Abstract

The biogeographical characteristics of Chiloé limited the introduction and propagation of exotic plants and animals that supported the subsistence and economy of Spanish colonies. This in turn limited the rate of occupation and the scarce economic return of land reduced the extent and severity of environmental disturbances produced during the colonisation period. The present investigation analysed historic documentation from XVI, XVII and XVIII centuries in order to characterise pre-Hispanic environmental conditions and the environmental problems created by the colonist settlement. The adaptation of land-use practices to the region and the evolution of agricultural and forestry bring it by the colonists are described. The principal finding of this research indicates that the environmental impacts generated by the early Spanish settlement were primarily at a local level, which meant that the ecological landscape of Chiloé during the XVIII century retained several of its pristine characteristics.