"The Pristine Myth"

When we think of the Americas before European exploration and colonization, we picture vast forests, wide winding rivers, and animals roaming. When we think of preserving the remnants of these ecosystems, we feel that the best thing to do is to remove human presence and allow it to return to a natural state..

In learning about paramo this term, we have talked a lot about how they may have formed. Paramo is found above the tree line in Ecuador, from 2,800 m to more than 4,000 m. However, a number of scientists believe that trees in Ecuador could survive up to 4,100 m. If this is true, forest should be the dominant vegetation up until that point.

This leaves an interesting question as to why paramos even exist. One of the main theories corresponds to paramo plants’ unique adaptation to fire. Bunch grass is usually 60-70% dead material, so it easily catches and spreads fire. However, it grows back after fire because it keeps shoots underground. Some, including Stu, propose that hunter gathers burned these areas regularly over time to keep the forest at bay, and

Humans do shape environments. Even the Amazon rainforest has corn dated to 6,000 years ago. Maize is indigenous to Mexico! In the article “The Pristine Myth: The Landscape of the Americas in 1492,” William M. Denevan argues that North America was more “pristine” in 1750 than 1492. There were huge numbers of Native Americans, and some had started agriculture. They did have a significant impact on our environment. The wilderness view perpetuated through the Hudson River School is not an accurate image, and conservation of ecosystems must consider how human impact shaped that area originally.