EVOLUTION OF HIGH ANDEAN PUNA ECOSYSTEMS - ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE, AND CULTURE CHANGE OVER THE LAST 12,000 YEARS IN THE CENTRAL ANDES

In the High Andes, much of the traditional knowledge related to natura l resource utilization and agricultural practices was lost with the ar rival of the Spaniards. That which has survived has been transformed, together with the landscape. Based upon ongoing research on the paleoe cology and archaeology of the central High Andes, this paper presents the first results of pollen analysis from late-Pleistocene/early Holoc ene Laguna Seca (latitude 18-degrees-11' South, longitude 69-degrees-1 4'30'' West) in the Chungara-Cotacotani lake district of Lauca Nationa l Park. The Laguna Seca record covers two crucial events in the evolut ion of high Andean puna ecosystems: (1) the period preceding the earli est human occupation, and (2) the period of change from a food-gatheri ng to a food-producing economy. The results, though preliminary, indic ate the contribution that these studies can make to the management and preservation of fragile mountain ecosystems.