Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Cornucopians Response to Environmental Managers:


Even though we agree in the fact that technology is absolutely necessary for the development of the human civilization, and that with out it a civilization would be one step behind, we have to disagree in the idea that Native Americans cared a lot about nature. 
"
There is substantial evidence, however, that the Native American landscape of the early sixteenth century was a humanized landscape almost everywhere. Populations were large. Forest composition had been modified, grasslands had been created, wildlife disrupted, and erosion was severe in places. "

Native Northern Americans burned landscapes since it was beneficial to the growth of their crops. The fire was good for the strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and other gather able foods, other than food it "also encouraged fire-tolerant and sun-loving species". 
Burning landscapes can damage forest composition, fertility in soil is damaged by constant burning of the landscape. 

The constant disturbance in the forest may have also caused the depletion of wildlife, provoking edge effects which affected the wildlife population.

"The size of native populations, associated deforestation, and prolonged intensive agriculture led to severe land degradation in some regions. Such a landscape was that of Central Mexico, where by 1519 food production pressures may have brought the Aztec civilization to the verge of collapse even without Spanish intervention"



The coming of the European Pioneers helped the Native Americans use the resources they had for their own benefit. They helped them grow and develop. With out the technologies and thoughts of the Europeans Native americans could of continued using their resources with out thinking on their benefit from them. The Europeans were the first step for America to be now part of the G7. 



Works Cited:

"The Pristine Myth: The Landscape of the." The Pristine Myth: The Landscape of the. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2013.

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