Semicultural Landscapes and Ecosystems

Abstract

Thus far, we have said little about the trajectories of ecosystems prior to their impairment, other than that they were once biophysically and functionally intact in the past. Some readers may assume that those intact states were essentially manifestations of Nature, devoid of human artifice. This chapter dispels that misconception. Humans have influenced the entire biosphere, and all ecosystems bear the marks of artifice. In some ecosystems, evidences of human influences are grossly apparent. In others, it takes a thorough knowledge of local natural history before the lingering imprint of human activity comes into focus. When we restore, we commonly incorporate ecological legacies derived from human pursuits that were acquired in the creation of a semicultural ecosystem.