Human Impact on the Isla de los Estados Environment

Abstract

Archaeological and historical evidence reveals that human activity on Isla de los Estados has induced ecological disturbances at different scales. The island was intermittently occupied by hunter-gatherer-fisher groups between approximately 2800 and 1375 cal. yr BP possibly through seasonal movements for hunting of seabirds and marine mammals. Following the arrival of European exploration vessels in the seventeenth century, Western interventions on the island primarily involved timber exploitation, oil extraction from marine fauna, the construction of shelters, and the introduction of non-native species. This chapter examines the anthropogenic influences and factors that could have shaped the environment of Isla de los Estados along history.