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Bioremediation

Incas and alders

Nature volume 394, pages 224–225 (1998)Cite this article

The myth of the noble savage, living in close harmony with nature and peaceful coexistence with fellow creatures, has generally been abandoned by palaeo-environmentalists. Evidence from several parts of the world confirms that the environmental destruction brought about by early societies was often remarkable when considered in the light of their generally poor technological development and low population densities.

But were any of our ancestors sufficiently environmentally aware to take remedial action to protect the environment, and hence the resources upon which they depended? Pollen analytical studies of a lake in the central Peruvian Andes, carried out by Alex Chepstow-Lusty and colleagues1, furnishes one case in which it seems that they were. From this evidence, the Inca peoples in the area may have at one time adopted a bioremediation programme to prevent soil erosion.

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  1. the Division of Life Sciences, Kings College, Campden Hill Road, London, W8 7AH, UK

    Peter D. Moore

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  1. Peter D. Moore
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Moore, P. Incas and alders. Nature 394, 224–225 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1038/28276

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