Forest Map

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Forest Map
Approximately 240 million of the world's poor that live in forested areas of developing countries depend on forests for their livelihoods. Forest and its products provide cash income, jobs, and consumption goods for poor families. Forestry provides formal and informal employment for an estimated 40-60 million people. The sector contributes in some developing countries more than eight per cent to GDP. Timber may be the most important forest product, but forests are also harvested for fruits, herbs and honey as well as for wild animals. Less visible but not less important are the ecosystems services forests provide – such as for the hydrological cycle. Nevertheless, global forest cover has dropped by at least 20% since pre-agricultural times. While forest area increased slightly in the past thirty years in industrial countries, it has declined by almost 10% in developing countries in the same time period. According to the Food and Agriculture organization deforestation causes 25% of greenhouse gas emissions, and reducing this is a high priority on the global agenda. The map is a part of a set, presenting different natural resources, with a focus on developing countries, and the use of natural resources for economic growth and poverty alleviation.
Forests cover some 3.9 billion hectares (or 9.6 billion acres) which is approximately 30% of the World's land surface. FAO estimates that around 13 million hectares of forests were converted to other uses or lost through natural causes annually between 2000 and 2010. Their estimated annual rate of forest area increase was 5 million hectares.

Forest Map

Forest Map

Forest Map

Forest Map

Forest Map

Forest Map

World Forestry Day

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World Forestry Day 
has been celebrated around the world for 30 years to remind communities of the importance of forests and the many benefits which we gain from them. The concept of having a World Forestry Day originated at the 23rd General Assembly of the European Confederation of Agriculture in 1971. Later that year, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation gave support to the idea believing the event would contribute a great deal to public awareness of the importance of forests and agreed that it should be observed every year around the world. March 21, the autumnal equinox in the Southern Hemisphere and the vernal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere was chosen as the day to be celebrated offering information about the three key facets of forestry, protection, production and recreation.
FORESTRY, more than other branches of agriculture, is an activity which needs to be brought before the public. But to make the practices and benefits of forestry comprehensible to the public is not as simple as it may at first seem. This is partly because of the long time scale involved in forest management compared to the increasingly rapid pace which modern man has come to accept as normal in so many other activities. In some countries there is also a residue of public suspicion of foresters as the "policemen of the woods" and this has to be overcome.
Every forester appreciates and understands the value of the forest as a source of raw material, as a provider of local employment and national income, as the great sponge which gathers and releases water, as the habitat for flora and fauna that otherwise would become extinct, and as the environment and atmosphere in which man feels uniquely at home with nature. If foresters and forest services talk in plain language about that which they know best, people will listen, understand and be with them.
Sir Frank Fraser Darling rightly says: "Man is weaned of the forest, and yet the forest is still very much a part of us." This is at the root of the concern of so many people today for the preservation of forests and other natural environments.
FORESTS are essential for life on Earth. They give us shade and shelter, refuge and refreshment, clean air and water. Today, with a growing global population and subsequent demand for forest products, the forests of the world are at risk from widespread deforestation and degradation.
A forest, which we usually think of in terms of trees, is in fact a complex, living community. Beneath the forest canopy dwell interdependent populations of plants and animals, while the soil that forms the forest floor contains a large variety of invertebrates, bacteria and fungi which play an essential role in cycling nutrients in the soil and the forest.

World Forestry Day 

World Forestry Day 

World Forestry Day 

World Forestry Day 

World Forestry Day 

World Forestry Day 

World Forestry Day 

Australian Wildfires

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Australian Wildfires 
Temperatures across southern Australia have dropped from record levels, reducing the danger from scores of bushfires but likely to bring only a brief respite from the summer's extreme heat.

No deaths have been reported from the bushfires in the south-east of the country, although about 100 people have not been accounted for since last week when a fire destroyed around 90 homes in the Tasmanian town of Dunalley, east of the state capital Hobart.

On Wednesday, police spokeswoman Lisa Stingel said it was likely most of those unaccounted for simply have not checked in with officials.

"There are no reports of missing persons in circumstances that cause us to have grave fears for their safety at this time," Tasmania police acting commissioner Scott Tilyard said.

Thousands of cattle and sheep are suspected to have been killed, as well as a great deal of wildlife.

In Victoria state, north of Tasmania, a fire injured six people, destroyed four homes and caused the evacuation of the farming community of Carngham, Country Fire Authority operations officer Ian Morley said.

