Abstract Book: Scales of Social, Environmental & Cultural Change in Past Societies

The interplay of environment, social relations, material culture, population dynamics, and human perception are the key factors of socio-environmental changes. The exploration of processes and parameters of societal change enable further exploration of transformations of human-environmental interactions. These processes and parameters are detectable in the development of, for example, settlement systems, material culture, or ritual sites, which link different socio-environmental components. Humans and environments deeply shaped each other, creating diverse social, environmental, and cultural constellations. On the one hand, examining the roots of social, environmental, and cultural phenomena and processes, which substantially marked past human development, can lead to a deeper understanding of the development of societies. On the other hand, a focus on transformation patterns within momentous developments of past societies opens up the possibility of identifying substantial and enduring re-organisation of socio-environmental interaction patterns

People -- Marine Mammal Interactions

Our relationships with marine mammals are complex. We have used them as resources, and in some places this remains the case; viewed them as competitors and culled them (again ongoing in some localities); been so captivated and intrigued by them that we have taken them into captivity for our entertainment; and developed a lucrative eco-tourism activity focused on them in many nations. When we first envisaged this special topic, we had two overarching aims: Firstly, we hoped to generate critical evaluation of some of our relationships with these animals. Secondly, we hoped to attract knowledgeable commentators and experts who might not traditionally publish in the peer-reviewed literature. We were also asking ourselves a question about what responsibility mankind might have to marine mammals, on our rapidly changing planet? The answer to the question; can, or should, humans have responsibility for the lives of marine mammals when they are affected by our activities? - is, in our opinion, ‘yes’ – and the logical progression from this question is to direct research and effort to understand and optimise the actions, reactions and responses that mankind may be able to take. We hope that the papers in this special issue bring some illumination to a small selection of topics under this much wider topic area, and prove to be informative and stimulating.https://www.wellbeingintlstudiesrepository.org/anibsci/1000/thumbnail.jp

The assessment report of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services on pollinators, pollination and food production

The thematic assessment of pollinators, pollination and food production carried out under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services aims to assess animal pollination as a regulating ecosystem service underpinning food production in the context of its contribution to nature’s gifts to people and supporting a good quality of life. To achieve this, it focuses on the role of native and managed pollinators, the status and trends of pollinators and pollinator-plant networks and pollination, drivers of change, impacts on human well-being, food production in response to pollination declines and deficits and the effectiveness of responses

Análisis de datos etnográficos, antropológicos y arqueológicos: una aproximación desde las humanidades digitales y los sistemas complejos

La llegada de las Ciencias de la Computación, el Big Data, el Análisis de Datos, el Aprendizaje Automático y la Minería de Datos ha modificado la manera en que se hace ciencia en todos los campos científicos, dando lugar, a su vez, a la aparición de nuevas disciplinas tales como la Mecánica Computacional, la Bioinformática, la Ingeniería de la Salud, las Ciencias Sociales Computacionales, la Economía Computacional, la Arqueología Computacional y las Humanidades Digitales –entre otras. Cabe destacar que todas estas nuevas disciplinas son todavía muy jóvenes y están en continuo crecimiento, por lo que contribuir a su avance y consolidación tiene un gran valor científico. En esta tesis doctoral contribuimos al desarrollo de una nueva línea de investigación dedicada al uso de modelos formales, métodos analíticos y enfoques computacionales para el estudio de las sociedades humanas tanto actuales como del pasado.El Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación • Proyecto SimulPast – “Transiciones sociales y ambientales: simulando el pasado para entender el comportamiento humano” (CSD2010-00034 CONSOLIDER-INGENIO 2010). • Proyecto CULM – “Modelado del cultivo en la prehistoria” (HAR2016-77672-P). • Red de Excelencia SimPastNet – “Simular el pasado para entender el comportamiento humano” (HAR2017-90883-REDC). • Red de Excelencia SocioComplex – “Sistemas Complejos Socio-Tecnológicos” (RED2018-102518-T). La Consejería de Educación de la Junta de Castilla y León • Subvención a la línea de investigación “Entendiendo el comportamiento humano, una aproximación desde los sistemas complejos y las humanidades digitales” dentro del programa de apoyo a los grupos de investigación reconocidos (GIR) de las universidades públicas de Castilla y León (BDNS 425389