Human-Environment Relations

Mid- to late-Holocene fluvial activity behind pre-Columbian social complexity in the southwestern Amazon basin

by Umberto Lombardo

Lombardo, U., May, J.-H., and Veit, H., 2012, Mid- to late-Holocene fluvial activity behind pre-Columbian social complexity in the southwestern Amazon basin: The Holocene.

The scale, spatial variability and implications of pre-Columbian human-induced changes in the Amazon basin are... more The scale, spatial variability and implications of pre-Columbian human-induced changes in the Amazon basin are controversial. While some scholars believe that large settlements and complex societies were limited to areas with favourable environmental conditions and human disturbance was localized, others propose that social complexity developed regardless of environmental constraints and opportunities and that human disturbance was widespread. In order to understand the extent to which environmental preconditions influenced the development of pre-Columbian societies, research is needed that integrates both environmental reconstructions and archaeological data. The present study explores past human–environment interactions in the Llanos de Moxos (LM) in the Bolivian Amazon. Combining extensive fieldwork and remote sensing image analysis, we reconstruct mid- to late-Holocene fluvial activity in the southeastern LM and the formation of a sedimentary lobe left by the Grande River. The lobe deposition created the conditions for the development of fertile, drained soils. We also show how pre-Columbian inhabitants adapted to the sedimentary lobe and managed to maximize the area of land suitable for agriculture by building a drainage/irrigation infrastructure. Our results provide an interpretative framework for the diversity of archaeological remains in the LM and suggest that people reached high levels of social complexity as a result of two necessary factors: favourable environmental conditions and human ingenuity.

Expanding protected areas and incorporating human resource use: a study of 15 forest parks in Ecuador and Peru

by Margaret Holland

Science and Public Debate: A Role for Archaeology in Today's News Media (2010)

by Gary Feinman

(Gary M. Feinman, 2010)

Editorial: Water matters: agency, flows, and frictions

by Chris Bear

Co-authored with Jacob Bull, 'Environment and Planning A', Vol. 43, pp. 2261 – 2266, 2011

To say that water is crucial to life is axiomatic. It pervades daily life, manifests itself in a variety of spaces and... more To say that water is crucial to life is axiomatic. It pervades daily life, manifests itself in a variety of spaces and forms, and is used in a multitude of ways. It also pervades geography's history as an academic discipline, whether through studies of hydrological processes, examinations of resource distribution, or conceptualisations of nature ^ culture relationships. Water's place in such theorising is not limited to recent explorations in political ecology and hybridity but extends back to Semple's 1911 account of water's ``role in shaping the history of specific societies'' (Ekers and Loftus, 2008, page 699). Geographers' engagement with water is diverse and disparate. Our aim in developing this theme issue is to showcase a diversity of ontological and epistemological approaches to understanding and examining water, bringing them together to highlight some of the directions future research on human ^water relations might take.

Corporate Sustainability Survey 2011

by Dhiman Chowdhury

Sustainability paradox has become a debate of our time; adding to this predicament is sometimes the questionable... more Sustainability paradox has become a debate of our time; adding to this predicament is sometimes the questionable behaviors of the corporations. This detrimental demeanor is counterproductive, as it for the entity so do for our common goods. The issue of sustainability is a dilemma of our which many scholars pondered over last decades, yet despite their efforts, the message is somewhat convoluted through a plethora of conflicting strategies, definitions, mandates and regulatory measures. The obfuscation has created deviation in the discourse of “sustainability” measures without addressing systemic discord with sustainability challenges at organizational and societal level, and societal and ecological level. This survey examines presence and absence of a particular behavioral dimension in global corporations and corollary effect of it. In addition, this global survey unveils previously unknown data depicting correlation between certain behavioral dimension at workplace and other corporate level factors including profitability, innovation and market leadership. This global survey serves as the basis for further research to find a common ground that brings institutional integration to sustainability conjectures.

René Létolle, Nicholas Aladin, Igor Filipov, N. G. O. Boroffka, The future chemical evolution of the Aral Sea from 2000 to the years 2050. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change 10, 2005, pp. 51-70.

by Nikolaus Boroffka

Aral Sea research on climate history - Mineralogical contribution and relation to historic events. Aral Sea research on climate history - Mineralogical contribution and relation to historic events.