Cooler conditions on Wednesday brought relief to firefighters who had been working through the day to build earth breaks to contain the fire ahead of warmer temperatures forecast for Friday, he said. "We have had very mild, cool conditions overnight, which is a great help to the fire suppression effort," he added.

North of Victoria in New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, firefighters were battling 141 fires, including 31 that had not yet been contained.

Fires have burnt through more than 131,000 hectares (324,000 acres) of forest and farmland since Tuesday.

Fires burning out of control near the towns of Cooma, Yass and Shoalhaven were causing the most concern in that state.

Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers of the Rural Fire Service said the reprieve was expected to be short-lived, with temperatures forecast to climb again by the end of the week. "We don't need new fires today," he said.

The fires have been most devastating in Tasmania, where at least 128 homes have been destroyed since Friday. Hundreds of people remain at two evacuation centres in the south of the state.

"People have lost everything. We can't comprehend that devastation unless we are in their shoes," said the Tasmanian premier, Lara Giddings.

The fires have consumed over 80,000 hectares (198,000 acres) in Tasmania since last week.

Wildfires are common during the Australian summer. Fires in February 2009 killed 173 people and destroyed more than 2,000 homes in Victoria.

Australia had its hottest day on record on Monday and the country's weather bureau has forecast above average temperatures for the remainder of the summer, compounding the fire risk created by a lack of rain across central and southern Australia over the past six months.
A wildfire is an uncontrolled fire in an area of combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, peat fire, vegetation fire, and veldfire may be used to describe the same phenomenon depending on the type of vegetation being burned. A wildfire differs from other fires by its extensive size, the speed at which it can spread out from its original source, its potential to change direction unexpectedly, and its ability to jump gaps such as roads, rivers and fire breaks. Wildfires are characterized in terms of the cause of ignition, their physical properties such as speed of propagation, the combustible material present, and the effect of weather on the fire.
Wildfires are a common occurrence in Australia especially during the long hot summers usually experienced in the southern regions such as Victoria, Australia. Due to Australia's hot and dry climate, wildfires (commonly referred to as bushfires in Australia) pose a great risk to life and infrastructure during all times of the year, though mostly throughout the hotter months of summer and spring. In the United States, there are typically between 60,000 and 80,000 wildfires that occur each year, burning 3 million to 10 million acres of land depending on the year. Fossil records and human history contain accounts of wildfires, as wildfires can occur in periodic intervals. Wildfires can cause extensive damage, both to property and human life, but they also have various beneficial effects on wilderness areas. Some plant species depend on the effects of fire for growth and reproduction, although large wildfires may also have negative ecological effects.
Strategies of wildfire prevention, detection, and suppression have varied over the years, and international wildfire management experts encourage further development of technology and research. One of the more controversial techniques is controlled burning: permitting or even igniting smaller fires to minimize the amount of flammable material available for a potential wildfire. While some wildfires burn in remote forested regions, they can cause extensive destruction of homes and other property located in the wildland-urban interface: a zone of transition between developed areas and undeveloped wilderness.

Australian wildfires 

Australian wildfires 

Australian wildfires 

Australian wildfires 

Australian wildfires 

Australian wildfires 

California Wildfire

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California Wildfire
The Springs Fire, which started in the Southern California community of Camarillo and burned all the way to the Pacific Ocean, charred 28,000 acres and destroyed 10 outbuildings before a rainy weather system moved in over the weekend.

No homes were destroyed in the fire, which was 80 percent contained by Monday, but the state's dry winter has left brush and vegetation ready to burn - and sparked worry among firefighters and emergency preparedness officials.

Full containment was expected by Tuesday, said Tom Piranio, spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Cal Fire.

Terry McHale, a spokesman for the union that represents state firefighters, said California was witnessing the worst start to a fire season in two decades.

Already, nearly 850 wildfires have flared up in California since January, considerably more than the average of 522 blazes that crop up during the first four months of the year, according to Cal Fire.

"The drought conditions and the fuel growth is something we're seeing in May that you don't usually see until July or August," McHale said. "It is scary."

Nationwide, the Forest Service said it was expecting a higher than normal incidence of significant fires in much of the West, including most of Arizona, New Mexico, California, Oregon and Idaho, as well as parts of Colorado, Utah and Washington.

On Monday, the agency said it was acquiring seven advanced firefighting air tankers to help modernize its aging fleet.

In Southern California, at the peak of the Springs Fire, several neighborhoods were evacuated, along with the campus of California State University Channel Islands.

