Pampa Plain (Argentina) Wetland History through a Lake Case Study: Kakel Huincul Environmental History during the Last 600 Years

Abstract

Wetlands are considered key ecosystems because of the greatest number of ecosystem services they provide, but despite their important role these ecosystems are decreasing in size and losing quality. Kakel Huincul lake is located in one of the main wetlands of Argentina. A multi-indicator analysis, including pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs and plant macrofossil remains was performed to reconstruct Kakel Huincul lake environmental history in order to understand Pampean wetlands responses to environmental changes and human impacts during the last 600 years. Results showed that changes in the lake communities before 1880 AD were a result of climatic perturbations (increase/decrease rainfall), and after 1880 AD they were a combination of climatic (increases and decreases of precipitation values) and anthropic forcings (cattle, intensive agriculture and urbanization). Baseline conditions were established at ca. 1870 AD and it was concluded that southeastern Pampa plain has been subjected to human activities (cattle farming and incorporation of agriculture) since then. Eutrophication of the lake occurred during the last 25 years, but this study made it possible to establish that the Pampa wetland has been modi ed for more than ve decades ago.