IDEAS AND LINKS
I will use this page to record interesting links and ideas that
I come across in my research that do not relate directly to the topic which
I was TRYING to research....
Terra Pretta
In Science Magazine online, which can be accessed through Vera, there is
an article by C.C. Mann called "The Real
Dirt on Rainforest Fertility." This article says that evidence has been
found that, in the past, people actually managed to improve the conditions
of the soil in the Amazon through agriculture, which is a drastic reversal
from what usually happens (agriculture usually depletes the soil of all its
nutrients.) This is connected to a kind of soil called "terra pretta,"
which is a startling anamoly in the Amazon, because it is very conducive
to agricultural activity, yielding high productivity and long-lasting fertility.
Apparently, Amerindian populations practiced agriculture for centuries,
but instead of destroying the soil, they improved it, creating terra pretta--something
that we don't know how to do today. Work is currently being done to
find out how terra pretta might be reproduced on a large scale (or any scale).
Although this topic needs much more research, the idea that agriculture
could actually thrive in the rainforest environment, without causing damage,
is very exciting and intriguing.
Predictors of Deforestation
In the Journal of Biogeography, Vol. 29, Issue 5-6, which must be accessed
through Vera, there is an article by W.F. Laurance et. al. called "Predictors
of Deforestation." This article offers a good overview of the different
factors that contribute to deforestation, and it also contatins many links
to OTHER research papers that could be utilized in the very near future.