Indigenous people are among the most vulnerable populations to climate change. However, indigenous societies' potential contributions to climate change and related issues of food security are vast but poorly recognized. The objective of this report is to inform the nutrition and public health communities about the potential contributions of ancient Andean technologies to addressing these contemporary challenges. Our research examines these ancient farming technologies within the frame of climate change and dietary potential. Specifically, we focus on four technologies derived from three case studies from Ecuador. These technologies were analyzed using evidence mainly of adaptation to climage change in indigenous-based agriculture. Our examination of these technologies suggests they may be effective mechanisms for adapting to climate change and protecting food sovereignty. Thus, while highly vulnerable to climate change, indigenous peoples in the Andes should also be seen as “agents of change”.
The archaeological record of the large lowland neotropical Muscovy Duck Cairina moschata, one of the few native animals known to have been domesticated by pre‐Columbian peoples, is poorly known. Only a few specimens have been recovered in different cultural, temporal and depositional contexts from throughout the neotropics, and differentiating between wild and domesticated forms on the basis of osteological evidence has proved to be difficult. Archaeological specimens are mainly recorded from sites in western Panama and South America, including the western lowlands of Ecuador where two new locations are described and evaluated. It is suggested that at least some of these Ecuadorian specimens belong to domesticated forms, and that the cultural contexts in which they are found at archaeological sites suggest that prehispanic trade may have influenced their geographical distribution prior to the arrival of Europeans.
Knowing whether a species has been extirpated, or if it ever inhabited a specific geographic area, has direct importance for planning conservation activities. The taruka ( Hippocamelus antisensis ) is one of the largest Neotropical mammals; it is distributed in the central Andes, and there are published records of this species in Ecuador. Recently, missing museum specimens have cast doubts on the validity of these Ecuadorian records. Here, we examine whether the taruka ever inhabited Ecuador by analyzing multiple sources of information. Our approach consists of 3 components: 1) we surveyed archaeological collections and literature for any biological remains and cultural artifacts that may represent tarukas, 2) we searched mammal collections for specimens reported in publications, and 3) we generated ecological niche models (ENMs) of current and past climates to determine whether Ecuador offers suitable habitats for the taruka. Our results suggest that the taruka never inhabited Ecuador. We did not find any reliable supporting evidence in the form of specimens nor convincing literature reports. Furthermore, ENMs revealed that Ecuador has not supported suitable climates for the taruka. We suggest that published records of taruka in Ecuador may have been due to improper identifications of specimens. The methods used here may also prove useful in determining the presence of species that are either thought to be extinct, or suspected to be recently introduced into a new geographic area. Conocer si una especie ha sido extirpada, o si alguna vez habitó un área geográfica específica, tiene importancia directa para la planificación de actividades de conservación. La Taruka ( Hippocamelus antisensis ) es uno de los mamíferos Neotropicales más grandes; se distribuye en los Andes centrales, y existen registros publicados de esta especie en Ecuador. Recientemente, ha habido dudas sobre la validez de los registros ecuatorianos porque los especímenes testigo se han perdido. Aquí examinamos si la taruka alguna vez habitó Ecuador, analizando múltiples fuentes de información. Nuestro enfoque metodológico consistió de 3 componentes: 1) examen de colecciones y literatura arqueológica para detectar restos biológicos o artefactos culturales que puedan representar tarukas, 2) búsqueda en colecciones mastozoológicas especímenes reportados en publicaciones; y 3) generación de modelos de nicho ecológico con climas pasados y presentes para determinar si Ecuador ofrece ambientes adecuados para la taruka. Nuestros resultados sugieren que la taruka nunca ha habitado Ecuador. No encontramos ninguna evidencia confiable en la forma de especímenes o reportes convincentes en la literatura. Además, los modelos de nicho ecológico revelaron que Ecuador no ha presentado las preferencias climáticas de la taruka. Sugerimos que los registros publicados de la taruka en Ecuador pueden ser el producto de la identificación errónea de especímenes. Las metodologías usadas en este trabajo pueden resultar útiles para investigar la presencia de especies que se creen extintas, o que se sospecha que son introducciones recientes a nuevas áreas geográficas.
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