Landscape human shaping and spatial mobility of agropastoral practices in the Chaine des Puys during historical times (Massif Central, France)
2012
Ballut, Christèle | Michelin, Yves | Miras, Yannick | Archéologies et Sciences de l'Antiquité (ArScAn) ; Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (UP1)-Université Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis (UP8)-Université Paris Nanterre (UPN)-Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication (MCC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) | Mutations des activités des espaces et des formes d'organisation dans les territoires ruraux (UMR METAFORT) ; Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-AgroParisTech-VetAgro Sup - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur et de recherche en alimentation, santé animale, sciences agronomiques et de l'environnement (VAS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA) | Laboratoire de Géographie Physique et Environnementale (GEOLAB) ; Université Blaise Pascal - Clermont-Ferrand 2 (UBP)-Institut Sciences de l'Homme et de la Société (IR SHS UNILIM) ; Université de Limoges (UNILIM)-Université de Limoges (UNILIM)-Université Clermont Auvergne [2017-2020] (UCA [2017-2020])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Clermont Auvergne (UCA)
The Chaine des Puys is a great collection of extinct volcanoes that cover the Hercynian basement and belongs to the Auvergne Volcanoes Natural Regional Park. Both the sedimentary record and the historical archives of this area are numerous. However, the cores studied hitherto do not offer a good knowledge of the historical dynamics because most of the wetlands have dried out during historical times, causing gaps in the sedimentary record and pollen oxidization. Moreover, all the studied cores are located on the crystalline basement or on an old volcanic one predating the Chaine des Puys. Thus they do not directly provide information about the volcanoes. This article presents the only core obtained from a site, a small maar, located on a volcano. The sequence is short but does not have the same sedimentary gaps as the others. Owing to physical (grain size), chemical (C, N, P, K, Ca, Mg, N-NO3, N-NH4), palaeoecological (pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs) and historical analyses, this study gives a more precise recording of the landscape changes during the last 500 years in the volcanic area and contributes to the knowledge of the Chaine des Puys landscape. It illustrates the mobility of the historical landscape, in particular the progression and regression of the forest and the erosive crises related to more intensive grazing activity. The observations are linked with the social and economical changes, especially with the consequences of the French Revolution and the rural depopulation. This landscape history gives data about the direction of changes to the landscape preservationists. They demonstrate that even if the Chaine des Puys landscape looks natural, it has been shaped by a very specific socio-economical system inherited from the Middle Ages. These aspects could be integrated in a management plan. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved.
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