Integrated analysis on transhumance activities in the Eastern Pyrenees: enhancing mountain Cultural Landscapes

Integrated analysis of transhumance activities in the Eastern Pyrenees: enhancing mountain cultural landscapes

Research team: Dr. Josep Maria Palet Martínez (PI) (Director d'Investigació ICAC), Dr. Carlos Tornero Dacasa (Co-PI) (Investigador postdoctoral IPHES), Dr. Florent Rivals (Professor d'Investigació ICREA-IPHES), Dr. Joan Bosch i Ballbona (Director d'Investigació ICRPC), Dra. Lídia Colominas Barberà (Investigador postdoctoral ICAC), Dr. Pau Olmos (ICAC), Antonio Rojas Rabaneda (Projectes de Recerca ICRPC), Dra. Tania Polonio Alamino (estudiant de doctorat ICAC), Dr. Abel Gallego Valle (estudiant de doctorat ICAC), Dr. Aitor Burguet Coca (estudiant de doctorat IPHES).

Co-investigators from external centers

Santiago Riera Mora (SERP. University of Barcelona), Ana Ejarque Montolio (CNRS-GEOLAB (UMR 6042/CNRS, MSH, Université Blaise Pascal, France), Carles Rosell Rufat (IRTA), Braddock K. Linsley (CU), Mónica Aguilera (UdL), Juan Pedro Ferrio (UdL).

Description

High mountain areas have been considered marginal and risky environments, limited by severe climatic conditions and their extreme topography. However, several international research projects have shown that their potential for historical knowledge linked to pastoral activities is enormous. This information is of paramount importance, since this activity has fulfilled first-order functions (social, economic, environmental and territorial planning), leaving a strong cultural mark on the population and the territory. However, there is little data available to characterize and evaluate this activity.

With this pilot project we propose an innovative approach to study this topic. We will apply new procedures analytical tools to study in more detail mobile pastoral activities and their relationship with mountain occupations. The methodology combines fieldwork (ICAC-IPHES), non-invasive landscape and heritage analysis (ICAC-ICRPC), environmental proxies (ICAC), zooarchaeological analyses (ICAC), biomolecular and microwear analyses on faunal remains (IPHES) and experimental studies with animals (IPHES). Each PI will be responsible for and coordinate a specific complementary skill, working together in the case study sector.

A postdoctoral researcher will be recruited to manage the fieldwork and to coordinate the zooarchaeological analyses. The expected impact of the project results will have a high potential for synergies and benefits for wider scientific efforts in the common strategy SUMA R3 Europe 2020. It will foster collaborative research and allow researchers to seek external funding to carry out larger-scale H2020 projects in a research area of ??potential strategic relevance for R3 (IP Tornero ERC-StG-2018). The postdoctoral researcher will also be responsible for this objective, exploring opportunities among European research groups working on these topics.