N. G. O. Boroffka, H. Oberhänsli, G. A. Achatov, N. V. Aladin, K. M. Baipakov, A. Erzhanova, A. Hörnig, S. Krivonogov, D. A. Lobas, T. V. Savel´eva, B. Wünnemann, Human settlements on the northern shores of Lake Aral and water level changes. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change 10, 2005, pp. 71-85.

by Nikolaus Boroffka

Study on Climate Change and archaeology at the Aral-Sea, Central Asia. Human - Environment interactions. Study on Climate Change and archaeology at the Aral-Sea, Central Asia. Human - Environment interactions.

Settlement and Landscape Archaeology (2001)

by Gary Feinman

(G. M. Feinman, 2001)

Raised fields in the Bolivian Amazonia: a prehistoric green revolution or a flood risk mitigation strategy?

by Umberto Lombardo

The Llanos de Moxos (LM), Beni, Bolivia, with its impressive number of pre-Columbian earthworks, is an ideal region... more The Llanos de Moxos (LM), Beni, Bolivia, with its impressive number of pre-Columbian earthworks, is an ideal region for studying past human–environment interactions in the Amazonia. Agricultural raised fields are among the most striking of those earthworks. They can offer us valuable information about the region’s agricultural carrying capacity and the nature and extent of human occupation in pre-Columbian times and, therefore, help adopt better informed conservation and development strategies for Amazonia in the future. However, before tackling these issues we need to further our understanding of why pre-Columbian raised fields were built and how they were managed in the past. Published data on raised fields in the LM is contrasted with new data gathered from field and remote sensing images. Raised fields have been analysed in relation to the hydrology, soil, topography and paleoclimate of the areas where they are found. In light of this new data we believe that there are grounds to question the current model that suggests raised field agriculture provided high yields without the need of fallow periods, representing a kind of pre-Columbian green revolution. Our alternative proposal suggests that raised field agriculture allowed pre-Columbian peoples to mitigate the risk of more intense and frequent flooding than is experienced today in the LM. We show that raised fields were built only in those areas where there were no alternatives, which do not coincide with those areas where pre-Columbian societies seem to have flourished and reached high levels of social complexity.

Pre-Columbian human occupation patterns in the eastern plains of the Llanos de Moxos, Bolivian Amazonia

by Umberto Lombardo

Despite an increasing number of publications regarding the Pre-Columbian earthworks of the Llanos de Moxos, there have... more Despite an increasing number of publications regarding the Pre-Columbian earthworks of the Llanos de Moxos, there have been no serious attempts to undertake a systematic survey of the archaeological remains of this lowland region in the Bolivian Amazon. Based on the GIS analysis of data gathered in the field and retrieved from satellite images, we discuss the spatial distribution of the Pre-Columbian settlements in a 4500 Km2 area of the Llanos de Moxos to the east of Trinidad, capital of the Beni Department, and their relationship with the geographical settings. Our findings shed new light on the prehistory of the region and bear important implications for our understanding of the impact of Pre-Columbian human occupation.

Toward an Archaeology without Polarization: Comments on Contemporary Theory (1994)

by Gary Feinman

(Gary M. Feinman, 1994)

Parameterization of Urban Characteristics for Global Climate Modeling

by Trish Jackson

To help understand potential effects of urbanization on climates of varying scales and effects of climate changemore To help understand potential effects of urbanization on climates of varying scales and effects of climate change
on urban populations, urbanization must be included in global climate models (GCMs). To properly capture the
spatial variability in urban areas, GCMs require global databases of urban extent and characteristics. This article
describes methods and characteristics used to create a data set that can be utilized to simulate urban systems on
a global scale within GCMs. The data set represents three main categories of urban properties: spatial extent,
urban morphology, and thermal and radiative properties of building materials. Spatial extent of urban areas is
derived from a population density data set and calibrated within thirty-three regions of similar physical and
social characteristics. For each region, four classes of urbanization are identified and linked to a set of typical
building morphology, thermal, and radiative characteristics. In addition, urban extent is simulated back in time
to 1750 based on national historical population and urbanization trends. A sample set of simulations shows that
the urban characteristics do change urban heat island outcomes. In general the simulations show greater urban
heat islands with increasing latitude, in agreement with observations. [Supplemental material is available for this
article. Go to the publisher’s online edition of Annals of the Association of American Geographers for the following free supplemental resource: (1) a table of the Global Data Set of Urban and Building Properties
c 2007–2009.]
Key Words: climate simulation, global climate change, urban climate, urban properties.

