Risk and vulnerability assessment of indigenous mounds in agricultural production contexts in the India Muerta region, Uruguay

The management and modification of the environment over thousands of years has resulted in a stron- gly anthropized landscape in the eastern region of Uruguay, characterized by the presence of hundreds of mounds of great archaeological and environmental relevance. This article evaluates the vulnerability and risks faced by indigenous earth mounds within the context of agricultural production in the India Muerta region of Uruguay. A vulnerability assessment methodology is used, which weighs the risk and resistance factors of each mound based on the creation of a vulnerability evaluation form (VEF). The results indicate that they are highly vulnerable to the impacts of agricultural production in the region. The expansion of intensive crops, particularly rice, as well as cattle farming, has a negative impact, even causing the destruction of these landscape elements. The risk and vulnerability assessment implemented in this study provides concrete indicators for the evaluation, monitoring, and conservation of archaeological heritage in agricultural landscapes, which can be integrated with other commonly used indicators in environmental management and territorial planning.