Long-term coastal adaptation, food security and poverty alleviation in Latin America (TRADITION)

Small-scale fisheries represent a significant source of food and livelihood for millions globally. In developing countries, they also play a central role in poverty eradication. To understand the cultural and economic significance of Latin American small-scale fisheries requires the engagement of archaeology and history. The EU-funded TRADITION project will investigate a 4 000-year-old record of coastal exploitation in the Atlantic forest of Brazil, one of the world’s most threatened environments, aiming to understand how coastal economies reacted to extraordinary societal and environmental changes and adapted their subsistence practices, technologies and culture. The project will explore archaeological, palaeontological, historical and ethnographic records to enlighten understanding of the development of small-scale fisheries in the region.