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History through sediments: Environmental, land use and technological change in the record of a temperate wetland (Las Tablas de Daimiel, central Spain)

Abstract:

The analysis of the sediments of a temperate wetland in central Spain (Las Tablas de Daimiel National Park) and their correlation to historical and documental data allows to interpret the environmental changes recorded in such sediments as due to the variable intensity human action in addition to the natural variability. Recorded events are related to land use changes that are caused by the socioeconómical circumstances of the surrounding human communities. Relative intensity and length of such impacts permits to estimate the duration of the anthropic events and the recovery ability of the natural system, evidencing that the intensity degree is determined by the technological capability to sustain a prolonged soil use. As a result, the Tablas de Daimiel National Park record has been divided in three periods: a "natural" period, when the impact of events is short and the environment is able to recover quickly, a "preindustrial" period, when changes are gradual but sustained, and an "industrial" period, when the sustained activity is so intense that the natural system is unable to recover.