Research into environmental history seeks to unravel the multiple causal factors behind the production of complex systems that have succeeded one another since the agro-pastoral 'revolution' of the Neolithic period. In addition to an approach that highlights the major transformations of ancient environments, some research focuses on understanding changes that are not necessarily linear or cyclical, but appear in the form of rhythms, shifts in phase, successive adjustments and after-effects that need to be linked to social history. This is the type of research that has been carried out in the collective sylvo-pastoral areas of the eastern Pyrenees, where over the last millennium there has been asynchronism between the impact of wood metallurgy and the effect on forest areas. These asynchronies reflect the diversification of social practices and the increasing importance of resource management.
