Native people had many effects, both positive and negative on the landscape of California. One way their practices had a positive effect was on California’s unique biodiversity. Two practices in particular, burning and the passing of traditional ecological knowledge, helped to increase the biodiversity of California.
“Traditional gathering, practiced holistically as both gathering and management, has the potential to promote biodiversity and restore communities to their formerly more heterogeneous conditions” (Anderson 331). One practice that native Californians used was systematic burning of the landscape. They had extensive knowledge of when and where and which plants to burn, and burned in patches (Anderson 331). This pyrodiversity leads to greater biodiversity (Anderson 18). Burning promoted growth of selected species and helped to restore the ecosystem in a way which mimics natural disturbances. Anderson states that “large human disturbances that do not mimic perturbations in nature have the effect of simplifying ecosystems and drastically reducing the lands capacity for self-renewal” (Anderson 9). Native Californians used the rhythms and patterns of extensive observations to develop the best burning strategies.
Another practice that I believe was greatly beneficial to the biodiversity of California is the passing of traditional ecological knowledge. Extensive knowledge of harvesting seasons, frequency and intensity has been passed down through oral tradition (Anderson 332). Things such as taking only what you need, and respecting what the plant is giving to you are concepts that would be beneficial if taught to everyone.
Source: Tending the Wild. Kat Anderson. 2005.
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