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Collapsed Societies

11,000 BC Sumerians Began agriculture Middle East Inappropriate irrigation methods resulted in accumulations of salt Euphrates River Floodplain Swapped from farming wheat to barley (a more salt tolerant plant) 10,000 BC Abandoned through over-farming

3,000 BC Mayans Beginning of agriculture in irregular rainfall area Copan Valley Trees cut down and used to make decorative plaster for houses Deforestation and erosion Sediment built up in rivers Population halved from 27,000 to 15,000 in 1150 AD directly related to environmental degradation 1250 AD Population crashed and area was abandoned

600 AD Anasazi Began to cut down trees Chaco Canyon Introduced agricultural crops South West USA Began farming drier hill slopes as population grew Deforestation and over-farming increased with continued over population Major droughts occurred in 1040, 1090 and 1117 AD 1150 AD Starvation and civil war occurred leading to collapse of society

800 AD Polynesians Began settlement Easter Island Chopped down trees to build giant statues Large scale deforestation Population grew to an estimated 10,000 people Extinction of land and sea birds, fish and all species of trees Population declined from 30,000 to 2,000 by 1560s as they had no food to eat Resorted to cannibalism 1600 AD Collapse of society

984 AD Vikings Established Norwegian pastoral economy Norse Greenland based on sheep, goats and cattle for producing dairy products Also hunted caribou and seal causing a decrease in numbers of species Trade important for development of society Significant ecological damage due to deforestation Little Ice Age in late 1300's early 1400's, impacted by climate change Military problems with neighbours the Inuit, significant numbers of Vikings killed in raids by Inuit's Trade with Europe affected because of increasing sea-ice Inappropriate cultural values, valued cows too highly not appropriate to the Greenland environment 1440 AD Refused to learn from the Inuits, didn’t adopt technology that would have helped them survive such as tools to kill whales and fish Resulted in Viking society collapsing while the Inuits survived

1880 Somalia Agriculture and grazing became important industries Low rainfall and droughts common Deforestation and overgrazing resulted desertification and soil erosion Salinisation occurred through inefficient irrigation 15 year Civil war started in 1991 Environmental degradation accelerated as a result Ongoing Illegal hunting and fishing High levels of water pollution Extinction of wildlife as a result of ecological destruction Have been used as the dumping site for hazardous toxic waste materials from developed countries

1576 Bangladesh Area first conquered by Akbar, the great Mughal emperor Area of periodic Monsoonal flooding Deforestation occurred as a result of clearing land for agriculture Farming of rice, jute, tea, sugarcane, tobacco, and wheat Formerly part of Bengal, became East Pakistan in 1947 Independence in 1971, after civil war with West Pakistan Ongoing Over hunting and fishing Large scale deforestation and habitat loss Sea level rise is causing a reduction in arable land area as well as increased salt water intrusions, significant impacts on mangroves Natural arsenic poisoning of ground water Poverty and over population placing pressure on environment

http://www.banadir.com/a.htm
http://www.lcgbangladesh.org/Environment/reports/The%20impact%20of%20Environment%20on%20the%20stability%20of%20Bangladesh%20society.pdf
http://www.answers.com/topic/bangladesh