Date post: | 13-Apr-2017 |
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CULTURE AND ECOLOGY
D. Narasimhan
Centre for Floristic ResearchDepartment of Botany, Madras Christian College (Autonomous)
Tambaram, Chennai – 600 [email protected]
A shift in the mode of obtaining food approximately 12,000 years ago has resulted in most of the ecological changes that have taken place on earth.
Human cultures have shifted from
Gathering and Hunting mode of food
to Production mode
Systematic destruction of forests and changing the different the ecosystems for cultivation began since then
Neolithic cultures were engaged in intense agriculture
• Domestication of animals & plants
• Formation of civilizations
• Institutionalization of religions and systems of managements
• Ownership of land and territorial wars
• Development of literature and fine arts
• Growth of industries
Agriculture has led to:
THE ORIGIN OF AGRICULTURAL CROPS AND OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS
How do we assess the interference of human cultures on ecology?
Should we blame the cultures for raping, looting and destroying the nature?
Should we appreciate the role of cultures in taming, modifying and controlling the nature and making the earth a comfortable home for human progeny?
Shifting cultivation: How do we understand the practice?
Agricultural landscapes and biodiversity
45% of the species used by Malaiyali tribe comes agricultural landscapes
20% of the plants used in Siddha medicine Come from agricultural landscapes
Anthropogenic Biomes of the WorldUrban & dense settlements 11 Urban 12 Dense settlements
Villages 21 Rice villages 22 Irrigated villages 23 Cropped & pastoral villages 24 Pastoral villages 25 Rainfed villages 26 Rainfed mosaic villages
*Mosaic: >25% tree cover mixed with > 25% pasture and/or cropland
Croplands 31 Residential irrigated cropland 32 Residential rainfed mosaic 33 Populated irrigated cropland 34 Populated rainfed cropland 35 Remote croplands
Rangelands 41 Residential rangelands 42 Populated rangelands 43 Remote rangelands
Wildlands 61 Wild forests 62 Sparse trees 63 Barren
Forested 51 Populated forests 52 Remote forests
*
CULTURE & COMMUNITY KNOWLEDGE
Culturally Rich
Papua New GuineaNigeriaCameroon
Bio – Culturally Rich
BrazilMexicoIndonesiaIndiaAustraliaZaire
Biodiversity Rich
Peru Malaysia Columbia Equator China Madagascar
Bio – Culturally Rich
Brazil Mexico Indonesia India Australia Zaire
Interaction between culture and ecology developed locale specific systems of knowledge with comparable parallels
Role of bio-cultural knowledge
• Helps to classify, understand and retrieve information on local resources
• Helps in the management of local resources
• Plays a major role in the manipulation of resources
Latex trees, pastoral communities and milk
Myths, Ecology and Culture
Surrogates – Vanni tree, fire and Shiva
Culture and Conservation
Sacred groves
Tinai or Global Culture Capsicum
Tomato
Potato
Special Economic Zones
Culture, Development and Ecology
Thank you