Biodiversity

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Biodiversity Social Well-being The Case of
South America

• By Gretchen Semtner Therapeutic Recreation
• Kathryn Hemmerick Interdisciplinary Design

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Ultra-Colonial Era

• Since the European conquest, the intensity of
  biodiversity losses, ecological and cultural
  homogenization and degradation has increased
  drastically.

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The Belief

• In South America, the belief is that there is
  synergy between humans and biological species.
• Synergy The interaction of two or more agents
  or forces so that their combined effect is
  greater than the sum of their individual effects.
  Cooperative interaction among groups, especially
  among the acquired subsidiaries or merged parts
  of a corporation, that creates an enhanced
  combined effect. (www.dictionary.com)

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Associated v. Antagonistic

• The idea here is that humans are not always bad
  for the environment.
• Indigenous people have been living on the land
  for centuries without any detrimental side
  effects.
• Which leads us to the link

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The Link
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• Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Situation Receives discharge of industrial
pollutants including lethal compounds. Link
Missing. Result Aquatic biota eliminated.
Sanitary human conditions severely degraded.
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Amazonian Rainforest
Situation Watershed (drainage device)
conservation. Link Evident. Represents respect
between the people, the land, and the biologic
species. Result The rainforest helps the myriad
invertebrates, aquatic plants, algae, fish and
birds. It also helps the human supply of clean
water, food and shelter.
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Politics

• Conservation is often portrayed as an obstacle to
  fixing the poverty problem in South America.
• People have started to believe that technology
  and economic growth will solve all social
  problems in the long run.
• A few people are developing rapidly while the
  majority of the population suffers.

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Ecuadorian Shrimps
The company cuts down mangroves.
Shrimp Company comes to set up along the coast.
The natives cant get to their natural resources.
Since the native people cant eat, theyre forced
to move to the city, where life is bad.
Eventually the company will have exhausted its
resource, the environment will be ruined, and the
native people will continue to suffer.
The company doesnt care about preserving its
resources, so it pollutes and eventually kills
the shrimp.
The government sides with the company because
its making lots of money.
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Two-thirds of South America are made up of
indigenous, rural, and poor people. This is
caused by the gap between humans and ecosystems.
Again, the link is missing.
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The 3 Waves of Eco-Cultural Homogenization
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Wave 1 The Initial Contact

• 1500-1800
• Spanish conquistadors brought epidemics, to which
  the new world people lacked immunities. Resulted
  in widespread destruction and death. Example
  Smallpox.
• The Chilean deciduous forests burned in order to
  open up land for cattle and agriculture. This
  lead to endangered species.

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Transition Element

• Farm animals entered the scene.
• Fuegian Indians had to hunt sheep due to newly
  endangered species.
• Simultaneously, erosion and forest disturbance
  occurred. This continues to impact agriculture
  today.

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Wave 2 Independent Chile

• 1800-1950
• Chile promoted immigration of Europeans due to a
  desire to modernize.
• Britain began to trade natural resources with
  South America.
• This led to the near-extinction of many
  indigenous groups, such as the Ona, the Alacaluf,
  and the Yahgan cultures.

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Wave 3 Landscape Social Order

• 1950-2000
• Losses in biodiversity. Ecological consequences
  because of soil erosion.
• Socioeconomic problems occurred because of
  large-scale replacements of native forests. These
  problems include Forfeiting of small lands by
  small landowners, less labor required led to a
  decrease in jobs, uses and values of forests were
  eliminated, and exclusion of local people from
  their lands through company controlled lands.

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The Rural-Urban Migration

• The level of culture decreased as education
  became more mainstream.
• Western medicine replaced rural hospitals and
  significantly decreased knowledge of local
  remedies.
• Small trade couldnt survive, and eventually
  became dependent on big trading companies/stores.

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Chilean Forest Exploitation

• South American native forests have been replaced
  by mono-specific plantations.
• Mono-Specific Plantations Characterized by
  uniformity. The trees are the same species, same
  age, and planted equally distanced from each
  other.
• Means a lower income return for Chile, which in
  turn depletes living conditions for local groups.

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THE ENDDDD.