PPG Geo

Coffee production in Brazil during the 19th century left deep footprints in the landscape: social and ecological changes that are evident after almost two centuries. The current landscape is the result of an accumulation of past actions and their social and ecological consequences. The investigation of these socioecological legacies in the landscape is an invitation for interdisciplinary research. Landscape can be understood as multidimensional in its structure and definition. In order to understand a current landscape one has to have a firm grasp of Geography, to comprehend landforms, hydrological fluxes, soil properties, climate patterns, vegetation physiognomy, and, of course, the inhabitants interacting with these physical elements. But it is through a rich dialog between Geography and History that one can delve into the past to understand how societies modified through time, especially the labor implemented in the land, and how landscape came to change. At the same time, Historical Ecology provides a link between material culture and past societies, finding and analyzing physical evidences that are hidden in the landscape. Roughly speaking, the socioecological legacies of coffee production in the Valley is a deforested region, composed of a matrix of low productivity pastures, with several erosive features and silted rivers. Biophysical elements and cultural traits are inexorably intertwined. A hope for the future is to develop a more sustainable management of the landscape, taking into consideration the remaining forest fragments, maintaining ecosystem functions, and valorizing the rich historical and material heritage of the coffee period in the Valley. Acknowledging the differences between now and the 19th century including the fact that environmental care was not an issue then, we should avoid the repetition of the story: wealth for a few and ecological damage for many.