Riverine Settlement in the Evolution of Prehistoric Land-Use Systems in the Middle Rio Grande Valley, New Mexico
Document Type
Article
Journal/Book Title
Desired Future Conditions for Southwestern Riparian Ecosystems: Bringing Interests and Concerns Together
Publisher
USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, General Technical Report RM-272
Publication Date
1-1-1996
First Page
22
Last Page
32
Abstract
Ecosystem management should be based on the fullest possible knowledge of ecological structures and processes. In prehistoric North America, the involvement of Indian populations in ecosystem processes ranged from inadvertent alteration of the distribution and abundance of species to large-scale management of landscapes. The knowledge needed to manage ecosystems today is incomplete without understanding past human involvement in ecological processes, and the adjustments of ecosystems to human components. This paper describes changes in prehistoric land use in part of the Middle Rio Grande Valley, New Mexico. Processes of economic change, land-use intensification, and regional abandonment suggest that there were periods of significant prehistoric disturbance to both upland and valley ecosystems.
Recommended Citation
Tainter, J. A. and B. B. Tainter. Riverine Settlement in the Evolution of Prehistoric Land- Use Systems in the Middle Rio Grande Valley, New Mexico. In Desired Future Conditions for Southwestern Riparian Ecosystems: Bringing Interests and Concerns Together, compiled by Douglas W. Shaw and Deborah M. Finch, pp. 22-32. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, General Technical Report RM-272.
