From local to global. Perceptions of environmental change in a 16th century Portuguese village. A micro approach to a macro-scenario

Abstract

Historical perceptions, actions and reactions toward ecosystems are the central focus of this paper which aims also at a reflexion on how an early modern historian, facing evidence from a pre-statistical era, can debate environmental changes in coastal areas and the corresponding human response. The paper, focused on the case study of Vila do Conde (a Northern Portugal small coastal village highly involved in the Portuguese Overseas Expansion in the 16th century), will approach these questions by trying to discuss how micro-approaches can contribute to the understanding of the effects of global geo-climatic phenomena; how practical knowledge induced practical actions and how public perceptions were responsible for actions over ecosystems.