The effects of damming on the materials flux in the Colorado River delta

by Jose Carriquiry

published in the Journal of "Environmental Earth Sciences"

During the last century, the Colorado River
delta (CRD) has been dramatically altered by the diversion
of... more During the last century, the Colorado River
delta (CRD) has been dramatically altered by the diversion
of river water for use in human activities. This alteration
has eliminated the delivery of fresh water to the Gulf of
California radically transforming the former estuary into an
inverse-estuary. Under the new conditions, the new materials
budget was estimated at the mouth of the Colorado
River in terms of salts, total suspended sediments, organic
suspended matter and nutrients. The results of this study
show that, because of the asymmetry of the tidal wave, the
variability of seston concentration follows a sedimentation
pattern of three successive stages: re-suspension (erosion at
ebb flow)[dilution (during flood flow)[sedimentation
(at the end of the flood stage). The tidal asymmetry during
neap tides was characterized by longer ebb (at least,
30 min longer) than flood and more intense ebb currents
(as much as 43% higher), hence characterizing an ebb-dominated system. The CRD is characterized by high
nutrients concentrations. Maximal levels are: nitrates
(41 uM), phosphates (2.6 uM) and silicates (68 uM),
nitrite (15 uM). The mass balance indicates that the system
acts as a net exporter of suspended sediment with rates as
high as 7 tons per tidal cycle. This behavior indicates that
the CRD is in a destructive stage as a result of the lack of
freshwater inflow and supply of sediment into the system.

The Socionatural Connection: Closing Comments (2009)

by Gary Feinman

(J. Brett Hill, Christopher T. Fisher, and Gary M. Feinman, 2009)

Fréquentation des forêts et risque sanitaire : l'exemple de la maladie de Lyme en forêt de Sénart (Essonne, France)

by Christelle Méha

Co-signé avec Vincent Godard

Les forêts ont longtemps été perçues comme des milieux hostiles, nourrissant les sentiments les plus sombres, sièges... more Les forêts ont longtemps été perçues comme des milieux hostiles, nourrissant les sentiments les plus sombres, sièges de toutes les insécurités. Si la forêt était, dans l’imagerie populaire et littéraire, associée aux ténèbres, à l’obscurité, à l’état originel de nature, elle est devenue, à la fin du XIXe siècle, l’espace vert dominical consacré par les classes intellectuelles aisées, avant d’être largement plébiscité, dans la seconde moitié du XXe siècle, par le reste de la population (Kalaora, 1993). Désormais, les forêts sont des lieux privilégiés de loisirs, de détente, de tourisme, de découverte de la faune, de la flore et des paysages. Chaque année, les forêts françaises reçoivent plus d’une centaine de millions de visiteurs ; ce qui les place au premier plan des lieux de détente et de loisirs fréquentés par les Français. Ainsi, les représentations changent, les pratiques évoluent ; au fil du temps, certaines pratiques disparaissent, d’autres se créent. Pour des citadins en mal de nature, les forêts sont aujourd’hui vécues comme des sources de délassement où chacun puise l’énergie nécessaire à son quotidien d’urbain. Elles renvoient à une certaine image idéalisée de naturalité, de vitalité et de bien-être. Mais si des études scientifiques, quoique encore peu nombreuses, montrent cette corrélation positive entre fréquentation des forêts et santé humaine, n’oublions pas les nombreuses populations de vecteurs de maladies, telles les populations de tiques, qui trouvent dans la forêt des habitats favorables à leur développement et à leur survie, responsables de la diffusion de la maladie de Lyme mais aussi d’autres maladies, comme l’encéphalite à tiques ou diverses fièvres. De la fréquentation de la forêt au risque sanitaire en forêt, il n’y aurait donc qu’un pas (ou qu’une tique !).

The Spatial Knowledge Representation of players movement in mobile outdoor gaming

by Daniel Orellana

Monica Wachowicz, Daniel Orellana, Chiara Renso, Estefanía Muñoz, Javier Parada. Published in Management for Protection and Sustainable Development"

Monica Wachowicz, Daniel Orellana, Chiara Renso, Estefanía Muñoz, Javier Parada. Published in Management for... more Monica Wachowicz, Daniel Orellana, Chiara Renso, Estefanía Muñoz, Javier Parada. Published in Management for Protection and Sustainable Development"

This paper describes an innovative approach for developing a spatial knowledge representation based on the existence of multi tier spaces as a mental construction of human movement. The three “spaces” paradigm has been proposed to support the reasoning process in terms of sensing, symbolic, and social spaces. The spatial knowledge representation was implemented as a computational ontology in Protégé, and it has been applied to provide new insight about the actual behavioural patterns of players within a recreation site, accordingly to checkpoints and similar players´ interactions. This first experiment consisted of an educational game in Amsterdam using mobile phones and GPS-technology for 200 students having the age of 12-14. The results demonstrate that different types of inferences play a different role accordingly to what a recreational planner needs to infer, that is, the location of interactions among players and the environment.
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If you're interested on the paper, please contact the authors

The Dendrochronology of Palluche Canyon, Dinétah

by Linah Ababneh, Ph.D.

