*4.12. Methodologies*

Regarding methodologies, our results confirmed the multidisciplinary nature of Historical Ecology. We tried to categorize the methodologies in disciplinary origins. Some methodologies have an obvious disciplinary origin, such as stratigraphic excavations, shovel tests, archaeological material collection coming from archaeology, or Geographic Information Systems, and cartography coming from geography. However, other methods are used across various disciplines, such as interviews and statistical analysis. We even had trouble with classifying between social and natural sciences origin. Santana and Szabó [23] mentioned the various approaches used in Historical Ecology, such as

qualitative, quantitative, and experimental. Szabó highlights that "the higher variety of sources of information, the more secure knowledge about the past (and therefore about the present) is" [3] (p. 384). This opens the possibilities to search not only for documental sources but also for other historical data corresponding with periods during which human impacts were not registered as ecological data [19]. Social perception studies can be helpful when no official data is available or incomplete [106].

We learned about the importance of the participation of local people in different research approaches, given the various participatory research methods reported, such as participatory archaeology, participatory cartography, oral history, or interviews. More concealed (often considered in the Acknowledgements section of published articles) and ye<sup>t</sup> essential is the local people collaboration as guides localizing research sites, identifying species, protecting from local dangers, helping with local remedies, leading to key informants, and so on. Teaming up with local populations, not only as informants but also as colleagues for exchanging ideas, recognizing the value of empirical knowledge, is required to conduct field research in Historical Ecology.
