Humans and Nature Ecological and Cultural Stages Humans

Humans vs. nature: Agricultural societies 10, 000 -12, 000 years ago Humans in nature:

Early hunter-gatherers 3 million years ago □ Population densities: LOW □ Energy sources: HUMAN

Advanced hunter-gatherers 1. 5 million years ago □ Population densities: LOW □ Energy sources:

Advanced hunter-gatherers 1. 5 million years ago “Pleistocene overkill”: □ Pleistocene extinctions of certain

Advanced hunter-gatherers 1. 5 million years ago Primitive habitat management □ Neolithic humans realized

Agricultural societies 10, 000 – 12, 000 years ago □ Population densities: GENERALLY LOW,

Agricultural societies 10, 000 – 12, 000 years ago □ Tools: METAL, CERAMICS, GLASS

Agricultural societies 10, 000 – 12, 000 years ago

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Humans and Nature: Ecological and Cultural Stages

Humans vs. nature: Agricultural societies 10, 000 -12, 000 years ago Humans in nature: Early hunter-gatherers 3 million years ago Humans in nature: Advanced hunter-gatherers 1. 5 million years ago Humans with nature: Sustainable societies The near future? ? Humans vs. nature: Industrial societies 1850 - present

Early hunter-gatherers 3 million years ago □ Population densities: LOW □ Energy sources: HUMAN MUSCLE POWER □ Tools: PRIMITIVE (stone, bone, wood) □ Effects on environment: MINIMAL Local effects on plant and animal populations due to over-harvesting

Advanced hunter-gatherers 1. 5 million years ago □ Population densities: LOW □ Energy sources: HUMAN MUSCLE POWER, FIRE □ Tools: PRIMITIVE (stone, bone, wood) □ Effects on environment: LOW TO MODERATE □ Local effects on plant and animal populations □ Moderate effects due to mass killings of herd animals and use of fire to flush game

Advanced hunter-gatherers 1. 5 million years ago “Pleistocene overkill”: □ Pleistocene extinctions of certain large mammals may have been hastened by excessive hunting □ E. g. , Mammoths, mastodons, ground sloths in North America; certain primitive marsupials in Australia

Advanced hunter-gatherers 1. 5 million years ago Primitive habitat management □ Neolithic humans realized that burned-over areas attracted game (e. g. , grazers to regenerating grasslands) □ Used fire to manipulate habitat and draw in prey

Agricultural societies 10, 000 – 12, 000 years ago □ Population densities: GENERALLY LOW, but -numerous VILLAGES (up to 500 people) -some TOWNS (up to 25, 000 people) -a few CITIES / URBAN CENTRES □ Energy sources: HUMAN MUSCLE POWER FIRE DOMESTIC ANIMALS WIND and WATER POWER in later phases

Agricultural societies 10, 000 – 12, 000 years ago □ Tools: METAL, CERAMICS, GLASS □ Effects on environment: MODERATE TO LOCALLY SEVERE Transition from nomadic or semi-nomadic to sedentary lifestyle Dawn of the NEOLITHIC REVOLUTION: the development of AGRICULTURE in the new stone age

Agricultural societies 10, 000 – 12, 000 years ago

Agriculture

Industrial societies