Prehistoric Landscape Management In The Andean Highlands Raised Field Agriculture And Its Environmental Impact英文电子书.pdf

Prehistoric Landscape Management in the Andean Highlands: Raised Field Agriculture and its Environmental Impact Clark L. Erickson University of Pennsylvania ABSTRACT: The terrain within the LakeTiticaca Basin in the Andean highlands of Peru and Bolivia is a highly human-modified landscape. Archaeological investigations document that massive landscape modifications were undertaken throughout prehistory in order to inten- sively cultivate marginal lands. The paper focuses on raisedfields, large earthen platforms which prevent waterlogging and flooding, increase soil fertility, conserve moisture, insure nutrient production and recycling, and improve crop microclimates. The environmental im- plications of the construction of over 82,000 hectares of raised fields for local vegetation, microclimate, soils, sedimentation, and hydrology are examined. The reuse of raised field agricultural technology to solve some problems of current land management is also discussed. INTRODUCTION: THE CREATION OF PAST AND PRESENT ANDEAN LANDSCAPE To the contemporary agronomist, the altiplanoor high plain located at 3800 m above sea level around Lake Titicaca in southern Peru and north- ern Bolivia is considered to be a marginal landscape for agricultural pur- The author would like to thank Virginia Abernethy, Dan A. Brinkmeier, Kay L. Candler, William M. Denevan, Timothy A. Kohler for constructive comments on this paper. I would especially like to thank Timothy Kohler for the opportunity to participate in the AAAS sympo- sium and the other participants for a stimulating interchange of ideas on past environmental management