The Serengeti ecosystem embraces an area of 10000 sq mi in Tanzania and Kenya.
a large part of it is protected by the maasai mara game reserve in kenya which includes 600sq mi of the ecosystems northern expansion and 8900sq mi reserved by the Ngorongoro conservation area.
Grassland
savanna
thorn woodland
gallery forests that run along the watersides
the Serengeti is where one of the biggest animal migrations the world has to offer takes place
home to over 72 different species of animals such as wild dogs, hyenas, leopards, cheetahs, lions, zebras, cobras and many more
the great animal migration of grazing animals must pass the Mara river
Habitats like this is where homo sapiens are thought to have evolved
humans have never been alone on the earth
totally dependent on earth
An Analysis of the ethical questions raised by this case study
1. Ethics didn't come into play in this case study until way later in the study, the very end. It started talking about how Homo Sapiens evolved in certain areas of the Serengeti and from there it talked about how humans have learned to live by watching the animals around them. This goes to show how humans are totally dependent on other animals for survival and if there are no longer other animals humans will no longer be able to survive. As leavers we took other animals life styles into consideration but as takers we forget how important other species are to our survival. As time goes on the problems takers society has brought upon ourselves are becoming more apparent.
Discussion
1. As humans we learned everything we know about living by watching what animals do and following their lead. Do you think in current day society people are still doing this at all?
2. Humans have never been alone on the planet and that's a major reason we have been able to evolve to what we are today. Based on the way our society is heading, do you think humans will eventually be the only species left on the planet? and if we are do you think we will be able to survive?
1. Log into Canvas. 2. Head into our 230 course shell. 3. Click into Modules on the left side of the menu. 4. Head into first page of information literacy lesson and use navigations buttons from there. 5. This assignment should take no more than 30 minutes.
Cuzco, the Capital is located in a valley 3,400 m in the Andes mountains
At the height, it reached 2,500 mi north to south
Well known for:
Temples and homes
Stairways and squares made from polished stone
Intricate channels for water to flow down the mountains
Detailed streets creating a puma
Fortress at head, plaza at the belly, and nobles residing at the tail
Three environmental regions:
Dry and rainless lowlands
maize, cotton, fruit, fish, and shells
Cold mountains with deep valleys
metals, wool, potatoes, and grains and plants for multiple uses
Thriving rainforest
wood, feathers, and coca leaves
Production and exchange was key
Government
One King (Sapa Inca) - Pachacuti
Four Quarters headed by Apos
Several Provinces run by Officials
Priesthood - in charge of worship of the Sun God and all other deities
Main goal: to insure the production of the necessities of life. Surplus' of goods would be stored and distributed if needed as rewards or in a shortage
Key Points
Labor was shared by all able-bodied people
Very structured and education
Records of population kept by the quipu - tying knots in colored cords. (no writing)
Most extensive systems of terraces and water management in the Andes
Used the environment to their advantage whenever possible - fertilizer
Different islands assigned to different provinces
Cannot set foot on island during breeding season
Agroforestry - tree plantations
Forests owned by Sapa Inca - use of wood was regulated. Overseen by the malqui camayoc
Guanaco and vicuna - llamas of the sun - hunting forbidden unless in ceremonial hunts
Each quarter was hunted only once in four years
The Spaniards (Francisco Pizzaro) came with only 167 men, while the Inca army had 200,000. Spaniard weapons were much too advanced for the Incas, and they came during an internal war for the throne.
Ethical Questions
Population control is continually discussed during class. The Incas had a law that encouraged having a number of children. The more children you had, the more land you got. Although every child was put to work and was an active member of the community, if the Inca Empire had not fallen, there may not have been enough resources to provide to everyone and meet their ordinary needs.
Although it seems like the Incas truly held the environment sacred and did a phenomenal job at only taking what they needed, they had the mindset that nature was managed to benefit society. They tied nature very closely with religion.
Agroforestry was a large part of their society. Conservation of the tree was key and it was important the insure that the environment would be beneficial to everyone even in the future.
Wildlife was carefully managed. They allowed time for reproduction, which caused deer and such to no longer fear people.
Some of the procedures and regulations the Inca lived by can be compared to the ways that the takers live by today. They may be similar, but no where close to the same. "Take what you need, and leave the rest alone." Chapter 8
Discussion Questions
If the U.S. were to take on the ideas and principles of the Inca people, in terms of agriculture and how they used their environment, how would it change the issues we face today?
The severity of poverty is not deeply discussed in what is written about the Inca Empire. Do you think it was a problem throughout their community or did they ration their resources and food to everyone to ensure that everyone was able to get by comfortably?
If the Spaniards had not come and conquered the empire and the war for the throne was ended, do you think the Inca Empire would have continued to thrive for much longer or would their population grow to be too big for the resources they had around them and saved?
Do you think their was more internal chaos or civil wars that occurred within the Inca Empire than is generally discussed or were they really the ideally structured empire that they are made out to be?
Works Cited
Clark,
Liesl. "The Lost Inca Empire." PBS. PBS, 01 Nov. 2000. Web. 30
Sept. 2013.
Hughes, J. Donald. An environmental history of the
world humankind's changing role in the community of life. London:
Routledge, 2001. Print.
"Inca
Empire : One of the Best Government in Ancient Days." Inca Empire : One
of the Best Government in Ancient Days. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2013.
- The Indigenous people (Leavers) occupied the lands of the Amazon forest for 12,000 years before the Europeans (Takers) arrived
The first European settlement was in 1500. They came seeking gold, and had missions to civilize, enslave, and destroy the indigenous people. Settlers came to the amazon to attempt to establish plantations in the following:
- wood - sugarcane
- nuts - cotton
- oils - tobacco
- cacao (chocolate) - rice
- vanilla - root beer
In 1839, tens of thousands of men were recruited to extract latex from trees during the Great Rubber Boom. Any tree that could be bled for latex were distributed all over the forest, so the men had to travel and cut down many trees to get to them.
During this whole process, they came in contact with tribes who lived in the inner part of the forest. This resulted in genocide and slavery of those indigenous people.
In 1964, Takers came back to the amazon to grow coca, which is the main ingredient in cocaine. A multimillion dollar illegal business. Between 1964 and 1990, over 540,425 acres of land was cleared just for the production of coca.
After the land they had come to farm had been destroyed, they turned to cattle ranching in the amazon that was driven by the from fast food companies. In order to raise the livestock they had to clear acres of land, which they did mostly by burning.
The current rate of clearcutting acres of forest in the amazon is 10 million acres a year. The trees that are cut down are used for the things such as, wood pulp, wood chips, and paper.
Today, animal species are beginning to disappear just as fast as the trees are, this is caused to hunting for food and research, capturing the animals to sell to collectors or zoos, and capturing and killing of animals for their hides.
The main ethical dilemma that is occurring in the Amazon is deforestation. Takers continue to come to the amazon and clear cut land in order to farm and produce things that they want.
Another ethical dilemma is with the protection and preservation of animals. Takers hunt and trap many different species for their own want, pleasure, and need to learn. This takes away from the biodiversity that the amazon once offered.
Discussion Questions
Based on the severity of deforestation and the endangering of animals, what do you think could be done to make people more aware of the issue? Also what can we do to change what is being done?
Do you agree with what the taker civilization did in the amazon? Do you think is was right to go into another country to just destroy everything to get what we want?
Works Cited
Hughes, J. Donald. "Present and Future."An environmental history of the world: humankind's changing role in the community of life. 2nd ed. London: Routledge, 2009. 232-239. Print.
