A Deep-Time Socioecosystem Framework to Understand Social Vulnerability on a Tropical Island

ABSTRACT

Archaeological research has the potential to contribute to our understanding of social vulnerability to environmental change by providing examples of change in the deep and recent past. Here we argue that human activity and historical processes deeply transform tropical environments through time, and that these changes accumulate on the landscape affecting social vulnerability. These changes, however, are not always evident due to rapid vegetation growth obscuring past human impact. Our research investigates the northernmost 25 km of the Manatí Hydrological Basin in Puerto Rico, focusing on evidence of human activity and environmental characteristics including topography, sediments and vegetation cover. The data collected, which articulates archaeological and ethnographic records, covers the span of pre-Columbian occupation of the region, through the colonial periods, and into the twentieth century. Results show that human activity through time has deeply altered the forests. The accumulation of long-term histories of biotic, abiotic and cultural dynamics affects social sensitivity and exposure. Human ingenuity can widen resilience thresholds, making long-term practices particularly important components of adaptive strategies. Deep-time socioecological perspectives can contribute to current vulnerability assessments by enhancing local and historical records that can feed predictive models and inform decision-making in the present.

KEYWORDS:

• Social vulnerability
• socioecosystem dynamics
• environmental change
• deep-time perspective
• environmental archaeology
• Puerto Rico

Acknowledgements

The opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the National Science Foundation or the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico. This project was possible through an invitation from Yogani Govender, Lee Ann Rodríguez and the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico. Work was possible thanks to the hard work of Jean Manuel Sandoval, Astrid Maldonado, Sandra Faría, and hundreds of Citizen Scientists, in particular Hector Rivera-Claudio. Thanks as well to the parents of the co-authors for their support during their undergraduate studies, and to Lidia Marte, and Luis Santiago of the University of Puerto Rico for their input. This article was greatly improved with feedback from Benjamin Warner, Brad Werner and two anonymous reviewers. This work would not have been possible without the existence of coffee.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Geolocation Information

North: 18.4890, −66.5580; 18.4780, −66.5100. South: 18.2990; −66.5530; 18.3040, −66.4530.

Notes on contributors

Isabel Rivera-Collazo is Assistant Professor on Biological, Ecological and Human Adaptation to Climate Change at UC San Diego. The research for this article was conducted while she was Assistant Professor at the Department of Sociology and Anthropology of the University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras Campus. Her research focuses on human responses to change through time, focusing on landscape and climate reconstruction on islands and coastal zones, livelihood security, and human modification of landscapes. Rivera-Collazo is also active on community empowerment efforts to identify vulnerabilities and enhance resilience. Her main region of interest is Puerto Rico and the pan-Caribbean basin.

Cristina Rodríguez-Franco is a postgraduate student at the program of Archaeology of Death and Memory of University of Chester. Her interests are the concepts of identity and treatment of the dead in mortuary rituals. Rodríguez-Franco graduated from the University of Puerto Rico – Rio Piedras Campus, where she worked as research assistant in the Laboratory for Environmental Archaeology.

José J. Garay-Vázquez is a postgraduate student at the program of Environmental Archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London. His interests are the archaeology of food and foodways as seen from the material evidence of both animal and plant remains, Queer/Feminist archaeology and Public/Community Archaeology. Garay-Vázquez is an advocate of the ethical practice of archaeology within academia and how this benefits society. Garay-Vázquez graduated from the University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras Campus where he worked as research assistant in the Laboratory for Environmental Archaeology.

ORCID

Isabel C. Rivera-Collazo http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6857-2318

Cristina Rodríguez-Franco http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0172-2833

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Informal Science Education Proposal 1223882 and by the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico.