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A History of Loss in Coviability Between Nature and Society: The Evolution of Vegetative Landscapes in the Lesser Antilles from the Seventeenth to the Twentieth Century

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Coviability of Social and Ecological Systems: Reconnecting Mankind to the Biosphere in an Era of Global Change

Abstract

In the Lesser Antilles, as elsewhere in the humanized biosphere, the landscape is consubstantial to humans. Landscape entities have in their structure the entire set of singular relationships between human beings and the environment; and in some ways, reveal biotope ecosystemic complexity. The data of scientific literature, including the data upon which we base our research in addition to data obtained from discoverers and former naturalist travelers, permit us to analyze the landscapes of the Lesser Antilles. For this reason, it was possible to explore the initiating forms of coviability over time in addition to the functional modalities of the anthropogenic energy whose originality, in various places, is closely related to the relationships and demands found in the World of the populations. Ultimately, during the ante-colonial era and the early days of colonization, a subtle relationship between Man and the environment resulted in the rational use of plant resources. Successive Antilles societies destroyed this form of coviability by creating imbalance between Man and the environment.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Principally and in chronological order, Europeans and Africans in a particular historical and socio-economic configuration.

  2. 2.

    Plant dynamics is characterized by a succession of stages specified by species specialized increasingly occupying sites that are also increasingly specific. Consequently, there is a consubstantial evolution of ecological profiles. From pioneering phases to climax phases passing through transitional phases, species are decreasingly competing and increasingly antagonistic.

  3. 3.

    For example, during the dynamics of land occupation in Martinique, we can clearly perceive the vital role played by the municipality of Saint-Pierre for Basse-Terre and Trinité for Capesterre in the boom in crops and thereby, clearing. Colonizing Capesterre was vital for the development of the plantation economy.; From this point of view, the year 1658 is considered an important date, for it was from the Trinité that larger and larger areas of vegetation were gained, in three specific waves: first towards the north, then towards the south, and finally towards the center (Delawarde 1935).

  4. 4.

    Vegetation that depends on man for certain biological cycles. These last are phenophases or phenological phases.

  5. 5.

    For example, on the island of Martinique, the settlement of the west coast grew rapidly: from 1000 settlers in 1640 to 1500 in 1646 (Delawarde 1935).

  6. 6.

    And other major crops: Coffee, Cocoa.

  7. 7.

    By 1660, the number of people living in Martinique was estimated at 5303

  8. 8.

    The latter are about to be supplanted nowadays by urban structures.

  9. 9.

    The Martinique land ownership document of 1671 allows – the development of different cultures to be seen. Tobacco areas strongly regress with regards to those growing food and sugar cane: 46,956 hectares of tobacco, 98,943 hectares of sugar cane, 138,030 hectares of food, all being managed by 227 sugar plantations, and only 107 households only producing sugarcane without treating it themselves, and 148 households specialized in food.

  10. 10.

    We call these gardens “Creole gardens” characterized by mixed crop farming.

  11. 11.

    The crisis of this economic sector started at the end of the nineteenth century.

  12. 12.

    At that time, sugar sector economy was closely related to forest biomass especially for energy production.

  13. 13.

    This scenario, which is related to global climate change, could correspond to an annual or inter-annual reduction in rainfall.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Antilles University, UMR ESPACE DEV, Montpellier, France

    Philippe Joseph

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. IRD - French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development, UMR ESPACE-DEV, Montpellier, France

    Olivier Barrière

  2. Center for Research on Environment, Human Security and Governance (CERES), Ibn Zohr University of Agadir, Agadir, Morocco

    Mohamed Behnassi

  3. IRD - French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development, UMR ESPACE-DEV, Montpellier, France

    Gilbert David

  4. IRSTEA, National Research Institute of Science and Technology for Environment and Agriculture, Montpellier, France

    Vincent Douzal

  5. IRD - French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development, UMR ESPACE-DEV, Montpellier, France

    Mireille Fargette

  6. University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France

    Thérèse Libourel

  7. IRD - French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development, UMR ESPACE-DEV, Montpellier, France

    Maud Loireau

  8. University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France

    Laurence Pascal

  9. The Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

    Catherine Prost

  10. The Federal University of Pará, Belém, Brazil

    Voyner Ravena-Cañete

  11. IRD - French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development, UMR ESPACE-DEV, Montpellier, France

    Frédérique Seyler

  12. CNRS – The French National Center for Scientific Research, Paris, France

    Serge Morand

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Joseph, P. (2019). A History of Loss in Coviability Between Nature and Society: The Evolution of Vegetative Landscapes in the Lesser Antilles from the Seventeenth to the Twentieth Century. In: Barrière, O., et al. Coviability of Social and Ecological Systems: Reconnecting Mankind to the Biosphere in an Era of Global Change. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78111-2_4

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