CULPA (OAPN) Análisis ecológico de la culturización del paisaje de alta montaña desde el Neolítico: los Parques Nacionales de montaña como modelo. Research Manager: Jordi Catalán. I IPE: González Sampériz, P.  

The current landscape of Mountain National Parks responds to a long process of interaction between climate, vegetation dynamics and human activity. The purpose of this project is to analyze this phenomenon over the past 7000 years from an ecological perspective. The aim is to collate existing information from both palaeoecological and archaeological studies and analyze it terms of current knowledge on the distribution of species, biogeochemical processes and historical-cultural dynamics using different modelling and analytical procedures.

The ultimate goal is to assess the phenomenon of the acculturation of high mountain landscapes, since there is evidence of human occupation in each of the several mountain National Parks, taking advantage of the singularities of each one of them, and particularly of the north-south peninsular gradient.

The project is structured according to direct drivers of change (livestock, agriculture, forestry, hydropower, mining), looking for their influence on the state of ecosystems analyzing the historical and cultural context of the mountain periphery. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the study, a large group of researchers from different disciplines is involved (ecology, palaeoclimatology, physical geography, archaeology), which shared a common interest for understanding the relationship of human activity with the natural environment.