The fire was tricky to contain, Piranio said. At first, dry conditions and powerful Santa Ana winds fueled the blaze and blew it toward the ocean.

Then, starting on Friday, opposing winds began to blow, bringing cooler weather and moisture, but also pushing the blaze back toward the community of Newbury Park and threatening homes there.

"As it burned down to the coast, the winds basically turned around and blew that fire back to the southeast," Piranio said.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

California Wildfire

California Wildfire

California Wildfire

California Wildfire

California Wildfire

California Wildfire

Forest Fires in New Brunswick

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Forest Fires in New Brunswick 
One of two forest fires in New Brunswick that had burned out of control most of the afternoon on Tuesday is about 25 per cent contained, the provincial government said.

Fires are burning near Petitcodiac, in southeastern New Brunswick, and in the northern community of Kedgwick.

The Department of Natural Resources had said earlier that both fires were considered nearly under control. But the fire near Petitcodiac is only 25 per cent contained, according to provincial Department of Natural Resources (DNR) spokeswoman Anne Bull on Tuesday evening.

The fire near Petitcodiac has destroyed at least three homes and forced the evacuation of several others. The fire in Kedgwick also resulted in the early evacuation of some homes in the village.No casualties or injuries have been reported, according to Bull.

Firefighters from several departments were involved in fighting both fires, along with DNR officials, she said.

Water bombers were also used.

"Firefighting operations continue and adequate resources are in place, for now," said Bull.

She could not say whether relief crews would be available to take over for the firefighters who had been battling the blazes most of the day.

There is no word yet on the cause of either fire, said Bull.

"It's going to be difficult, if not impossible to determine, where water bombers and bulldozers have been involved because they destroy evidence," she said.Covered 500 hectares
At least three homes in the Petitcodiac area have been destroyed. (Tori Weldon/CBC)
The first fire, in an area known as The Glades, west of Moncton, spread over a 500-hectare area, said Bull.

At least three homes on Middlesex Road were destroyed and at least four others were being actively protected, she said.

"It is anticipated two more water bombing runs will stabilize the situation."

All homes on that street were "self-evacuated" and the Red Cross was assessing the need for setting up a reception centre to assist residents, said Bull.

The fire was reported to officials at about 2 p.m. AT, said CBC reporter Tori Weldon.

It's not clear how many homes were affected by the evacuation, she said.

But all residents who live along Sanitorium Road and Middlesex Road were being asked to leave their homes for safety reasons, RCMP Cpl. Chantal Farrah stated in a release.

The RCMP assisted fire officials with the evacuation, said Farrah.

Traffic was also being diverted from the area, she said. Road blocks were set up at the intersections of Sanitorium and Middlesex roads as well as the intersection of Middlesex and Grub roads.

One woman, who could see flames and black smoke from her backyard, had her keys in her car, ready to leave, but hoped to wait it out, said Weldon.

"I took the four-wheeler and the lawnmower out of the garage 'cause I know it's probably going to hit there first," the woman said. "I let my animals out in case it got to the house, 'cause they have enough sense to run away," she said, fighting back tears.

"I don't know what else to do."

People in Moncton, about 45 kilometres away, could see and smell the smoke from the fire.

DNR officials and firefighters from seven fire departments, including Petitcodiac, Elgin, Salisbury, Penobsquis, Riverview, Moncton and Dieppe, were involved in fighting the blaze

At least 15 fire trucks were on scene.

A DNR bulldozer and three J.D. Irving Ltd. trucks were clearing a path, attempting to create a fire break, said Weldon.

Fire crews would not fight the fire after dark, she said. They would focus only on saving property.

Reached within 6 kilometres of village
Fire crews prepared to shift their focus from fighting the fire to saving properties after nightfall. (Tori Weldon/CBC)
The second fire in Kedgwick, about 300 kilometres north of Fredericton, was reported at about 3:40 p.m., according to RCMP.

It spread over a 50-hectare area, and was about six kilometres from the village centre, according to the Department of Natural Resources.

At one point, the entire village was going to be evacuated, but that was quickly scaled back to some people being asked to leave as a precautionary measure.

Later in the evening, the evacuation was called off because the fire was coming under control, said Bull.

"Local first responders and village reps are going door-to-door, advising residents they need to be prepared to evacuate on short notice, should conditions change," she said.

Village officials also held a public information meeting at the Community Hall on St. Jean Street, said Bull.

Traffic was being diverted away from Rang 7, Rang 8 and Chemin du Moulin, said RCMP.

