Prehistoric Native Americans and Ecological Change

Description

"Prehistoric Native American and Ecological Change shows that Holocene human ecosystems are complex adaptive systems in which humans interacted with their environment in a nested series of spatial and temporal scales. Using panarchy theory, it integrates paleo-ecological and archaeological research from the Eastern Woodlands of North America, providing a new paradigm to help resolve long-standing disagreements between ecologists and archaeologists about the importance of prehistoric Native Americans as agents for ecological change. The authors present the concept of a panarchy of complex adaptive cycles as applied to the development of increasingly complex human ecosystems through time. They explore examples of ecological interactions at the level of gene, population, community, landscape, and regional hierarchical scales, emphasizing the ecological pattern and process involving the development of human ecosystems. Finally, they offer a perspective on the implications of the legacy of Native Americans as agents of change for conservation and ecological restoration efforts today."--Jacket.

First Sentence

The concept of the Native American as "noble savage," living in harmony with nature, stems largely from the writings of the French philosopher, Rousseau, who lived from AD 1712 to 1778.

Subjects

Other Editions

• Prehistoric Native Americans and Ecological Change: Human Ecosystems in Eastern North America since the Pleistocene (Cambridge Studies in Ecology)HardcoverCambridge University Press2004-09-06
• PREHISTORIC NATIVE AMERICANS AND ECOLOGICAL CHANGE: HUMAN ECOSYSTEMS IN EASTERN NORTH AMERICA SINCE THE...CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS2004-01-01