I read that book a while ago. My memory is that the societies he examined were in very fragile environments, much more fragile than most places people are.
He argues that how fragile an environment is, depends on the demands placed on it by it inhabitants. The Mayan Yucatan, Haiti, and Rwanda were not particularly fragile, but every place has a limit.
I read that book a while ago. My memory is that the societies he examined were in very fragile environments, much more fragile than most places people are.
He argues that how fragile an environment is, depends on the demands placed on it by it inhabitants. The Mayan Yucatan, Haiti, and Rwanda were not particularly fragile, but every place has a limit.
You’re right; I was just remembering the easter island and greenland bits.