Where in the World Wednesday? Where is this? What is it called? How is this an example of HEI? Would you drive on this road?

Human-Environment Interaction Latin America

Human Environment Interaction Demonstrates how people change themselves or their environment to allow themselves a better life. HEI in Latin America is based mostly around 3 major categories: Agriculture Urbanization Tourism

Agriculture Reshapes the Environment Native peoples were the first in the Western Hemisphere to change the environment to grow food Vertical zonation plays a role Elevation changes where you can grow certain crops

Terraced Farming Terraced Farming: ancient technique for growing crops on hillsides or mountain slopes Farmers cut step- like horizontal fields into hillsides and slopes Reduces soil erosion Inca of Peru and the Aztecs of Mexico used terrace farming

Slash-and-Burn Slash-and-burn: cut trees, brush, and grasses and burned the debris to clear the field Effective in humid and tropical areas Exhausts soil over time

Destruction of the Rain Forests In order to be able to survive, many people have started to tear down the rainforests. Reasons cited include: Demands for hardwoods Cattle grazing Farming

Debt for Nature Swap Some forms of HEI are considered to be more harmful to the environment than they are beneficial to the people. Many nations in L.A. are in economic strife They have two options to fix their economic issues: Tear up the environment more so they can grow crops, create factories, etc Ask first world (developed) nations for financial assistance- which means going in debt. Dismissal of countries foreign debt in exchange for their conservation of natural resources and physical features Has prompted several nations to begin other environmentally-friendly efforts

Urbanization Throughout Latin America, people are moving from rural areas to the cities Leave farms and villages to find jobs and a better life Cities have grown so fast that the region is as urban as Europe or North America

Tourism Millions of tourists visit the resorts of Latin America every year New hotels, restaurants, boutiques, and other businesses pop up in the Caribbean and Mexico Tourists spend lots of money in the region Many jobs have been created for local residents to serve these tourists Lots of resentment in areas of tourism- crime rates are high Unfair look at a nation

From Country to City Push Factors: Poor medical care & education, low-paying jobs Pull Factors: Higher paying jobs, better education & medical care Argentina, Chile, Uruguay are the most highly urbanized countries in South America 85% live in cities Largest cities in the region includes Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Lima, Bogota, Santiago Most populous city is Mexico City 18-20 million people in the city alone 30 million in the greater metropolitan area

Problems with Growing Cities Slums spread over larger urban areas Unemployment and crime increase High levels of air pollution from cars and factories Governments cannot afford to handle population increases Infrastructure: Includes things such as sewers, transportation, electricity, and housing

Favelas Shanty towns in Brazil As people moved from rural areas into cities, they often had no place to live and settled in these slums