Historical ecology of alpine environments

Historical ecology is an inherently trans-disciplinary research perspective that explores how landscapes are transformed over time. By combining data from the human and natural sciences, case studies and comparative syntheses of landscape transformations at different temporal scales offer the possibility of identifying similarities and differences in the complex factors that have shaped local and regional-scale alpine environments. Through the study of how past decisions shaped landscape transformations, it becomes possible to imagine the creation of resilient adaptive strategies that may be of value to the future inhabitants of alpine environments as they are confronted with the reality of increasingly rapid climate change.