This is an interdisciplinary project, linking archaeological and historical approaches with environmental data (pedo-anthracopology, soil analysis, dendrochronology). The dynamic is collaborative: it includes members of the Centre Camille Jullian, the Institut méditerranéen de biodiversité et d'écologie marine et continentale (IMBE), the Laboratoire d'archéologie médiévale et Moderne en méditerranée (LA3M) and TRACES (Toulouse), Aix-Marseille-Université (AMU), the University of Toulouse, the University of York (UK) ; as well as local partners (the Service archéologique and the Réserve géologique du 04) and a long-standing local association (Association de recherche et de documentation archéologiques en Haute-Provence).

The aim of this project is to characterize the genesis and future of a mid-mountain territory (Southern Alps) by combining 3 major stages:

1. An overview of human occupation and the ways in which the main resources of this mountain area have been exploited over the long term (from prehistory to the modern period). A collective approach based on a review and compilation of historical sources already processed, and a field phase (traditional archaeological prospecting on foot in a specific sector related to the study). We also worked on reconstructing the distribution and weight of human occupation over time. We focused on settlements linked to pastoralism and logging, the main activities affecting forests. We also provided an estimate of human pressure on the environment (forest - pasture) over time.
2. A study of the evolution of the vegetation cover over the long term (old-growth forests), using soil-anthracological pits, to then reflect on the impact of human exploitation on this vegetation cover. This is partly based on Emma Gamba's thesis ("Dynamiques forestières et activités humaines dans les Préalpes du sud. A long-term interdisciplinary and diachronic approach to human-forest interactions" - since October 2020, co-directed by Brigitte Talon and Delphine Isoardi). On a more ad hoc basis, dendrochronology - in particular subfossil trees - provides complementary information to this component (work by Lisa Shindo, univ. of Kiel, Germany). This part of the project will enable us to consider the impact of human activities on this plant cover.
3. A study of the state of ecosystem services in the current forests of this area, to assess the state of the forests after centuries of exploitation (state of forest soils in terms of biodiversity, capacity to store water and trap CO2, etc.). The aim of the study is to compare two historically different types of environment: ancient pasture versus long-established forest, currently under forest cover. Virginie Baldy and Thierry Gauquelin (IMBE), with an intern.