Environmental historians use a variety of sources to piece together the past. Written records, oral histories, and physical remains all provide unique insights into how humans have interacted with nature over time.

By combining diverse evidence, researchers can build a more complete picture of environmental change. This approach allows for cross-referencing information, incorporating multiple perspectives, and uncovering hidden stories from marginalized groups.

Types of environmental history sources

• Written records encompass various documents (government reports, personal accounts, media sources) that provide insights into environmental change and human interactions with the environment
  • Government documents include laws and regulations related to environmental management as well as reports and surveys assessing environmental conditions (land use surveys, resource inventories)
  • Personal accounts offer first-hand perspectives on environmental experiences through diaries and letters (settler journals) or travelogues and exploration narratives (naturalist field notes)
  • Media sources such as newspapers and magazines (environmental news coverage) or advertisements and promotional materials (tourism brochures) reflect societal attitudes and perceptions of the environment
• Oral histories capture individual and community experiences of environmental change through interviews with people who have witnessed or been affected by such changes (indigenous elders) and traditional knowledge passed down through generations (land management practices)
• Physical remains provide tangible evidence of past environmental conditions and human activities
  • Artifacts and material culture include tools and equipment used for resource extraction (mining equipment) or structures and buildings that reflect environmental adaptations (vernacular architecture)
  • Biological evidence encompasses fossils and preserved specimens (pollen records) that indicate past ecological conditions as well as tree rings that reveal patterns of climate variability (dendrochronology)
  • Geological evidence includes sediment layers and soil profiles (lake sediment cores) that document environmental changes over time and landforms and geological formations shaped by environmental processes (glacial moraines)

Diversity in historical evidence

• Utilizing a diverse range of evidence (written records, oral histories, physical remains) provides a more comprehensive understanding of environmental change over time by offering multiple perspectives and lines of inquiry
• Cross-referencing and corroborating information from different sources helps to validate findings and identify discrepancies or gaps in the historical record (comparing government reports with local knowledge)
• Incorporating evidence from various disciplines (history, archaeology, ecology) enables a multidisciplinary approach to studying environmental history that draws on the strengths and insights of each field
• Diverse evidence allows for a more inclusive and representative understanding of environmental history by incorporating the experiences and knowledge of marginalized or underrepresented groups (indigenous communities)

Reliability of historical sources

• Assessing the context in which a source was created involves considering the author's identity, motivations, and biases (colonial explorer accounts) as well as the intended audience and purpose of the document (propaganda)
• Evaluating the accuracy and completeness of information requires distinguishing between primary sources (eyewitness accounts) and secondary sources (scholarly analyses) and identifying any inconsistencies or contradictions within or between sources
• Examining the preservation and accessibility of sources involves considering how the passage of time or environmental conditions may have altered or damaged the evidence (weathered inscriptions) and whether there are any barriers to accessing or interpreting the source (language, cultural context)

Analysis of environmental change evidence

• Identifying patterns and trends in evidence involves:
  1. Looking for similarities and differences across multiple sources (comparing deforestation rates in different regions)
  2. Considering how the evidence relates to broader historical and environmental contexts (linking land use changes to economic development)
• Evaluating the significance and implications of evidence involves:
  1. Determining what the evidence reveals about the causes (resource exploitation) and consequences (habitat loss) of environmental change
  2. Assessing how the evidence supports or challenges existing theories or interpretations (debating the role of climate versus human activities in shaping landscapes)
• Synthesizing and drawing conclusions from evidence involves:
  1. Developing arguments or hypotheses based on the available evidence (proposing a model of environmental degradation)
  2. Acknowledging any limitations or uncertainties in the evidence (incomplete or contradictory data)
  3. Considering alternative explanations or interpretations of the evidence (recognizing multiple factors influencing environmental outcomes)