Guanaco distribution modeling in the last 2500 years in Northwest Patagonia

Context: The guanaco is one of the four species of South American camels, and is the largest native mammal inhabiting arid and semi-arid environments in South America. Although guanaco was abundant and widely distributed in the past, currently its density and distribution range are substantially reduced, inhabiting mainly in Argentine Patagonia in small isolated groups. The decline in guanaco populations is most likely related to the Anthropocene defaunation process that is affecting large mammals in developing countries worldwide, but the extent and causes of these changes are not well understood.
Aims: Explore both the changes in the distribution of guanaco populations in Northwest Patagonia and the environmental and anthropic factors that shaped the distribution patterns, employing a long-term perspective spanning from the end of the Late Holocene to present times (i.e., last 2500 years).
Methods: We combine archaeological information, ethnohistorical records and current observations...