CULTURE AND ECOLOGY

D. Narasimhan

Centre for Floristic ResearchDepartment of Botany, Madras Christian College (Autonomous)

Tambaram, Chennai – 600 059narasimhand@gmail.com

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