Linah N. Ababneh, Ronald H. Towner, Mary M. Prasciunas, Karen T. PorterSource: Kiva, Vol. 66, No. 2 (Winter, 2000), pp. 267-289:

The ancestral Navajo homeland of Dindtah in northwestern New Mexico contains hundreds, if not thousands, of Navajo... more The ancestral Navajo homeland of Dindtah in northwestern New Mexico contains hundreds, if not thousands, of Navajo archaeological sites that date from the A.D. 1500s through the late 1700s. A subset of these sites, known as pueblitos, are masonry structures located in defensible positions on boulder tops, mesa rims, and other topographically isolated settings. This paper presents dendrochronological data from the newly discovered site of Twine House (Kin T'lool), confirms the provenance of samples collected in the 1950s from the site of 42 Pueblito, and re-evaluates all tree-ring data from every sampled pueblito site in Palluche Canyon, a major tributary of Cation Largo in the heart of Dindtah. The spatial and temporal aspects of the pueblito sites suggest that Palluche Canyon was colonized, depopulated, and re-occupied by a kin-based group of eighteenth-century Navajos, possibly similar to the ethnographically documented Navajo "outfit."

RESUMEN La tierra ancestral de los Navajos, Dinedtah, al noroeste de Nuevo Mixico, contiene cientos sino miles de sitios arqueol6gicos Navajos que datan desde 1500 al final de 1700. Una subdivisi6n de esos sitios, conocidos como "pueblitos, " son estructuras de piedra localizadas en lugares defendibles como en la cima de peiias, bordes de mesas u otros elementos topogrdficos aislados. Este articulo presenta los datos dendrocronol6gicos del sitio Twine House (Kin Tl'ool) de reciente descubrimiento, confirma laproveniencia de las muestras tomadas en los 50s del sitio 42 Pueblito y reevaltia todos los datos dendrocronol6gicos colectados de los sitiospueblito en el Caif6n Palluche, un tributario mayor del CaR6n Largo en el coraz6n del Dindtah. El aspecto temporal y espacial de los sitios pueblito sugiere que el Cai6n Palluche fue colonizado, abandonado y vuelto a poblar por un grupo de parentela comu'n Navajo del siglo XVIII, posiblemente similar a los grupos Navajos identificados etnogrdficamen

The Dangers of Ignoring the Evidence: Hurricanes, Hazards, and Survival (2005)

by Gary Feinman

(Gary M. Feinman and Christopher T. Fisher, 2005)

Introduction: Environmental Studies for Twenty-First-Century Conservation (2009)

by Gary Feinman

(Christopher T. Fisher, J. Brett Hill, and Gary M. Feinman, 2009)

Discussing large dams in Asia after the World Commission on Dams: Is a political ecology approach the way forward?

by Ravi Baghel

(2010) Co-authored with Marcus Nüsser, published in Water Alternatives 3(2) 231-248

The guidelines proposed in the World Commission on Dams (WCD) final report were vehemently rejected by several Asian... more The guidelines proposed in the World Commission on Dams (WCD) final report were vehemently rejected by several Asian governments, and dam building has continued apace in most Asian countries. This reaction is in line with the simplistic dam debate, where dam critics offer laundry lists of socioeconomic and environmental costs, and dam proponents highlight the benefits while underestimating associated costs. Whereas the WCD sought to evaluate dams in terms of 'costs and benefits', this approach is self-defeating due to the very subjectivity of such measurements. This paper argues that the way ahead must be to move beyond a consensus evaluation of dams, and instead examine the shifting asymmetries and discursive flows that sustain and promote dam building over time. However, such an analysis of the dam discourse must incorporate an understanding of the multiple actors and driving forces, as well as the underlying power relations within this politicised environment. We therefore suggest that a post-structural political ecology approach provides a suitable framework for the future examination of large dams in Asia.

KEYWORDS: World Commission on Dams, political ecology, Anthropocene, large dams, post-structural political ecology