a number of other disciplines. This article aims to provide baseline information on the cultural and natural environmental changes that occurred in this region of Chile during the Holocene.