Anthropological contributions to historical ecology: 50 questions, infinite prospects

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a consensus-driven process identifying 50 priority research questions for historical ecology obtained through crowdsourcing, literature reviews, and in-person workshopping. A deliberative approach was designed to maximize discussion and debate with defined outcomes. Two in-person workshops (in Sweden and Canada) over the course of two years and online discussions were peer facilitated to define specific key questions for historical ecology from anthropological and archaeological perspectives. The aim of this research is to showcase the variety of questions that reflect the broad scope for historical-ecological research trajectories across scientific disciplines. Historical ecology encompasses research concerned with decadal, centennial, and millennial human-environmental interactions, and the consequences that those relationships have in the formation of contemporary landscapes. Six interrelated themes arose from our consensus-building workshop model: (1) climate and environmental change and variability; (2) multi-scalar, multi-disciplinary; (3) biodiversity and community ecology; (4) resource and environmental management and governance; (5) methods and applications; and (6) communication and policy. The 50 questions represented by these themes highlight meaningful trends in historical ecology that distill the field down to three explicit findings. First, historical ecology is fundamentally an applied research program. Second, this program seeks to understand long-term human-environment interactions with a focus on avoiding, mitigating, and reversing adverse ecological effects. Third, historical ecology is part of convergent trends toward transdisciplinary research science, which erodes scientific boundaries between the cultural and natural.

Fig 1. Consensus-Building in Second Workshop.

After sorting questions into each group (10–12 participants and a facilitator) are allotted 90 minutes to select the questions most pertinent to the node. The group then rotates to the next node.

Fig 2. Facilitation Process Example.

The facilitator stays with the same node throughout the day and discloses results and insights from previous groups’ discussion with each new group. For example, Group 1 works through the list of biodiversity and community ecology questions with the help of a facilitator. Group 2 then works with the same question list but is able to interact with Group 1’s ideas (but not vice versa) through the facilitator. Group 3 works with the original list again but is exposed to compounded ideas from Groups 1 and 2 through the facilitator, and so on until each group has an opportunity to discuss all six nodes.