Biodiversity and Native America

Download or read book Biodiversity and Native America written by Paul E. Minnis and published by University of Oklahoma Press. This book was released on 2000 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Exploring the relationship between Native Americans and the natural world, Biodiversity and Native America questions the widespread view that indigenous peoples had minimal ecological impact in North America. Introducing a variety of perspectives -- ethnopharmacological, ethnographic, archaeological, and biological -- the expert contributors show that Native Americans were active managers of natural ecological systems. The book covers groups from the sophisticated agriculturalists of the Mississippi River drainage region to the low-density hunter-gatherers of arid western North America. The approach taken by the authors allows readers to develop accurate restoration, management, and conservation models through a thorough knowledge of native peoples' ecological history and dynamics. The writings illustrate how indigenous peoples affected environmental patterns and processes, improving crop diversity and agricultural patterns. Contributors to this volume are Robert Bye, Richard I. Ford, Catherine S. Fowler, Gayle J. Fritz, Julia E. Hammett, Walter H. Lewis, Edelmira Linares, Gary Paul Nabhan, Sandra L. Peacock, Enrique Salmon, and Nancy J. Turner.