"The RCMP are asking for people to stay away from both areas for their safety and to allow firefighters to do their work," said Farrah.

Number of fires on rise
The entire province remains under a no-burn order, due to dry conditions.

But the number of fires across the province continues to rise, said Charles Beaulieu, an officer with the Department of Natural Resources' Wildfire Prevention Unit.

Rangers have battled 271 man-made fires so far this year, including more than 60 over the weekend.

"It's frustrating to the fact that some people aren't getting the message," said Beaulieu. "We could put the fires out, it's what we do, but we still like to get the message out that on days you're not allowed to burn, you should not burn.

"People just don't understand fire behaviour and that's why we put a lot of science behind our burning permit system," he said. "They don't understand days when it's acceptable to burn and when it's safe to burn. That's why we tell them the days they can't burn and the days they can."

No permits to burn grass have been issued so far this year, officials said.

Under the latest fire restrictions, anyone caught with a bonfire could be charged and face significant fines, starting at $172, said Beaulieu.

Tickets are handed out on a case-by-case basis, he said. DNR officials have also issued more than 60 warnings this year, he added.

It will take some steady, prolonged rain to improve conditions, said

Forest Fires in New Brunswick 

Forest Fires in New Brunswick 

Forest Fires in New Brunswick 

Forest Fires in New Brunswick 

Forest Fires in New Brunswick 

Forest Fires in New Brunswick 

Forest Fires in New Brunswick 

Forest Fires in New Brunswick 

Common Forest Insect Pests

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Common Forest Insect Pests
Insects are a natural part of the forest ecosystem. They have a part in culling out weak and inferior trees, breaking down and recycling litter on the forest floor, and act as a food source for birds and other animals. However, certain insects can pose a serious threat to tree health. When insects attack valuable trees, killing or weakening them so that other insects or diseases can attack, they are considered pests. More trees are killed each year by insects than by any other cause.

In forestry, insect control measures begin with using good forest management practices to promote vigorous, healthy trees. Healthy trees are less likely to be attacked by insect pests than are weakened or sick trees. However, control measures may become necessary to protect valuable forest resources when insect damage becomes severe. Early detection and diagnosis of problems are important. Only when insect pest problems have been properly diagnosed, can effective control be initiated. Control measures must address the type of insect, the forest type, infestation severity, environmental factors, and cultural concerns. Below are links to assist with the identification and control of the most common or serious insect pests that affect North Carolina's forests. Please seek assistance from your local NCFS office if you suspect insect problems in your forest.

Defoliators
Defoliators are insects that feed on the foliage (leaves or needles) of trees. These insects harm trees by removing the chlorophyll containing tissues that are responsible for photosynthesis, the process by which light energy is captured by plants to produce food and energy. While many trees can survive defoliation that is minor or infrequent, defoliation can stress trees and make them more susceptible to attack from other insects and diseases. Repeated defoliation can kill trees. Populations of many defoliators tend to fluctuate over time. Outbreaks of insect populations that result in severe defoliation often last only a year or two, and therefore these pests do not usually kill trees. However, damage in outbreak years can be severe and unsightly.

Look for a lack of foliage, holes or missing areas in leaves, and thin crowns. Many defoliators are moth species, but it is the caterpillar (larval stage) that is most often responsible for defoliation. Caterpillars may be visible, but are often hidden. In addition, some species of defoliators such as the eastern tent caterpillar form conspicuous web-woven shelters.

Pine Webworm
Pine Sawflies
Gypsy Moth
Forest Tent Caterpillar
Eastern Tent Caterpillar
Bagworms
Cankerworms
Bark Borers
Bark borers are insects that bore into the bark of trees to feed or reproduce. These insects harm trees by destroying the phloem, a thin layer of cells just beneath the surface of tree bark that transports carbohydrates and nutrients throughout the tree. A tree can be killed if bark borers 'girdle' a tree by destroying the phloem all the way around the stem.

Bark boring beetles are among the most damaging pests in our forests. Bark beetles bore into bark and lay their eggs. When the eggs hatch, beetle larvae feed on the nutrient rich phloem tissue before molting into adults and emerging to attack more trees. Healthy trees are normally capable of preventing bark beetles from entering the bark. However, beetle populations can become so large in 'outbreak' years that even healthy trees succumb to attack. Once beetles overcome tree defenses and bore into the phloem to lay eggs, there is little hope a tree will survive.

