Environmental Deterioration: Conclusions

Looking at the evidence, some research has suggested that degradation, through deforestation and soil erosion, may well have played an important role in Classic Maya collapse. Abrams and Rue (1994) correlated deforestation and resultant soil erosion to the time of Mayan population decline in Copan, Honduras. They stated that such environmental degradation served as a primary factor in, what they saw was a gradual, Mayan demographic decline. Shimkin (1973) established the possible impact that such degradation might have as eventual shortages in fuel wood, necessary for heating and cooking, may have led to increased endemic respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases, contributing to a higher mortality rate and local population decline.

On the other hand, according to other research, it is apparent that, at their peak population, the Maya were actually very adept at conservation and degradation was not an influencing factor in Classic Maya collapse. Beach et al. (2006) discovered that, in many areas, terracing was employed and soil erosion was lower than at earlier times in the history of the Maya. McNeil et al. (2010) found that prior to the time of the Mayan population collapse, forest cover was actually increasing. They also suggested that erroneous chronology, found using poor dating methods, and an insufficient sediment core helped to disprove Abrams and Rue’s (1994) findings.

These conflicts revolve around whether deforestation was actually occurring around the 900 AD and not whether deforestation had the potential to cause demographic decline. The link between deforestation and its potential impacts on the climate and Mayan society were highlighted by Oglesby et al. (2010). They found that widespread deforestation does have the potential to induce drought conditions that may well have impacted the Maya and bolstered a natural drought cycle. However, without substantial evidence for widespread deforestation across the region, this paper does not prove that the potential of this activity was realised and actually served as a factor in the population decline of the Classic Maya.

It therefore seems that forest clearance had the potential to, at least, exacerbate drought conditions. However, in order to establish this capability was actually realised, more robust evidence that deforestation actually occurred is needed. 


References


Shimkin, D. B. (1973). 'Models for the downfall: Some ecological and culture-Historical considerations.' In Culbert, T. P. (ed), The Classic Maya Collapse. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, pp. 269-299.