Loco or no Loco? Holocene Climatic Fluctuations, Human Demography, and Community Based Management of Coastal Resources in Northern Chile

Santoro, Calógero M.; Gayó, Eugenia M.; Carter, Chris; Standen, Vivien G.; Castro, Victória; Valenzuela, Daniela; Pol‐Holz, Ricardo De; Marquet, Pablo A.; Latorre, Claudio

doi:10.3389/feart.2017.00077

Cited by 21 publications

(21 citation statements)

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“…Neolithisation spread over northern Chile shortly after positive but variable hydrological conditions persisted from ∼3500 cal yrs BP (Núñez et al, 2010;Núñez and Santoro, 2011;Sinclaire, 2004). Coastal populations from Northern Chile remained practically immune to this process, maintaining a marine foraging subsistence since the late Pleistocene up to the Spaniard colonization at ∼1533 AD (Andrade et al, 2014;Pestle et al, 2015;Roberts et al, 2013;Santoro et al, 2015Santoro et al, , 2017b. The one exception is the case of populations from the fertile coast of northernmost Chile (18°S-19°S) that complemented fishing, hunter-gathering activities with small-scale agriculture developed at the mouth of perennial rivers that discharge into the Pacific Ocean (Diaz-Zorita et al, 2016;Núñez and Santoro, 2011).…”

Section: Northern Chilementioning

confidence: 99%

“…were intensively exploited using a diverse array of toolkits and strategies that were continuously improved over time (Flores et al, 2016;Olguín et al, 2015;Santoro et al, 2017b). Prolonged and intense foraging of particular species -i.e.…”

Section: Northern Chilementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Prolonged and intense foraging of particular species -i.e. keystone species such as C. concholepas-might have affected the long-term structure of shore ecosystems (Rivadeneira et al, 2010;Santoro et al, 2017b). The recurrent and continuous disposal of marine fauna remains over the last 9000 cal yrs BP have resulted in the accumulation of conspicuous archeological shell-middens along 1300 km of the northern Chile coastline.…”

Section: Northern Chilementioning

confidence: 99%

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Geohistorical records of the Anthropocene in Chile

Gayó

McRostie

Campbell

et al. 2019

Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene

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The deep-time dynamics of coupled socio-ecological systems at different spatial scales is viewed as a key framework to understand trends and mechanisms that have led to the Anthropocene. By integrating archeological and paleoenvironmental records, we test the hypothesis that Chilean societies progressively escalated their capacity to shape national biophysical systems as socio-cultural complexity and pressures on natural resources increased over the last three millennia. We demonstrate that Pre-Columbian societies intentionally transformed Chile’s northern and central regions by continuously adjusting socio-cultural practices and/or incorporating technologies that guaranteed resource access and social wealth. The fact that past human activities led to cumulative impacts on diverse biophysical processes, not only contradicts the notion of pristine pre-Industrial Revolution landscapes, but suggests that the Anthropocene derives from long-term processes that have operated uninterruptedly since Pre-Columbian times. Moreover, our synthesis suggests that most of present-day symptoms that describe the Anthropocene are rooted in pre-Columbian processes that scaled up in intensity over the last 3000 years, accelerating after the Spanish colonization and, more intensely, in recent decades. The most striking trend is the observed coevolution between the intensity of metallurgy and heavy-metal anthropogenic emissions. This entails that the Anthropocene cannot be viewed as a universal imprint of human actions that has arisen as an exclusive consequence of modern industrial societies. In the Chilean case, this phenomenon is intrinsically tied to historically and geographically diverse configurations in society-environment feedback relationships. Taken collectively with other case studies, the patterns revealed here could contribute to the discussion about how the Anthropocene is defined globally, in terms of chronology, stratigraphic markers and attributes. Furthermore, this deep-time narrative can potentially become a science-based instrument to shape better-informed discourses about the socio-environmental history in Chile. More importantly, however, this research provides crucial “baselines” to delineate safe operating spaces for future socio-ecological systems.

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Section: Northern Chilementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Northern Chilementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Northern Chilementioning

confidence: 99%

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Geohistorical records of the Anthropocene in Chile

Gayó

McRostie

Campbell

et al. 2019

Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene

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“…4000–1500 BP), when the culture went into decline (Arriaza 1995, 2008; Bittmann and Munizaga 1976; Marquet et al 2012; Roberts et al 2013). The rich biota of the Pacific coast of northern Chile enabled the Archaic marine hunter-gatherers and their successors to develop a semi-sedentary mobility pattern, which provided food security even after circa 10,000 BP when a prolonged drought made the intermediate depression, the core of the Atacama Desert, inhospitable (Gayo et al 2012; Latorre et al 2013; Santoro et al 2017b). The inhabitants of Caleta Vitor remained heavily dependent into the Late period (600–476 BP) on marine proteins, which they complemented by exploiting or trading a limited range of terrestrial resources for both food and craft production (Aufderheide et al 1988; Castro 2014; King et al 2018; Poulson et al 2013; Rivera 2008; Roberts et al 2013; Santoro et al 2012, 2017a; Tieszen and Chapman 1992).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early Coastal Fiber Technology from the Caleta Vitor Archaeological Complex in Northern Chile

Martens

Cameron

2019

Latin Am. antiq.