Look for small holes in the bark where adult beetles enter to lay eggs or new adult beetles emerge after feeding. Networks of bored tunnels called galleries are visible when the outer bark is peeled back in infested trees. In the late stages of attack, foliage will begin to turn yellow or red.

Southern Pine Beetle
Ips Beetles
Black Turpentine Beetle
Wood Borers
Wood boring insects are often secondary pests that bore into the wood of dead or dying trees or green logs to lay eggs. Larvae feed on the inner bark and bore holes deep into the wood. While wood borers usually do not directly cause tree death, boring activity can cause degradation of lumber. In addition, boring permits the entrance of fungi that can cause wood decay or discoloration.

Look for holes in the bark formed by emerging adult beetles, and tunnels in the inner bark and wood. Larvae can be present for several years after tree death, and may be exposed by peeling back the bark.

Sawyer Beetles
Ambrosia Beetles
Sirex Wood Wasp
Seedling, Twig and Bud Pests
Many forest insect pests only attack seedlings or the young succulent tissues of small twigs, shoots and buds. Seedlings can be killed, and larger trees can be disfigured. Infestations of these insects can be difficult to identify, and symptoms may be confused with those of other insects or diseases.

Pales Weevil
Tip Moths
Twig Girdlers
White Pine Weevil
Piercing/Sucking Insects
Many insects can cause harm to trees by piercing the surface of soft plant tissues and feeding on nutrient-rich sap. In sufficient numbers, piercing/sucking insects can starve a tree by depleting it of the carbohydrates produced from photosynthesis. If infestations last several years, tree death can result. In addition, many piercing/sucking insects carry pathogens that can also cause tree death or decline.

While many piercing/sucking insects are only minor nuisances that cause little or no harm to trees, several species are among the most destructive forest pests. Unsightly damage can reach unacceptable levels in landscape trees and shrubs, and may threaten economic viability in Christmas tree orchards. The survival of several tree species in North Carolina is currently threatened by piercing/sucking insects accidently introduced from other countries.

To the untrained eye, many of these insects are too small to be observed directly; or they may be overlooked because of their sedentary nature and the lack of obvious physical damage to plant tissues. The use of a magnifying lens will often reveal the presence of piercing/sucking insects. Look for overall decline in tree health; foliage will often appear to be thin or will loose its normal green color.

Scales
Aphids
Gall Makers
Hemlock Wooly Adelgid
Balsam Wooly Adelgid
Beneficial Insects
Many of our most serious forest insect pests have their own natural insect enemies that can keep populations in check. If it were not for these beneficial insects, our forests would likely not exist as we know them today. Some of the beneficial insects that feed or parasitize upon forest pests here in North Carolina are listed below.

Checkered Clerid Beetle
Sasajiscymnus Lady Beetle
Scymnus Lady Beetles
Laricobius Derodontid Beetle
Cerceris fumipennis
Deladenus siricidicola (nematode)

Common Forest Insect Pests

Common Forest Insect Pests

Common Forest Insect Pests

Common Forest Insect Pests

Common Forest Insect Pests

Common Forest Insect Pests

Forest Life

Source google.com.pk
Forest Life
When people think of animals that live in forests, creatures such as bears, eagles, gorillas, tigers are usually what come to mind. Forest plants, other than trees, are often ignored. And many people are unaware of the fact that organisms such as bacteria and fungi are just as important to the forest as the trees themselves.Inorganic materials are also crucial to the living organisms. Green plants--everything from trees to the most delicate ferns--form the base of all forest ecosystems. These plants require clean air, soil, water, and sun to grow and support the fragile network of life in a forest.
An enormous variety of creatures inhabit the forest. Some are spectacular, others are hidden somewhere beneath the canopy of countless billions of leaves. The web of interactions between individuals and species is intricate and complex; nothing about a forest is simple, and humans are only just beginning to understand any part of these ecosystems.Forests are some of the most diverse habitats on the planet. Biodiversity* is not simply something that's "nice" to have. All species, including humans, are dependent on all other species for survival. The extinction of even one organism--a monkey, a flowering plant, a water flea--will have unpredictable and often disastrous consequences.
Tropical rainforests are the richest ecosystems in the world. Because of the great diversity of plants and animals, there are actually relatively few individuals of most species. This makes them especially susceptible to habitat loss and other stresses.
While many temperate species have tropical equivalents, there is a greater range of habitats in tropical forests. The warm, moist climate also contributes to the great numbers of species. There are complete groups of tropical rainforest organisms that are absent from areas with cooler climates. One example are the epiphytes -- smaller plants that actually grow in the branches of larger trees.Epiphytes can make up over 50 percent of the plant species in a tropical rainforest. In the temperate zone, all orchids are found on the ground, while in the tropics there are 20,000 species of epiphytic orchids alone! Epiphytes come in all shapes--hanging, sprawling vines, bushy clumps of water-catching leaves, even cactus-like plants. In some temperate coastal forests, trees are carpeted with layers of epiphytic moss and lichens, but there is nowhere near the variety of plant shapes and sizes as in the tropics.

