Resource Exploitation Patterns in the Velondriake Marine Protected Area, Southwest Madagascar, ca. AD 800-1900

Summary

This paper discusses resource exploitation patterns at coastal archaeological sites located in the Velondriake Marine Protected Area in southwest Madagascar. In particular, it assesses the selective reliance of coastal communities on a variety of local habitats and taxa. The data are derived from regional survey and the excavation of five archaeological sites, including small rock shelters and open-air sites, ranging in date from ca. AD 800 to 1900. The data describe multiple narratives of human-environment interaction, each resulting in a distinct "impact" on the environment. Velondriake’s environmental history is characterized by frequent movement of people in and out of its coastal desert environment, both seasonally and over longer periods of time. Particularly considering the harsh and unpredictable climate of the region, this pattern of selective resource exploitation and frequent migration offers a long view of the resilience of socio-ecological systems in coastal southwest Madagascar. On-going research into the impact of human predation on populations of now-extinct elephant birds suggests that these ratites co-existed with human communities in the region far longer than previously thought.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage