Human Impact On North American Nature

Human interactions with the environment in the early settlements were somewhat disastrous as the settlers believed that the climates of Europe would parlay to the New World. This was most evidenced in the Jamestown settlement. Many settlers, unaware of the unhealthy James River estuary during summer months, fell ill and/or died as a result of disease normally associated with drinking from a polluted water source. The settlers believed in settled farming, basically clearing the land and farming (planting crops and raising animals). Along with the problem estuary of the James this had a profound impact on the land they inhabited, some good and some bad. Animals such as the horse, sheep, cattle and pigs, to name a few, were introduced to the new world which impacted the environment. Most were grazing animals, meaning that they would feed on the plant life (mostly grasses and weeds). These animals would clear lands forcing herders to move to more fertile ground constantly. The good of this was that the animals would introduce accidentally new plant life (grasses typically) that sometimes would kill, or even move,

The development of agriculture by Native Americans more than five thousand years ago sparked new cultures and innovations. Hunters who previously roamed the land like nomads established permanent villages. Corn, sun, and water became focal points for many societies and played

As more people shifted towards an agriculture based society, many began to produce a surplus of food. This surplus allowed people a new privilege, to allocate to a single area for an extended period of time. More and more people began to settle down in this fashion, eventually once small hunter-gatherer tribes grew into chiefdoms, and chiefdoms expanded into city-states. Populations as a result began to increase in size and expand its territory to meet the new demands of the increasing population. This expansion would not come free however, mother nature itself had to pay the price. Strayer conveys with this quote the extent to which agriculture had on the world’s population and it 's affect on the environment. “On a global level, scholars estimate

Throughout history people have changed their environment to meet their needs these changes have had both positive and negative effects on people, societies, and regions. These change to the environment are needed first for the aztecs because the aztec built their capital in a middle of a lake then they had to expand but they could not feed all the people so when they built chinampas it help the aztec give more food to their people. That did not feed all their people so The Aztecs also implemented terrace agriculture in hilly areas, or areas that could not be used for level ground farming. In the valleys irrigation farming was used. Dams diverted water from natural springs to the fields. This allowed for harvests on a regular basis. the ancient

| * The environment had already been changed by: slash and burn, deforestisation, desertification. The more people cultivated the lands, the more they changed it. Many societies also used irrigation systems and built canals, dikes, etc. to meet their own needs.

The current physical geography of North America was formed from the role that the glaciers played. Glaciers used to cover majority parts of the region. The ice slowly began to melt and loosen up the soil and rocks. Ray Louis writes, “…the glaciers smoothed, polished, and scratched the rock outcrops, producing a more subdued landscape” (Louis). The soil and rock would then become an abrasive and was the beginning of shaping the landscape. The glaciers melting wore down the hilltops and valleys began to fill up. The melting of the glaciers also began to carry large rubble of different sizes and would clog the rivers with gravel and sand. The thawing glaciers slowly shaped the current physical geography of North America. As a result, these resources form mountains, streams, and lakes.

Before the European settlement of Iowa, the state was a land covered in tall prairie grasses, wetlands, and small forests. The Native Americans thrived on these lands by using pockets of the fertile soil for agriculture and hunting the abundance of wildlife that roamed these plains. By the late 1800s however, the prairie had become farmland and the Europeans had begun their new lives along Iowa’s waterways and railroads. Within a century Iowa’s landscape had changed rapidly due to human activity.

We destroyed animal habitats, wiped out vegetation and displaced native people that depended on forests and the natural land to survive. We have become so careless of our land but we forgot we were citizens of the land in the first place. Some countries exceeded the carrying capacity and overpopulated the land. Wiping out vegetation and leading to deforestation and desertification.

The overpopulation of humans also contributed to the destruction of the environment and to species losing their habitat. They constructed houses and industries. They even built land for agriculture, which reduced the habitat of native species. This connected to “Think like a Mountain”, an article in which Aldo Leopold explained how animals were a necessary component to keeping everything in balance and alive. He described how he became involved with the natural world and came to a realization of how important they are.

There is a chain reaction due to deforestation. Deforestation leads to decrease in biotic pump disrupting the water cycle leading to a decrease in transpiration and

An intensification of the water cycle could also cause more natural disasters including tropical storms. This could cause severe damage just as we were damaged a few months ago by the hurricane

Human societies settled and developed agriculture in the Agricultural Revolution. Which was the start of domestication which created a mutual benefit and dependence for humans, animals, and plants. Domesticated plants and animals could no longer survive in the wild due to human action and protection to reproduce successfully. Likewise, humans now relied on domesticated plants and animals. Humans also increased the cultivation of various plants, as well as the breeding of particular animals. Due to the increase of food, the population also increased. Causing an extensive growth of exploitation of the environment; which increased human domination and settlement throughout the Earth. Not only did the humans use domestication to settle and develop

Degradation of land is one of the world’s largest and most lethal environmental changes. It is the downgrading of parts of the land due to poor human land management, causing it to be less productive as it used to be. Parts of the world which suffer from the impact include South Africa, Madagascar, India, parts of Europe and parts of the Middle East. Land degradation has many causes. Over 30% of land degradation is caused by overgrazing, which is the main, most serious cause. Deforestation and cropping are also very harmful and the second largest causes contributing to land degradation. Fuel wood collection in developing countries, mining, energy production and pollution also take part in the overall impact. The problem ultimately comes down to humans and their unhealthy land management. Although overgrazing by animals is

The effects of erosion are also felt elsewhere in the environment. A recent study estimated the off-site cost of cropland erosion in the United States to be in the range of a billion dollars per year (Clark, Haverkamp, and Chapman 1985). Eroded soil clogs streams, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, resulting in increased flooding, decreased reservoir capacity, and destruction of habitats for many species of fish and other aquatic life. The

There are four stages of human cultural evolution: Hunting and gathering, agricultural, industrial, and advanced industrial. The preindustrial era was best for the environment because it had little negative impact on the environment. Specifically, the hunting and gathering stage of human cultural evolution was best for a watershed because of its minimal effect on the environment. The population of hunters and gatherers was small due to natural forces causing them to have a low demand for resources (Chiras, 2016). Therefore, they were able to live off renewable resources and did not have a problem with limited resources. The main food source of hunters and gatherers were fruits, seeds, and berries they picked, as well as animal meat obtained from hunting. These allowed them to live in harmony with the organisms in the environment without causing extinction of animals and plants. Furthermore, the lifestyle of hunters and gatherers was comfortable and sustainable. They were well fed, experienced low disease rates, did not have to perform many laborious tasks. Humans in hunting and gathering societies lived as a part of nature and had little impact on their environment making it the best stage of cultural evolution for a watershed (Chiras,