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The marine subsistence economy of the prehistoric people of northern Chile was heavily reliant on fiber technology for the components of nets, lines, and tethers. Despite the significance and the remarkable preservation of fiber artifacts along the arid Atacama coastline, these components have received little direct attention. This case study of fiber artifacts from the Caleta Vitor archaeological complex is the first broad overview of techniques, material usage/preference, and fiber-processing conventions at a northern Chilean Archaic period site. The data presented in this paper indicate gradual change in material preferences over time, shifting from locally available vegetal fiber, which dominates the Archaic period, with small amounts of camelid fiber, to the predominance of camelid fiber in the Late Formative period. This change coincides with the appearance of more complex weaving techniques indicating participation in the previously established textile tradition proposed by Ulloa (2008) as stretching from the Azapa Valley to the Loa River.

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“…Despite some resemblance to abalone, 'Chilean abalone' is a different high-value species of sea snail, known locally as loco, and has been part of the local diet for at least 6,000 years (Reyes 1986;Santoro et al 2017). Historically, the fishery had been open access, but as international 'loco fever' (Meltzoff et al 2002) demanded unsustainable catches, the Government experimented with a series of different policy instruments: seasonal closures from 1981 to 1984; a global national quota from 1985 to 1989; and then total closure from 1989 (Castilla 1995;Castilla and Fernández 1998;González et al 2006;Gelcich et al 2008;Hauck and Gallardo-Fernández 2013).…”

Section: Case Study: Chilean Abalone Turfsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oceans and Coastal Policy

Mangalagiu¹,

Baker²,

Fidelman³

et al. 2019

Global Environment Outlook – GEO-6: Healthy Planet, Healthy People

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Some problems may be best addressed by policy instruments that entail community and stakeholder engagement (well established). These include enabling local communities to develop and adopt measures tailored to their context and partnerships with the private sector (well established). {14.2.3}. Policy-sensitive indicators may be used to track progress in addressing key pressures and drivers (well established). These include area-based indicators, such as the coverage of marine protected areas and of vulnerable marine ecosystems. Protected areas under national jurisdiction or in the high seas have the potential to address several pressures relating to marine biodiversity, including overfishing and habitat destruction (well established but incomplete). {14.3.1}. Many indicators may not entirely capture the multiple dimensions of different pressures and drivers (well established). Area-based approaches alone do not gurantee effective area management; nor can they guard against the impact of climate change or pollution (well established). Efforts to develop methods for evaluating the effectiveness of protected areas are, therefore, critical (well established). {14.3.2}. A lack of standardization may make it difficult to track progress towards marine conservation (well established). This is the case of beach litter used as an indicator of litter in the marine environment. The lack of standardization and compatibility between methods used and results obtained in various bottom-up projects makes it difficult to reach an overall assessment of the status of marine litter over large geographical areas {14.3.2}. Responding to key drivers and pressures facing the oceans (e.g. climate change, pollution and overfishing; see Chapter 7 of this report) requires diverse policy instruments and governance approaches (well established). These instruments and approaches include command and control, stakeholder partnerships, economic incentives and approaches to enable actors. {14.2}. Policy coherence and integration are important in addressing cumulative impacts of local and regional threats to support the resilience of marine ecosystems (e.g. coral reefs) to climate change (inconclusive). However, without international policies to curb carbon emissions, the effectiveness of resilience-based management is likely to be very limited, given the limits to the capacity of marine species to adapt to warmer ocean waters (well established). {14.2.1}. Problems involving numerous activities, sectors and sources (e.g. marine litter) may require policies involving comprehensive and coordinated measures (well established but incomplete). When such problems involve multiple jurisdictions, governance approaches to engage neighbouring countries (e.g. the Regional Seas Programme) may be appropriate (well established but incomplete). {14.2.2}. 1 GBRMPA is a federal statutory authority established under the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 with powers to prepare and publish plans and policies relating to the protection and management of the GBR (C...

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Loco or no Loco? Holocene Climatic Fluctuations, Human Demography, and Community Based Management of Coastal Resources in Northern Chile

Cited by 21 publications

References 69 publications

Geohistorical records of the Anthropocene in Chile

Geohistorical records of the Anthropocene in Chile

Early Coastal Fiber Technology from the Caleta Vitor Archaeological Complex in Northern Chile

Oceans and Coastal Policy

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