Man and Nature

Man and nature; or, Physical geography as modified by human action is a book written by George Perkins Marsh in 1864.

It is one of the first works to document the effects of human action on the environment and it helped to launch the modern conservation movement. Marsh argued that ancient Mediterranean civilizations collapsed through environmental degradation. Deforestation led to eroded soils that led to decreased soil productivity. Additionally, the same trends could be found occurring in the United States. The book was instrumental in the creation of Adirondack Park in New York and the United States National Forest. Gifford Pinchot, first Chief of the United States Forest Service, called it "epoch making" and Stewart Udall wrote that it was "the beginning of land wisdom in this country."

The book is divided into six chapters.

• Introductory
• Transfer, Modification, and Extirpation of Vegetable and of Animal Species
• The Woods
• The Waters
• The Sands
• Projected or Possible Geographical Changes by Man

External links

• Full Text of Book from the Library of Congress