Farming, fishing, and fire in the history of the upper Río Negro region of Venezuela

TitleFarming, fishing, and fire in the history of the upper Río Negro region of Venezuela
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication1987
AuthorsClark, K, Uhl, C
JournalHuman Ecology
Volume15
Issue1
Pagination1-26
Date PublishedMarch 1987
LanguageEnglish
Keywordsagriculture; Amazon; energetics; fire; fishing; subsistence agriculture; Venezuela; wildfires
Abstract

Studies of Río Negro subsistence farming and fishing activities are used to estimate the human carrying capacity for the region and the likely pattern of human land-use during prehistory. Ceramic evidence suggests human presence in the region more than 3,000 years ago. Traditional farming is labor intensive and relatively unproductive. Nevertheless, farmers achieve an energy return of 15.2:1, and produce 2,600 kcal per work hour. Fish are the major protein source, but fish catch per unit of effort and fish yield per hectare of floodplain are very low; fishermen are probably exploiting local fish resources very close to their limit. The low human population density would suggest that the Río Negro forest has been relatively undisturbed. Nevertheless, charcoal is widespread and abundant in forest soils. This charcoal is probably from anthropogenic or natural wildfires. These results suggest a much more complex history for Amazonia than previously thought. (author)

URLhttp://www.jstor.org/stable/4602829
DOI10.1007/BF00891369
Research Notes

ArticleType: research-article

Full publication date: Mar., 1987

Copyright © 1987 Springer

Journal Abbreviation

Hum Ecol

ISSN

0300-7839; 1572-9915

Collection Topic: