Subsistence and Survival

Subsistence and Survival: Rural Ecology in the Pacific covers the ecology of man's environment, man's use and perception of biological resources, and the physiology and health of the human organism itself. The geographical range of this text extends from the glaciated uplands of Papua New Guinea, through the montane forests and grasslands of the Highlands, into the coastal jungles, and across to the smaller islands and atolls of the South West Pacific.

This book is organized into five parts encompassing 14 chapters. The first part deals with the theory and applications of human ecology. The next part considers first the International Biological Program in New Guinea concerning the link between human ecology and biomedical research. This part also explores the nutritional adaptation among the Enga and in Melanesia, and then introduces the principles of environmental health engineering as human ecology. The subsequent two parts highlight the impact of human activities on the environment, with an emphasis on the association between environmental exploitation and human subsistence. The final part discusses the relevance of self-subsistence communities for world ecosystem management.

This book will be of great value to anthropologists, geographers, human biologists, nutritionists, botanists, and public health engineers.

Contenu

Notes on Contributors
Preface
List of Maps

1. Human Ecology: Theory and Practice
   I. The Human Ecologist as Superman?
   II. Human Ecology and Island Populations: The Problems of Change
2. Environments and the Human Organism
   III. Human Ecology and Biomedical Research: A Critical Review of the International Biological Programme in New Guinea
   IV. Nutritional Adaptation Among the Enga
   V. Nutritional Research in Melanesia: A Second Look at the Tsembaga
   VI. Environmental Health Engineering as Human Ecology: An Example From New Guinea
3. Environmental Change and Human Activity
   VII. Man's Impact Upon Some New Guinea Mountain Ecosystems
   VIII. Biomass: Its Determination and Implications in Tropical Agro-Ecosystems: An Example From Montane New Guinea
4. Environmental Exploitation and Human Subsistence
   IX. The Ecological Description and Analysis of Tropical Subsistence Patterns: An Example From New Guinea
   X. From Hunting to Herding: Pigs and the Control of Energy in Montane New Guinea
   XI. Energy Use and Economic Development in Pacific Communities
5. Environment and Man: Policy, Perception and Prospect
   XII. The Structure of Permanence: The Relevance of Self-Subsistence Communities for World Ecosystem Management
   XIII. Scientific and Indigenous Papuan Conceptualizations of the Innate: A Semiotic Critique of the Ecological Perspective
   XIV. Problems in the Identification of Environmental Problems
   Index