Forest Life

Forest Life

Forest Life

Forest Life

Forest Life

Forest Life

Tribes of South America

Source google.com.pk
Tribes of South America
Some were stunned to learn that while NASA is sending probes to different planets in search of life, there are still small human groups on our own Earth that remain in complete isolation from the rest of the world.
Isolated tribes today reside on different continents including Asia, Oceania, and South America in the densely forested areas.
According to Glenn Shepard, an anthropologist at the Goeldi Museum in Belém, Brazil, most isolated groups in the Amazon rainforest live along the border areas between Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, and Colombia.
It is difficult to know the exact way of life of these tribes as they avoid contact with the outside world, although some studies can be done by following their traces in the forest.
Isolation to Escape Massacre
Shepard, who has worked with different indigenous tribes in Peru, Brazil, and Mexico for 25 years, says most uncontacted groups choose to stay in isolation as they escaped the wide-scale massacre of the rubber boom in the Amazon at the turn of the century.
“The inhuman working conditions and cruel punishments of native laborers by rubber tappers in the Putomayo region between Peru and Colombia was denounced to the U.S. Congress and the British government in 1913,” Shepard says.
A great number of indigenous people perished as a result of these conditions, and many others became assimilated to local groups. Some, however, decided to isolate themselves from the outside, explains Shepard.
“Some of these remain isolated to this day.”
Policy Change
Early, in the process of colonization, the indigenous policy of the Brazilian government was to attract and contact indigenous people and have them integrated into society. But, according to Brazil’s government-run National Indian Foundation (FUNAI), the result observed with time was that such policies led to the death and sub-par life conditions for the natives.
After the 1980s’ constitution, the Brazilian indigenous policy transitioned from a notion of integration to one of recognizing the customs, languages, beliefs, and rights to the lands of the indigenous peoples.The policy adopted for the isolated people changed from a forced-contact form to one promoting and protecting their rights,” says a representative with FUNAI.
“This means that the desire of these people to remain isolated should be respected more, and the state must provide the conditions for this to occur.”
Today, FUNAI monitors the territory of isolated tribes to keep away any encroaching.
“There are 32 confirmed uncontacted Indian tribes, and others are still under study. A large amount of information has already been collected from each group, and their territories are monitored continually and left uninterrupted,” says the FUNAI representative.
Deadly Encounter
The tribes today are left uncontacted since close encounters could expose their members to contamination by infectious diseases, as many tragic encounters resulting in high fatality of tribe members in the past have proved.
The likelihood of violent confrontation of the tribes’ people who see outsiders encroaching on their land is another reason to avoid contact.
Shepard, who writes and creates documentary films about peoples of South America, had a close call himself with the isolated nomadic group of Mashco-Piro. The tribe killed one of his native friends who thought he was helping them toward contact, but apparently frightened them.
The Mashco-Piro people, explains Shepard, isolated themselves and abandoned agriculture after they were massacred by rubber trappers.
“It is important to realize that respecting their [uncontacted tribes’] isolation is tantamount to respecting their right to survival,” Shepard says.

Tribes of South America

Tribes of South America

Tribes of South America

Tribes of South America

Tribes of South America

Tribes of South America

Altai Mountains

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Altai Mountains
Dividing North from Central Asia, desert from grassland, taiga from mountain steppe, the Altai Mountains have functioned for thousands of years as a homeland for the emergence of hunting, herding, and nomadic cultures of Eurasia. Archaeology in the Altai thus reflects the evolution of human culture from the Paleolithic Period through to the present.
The archaeology and landscape considered in this project are located within Bayan Ölgiy, a mountainous aimag in the far northwest of Mongolia. To its northwest, the region shares a boundary with the Altai Republic of Russia; to the southwest, it abuts northern China’s Xinjiang province. The long eastern side of the resulting triangle can be drawn along the right bank of the north-flowing river, Sagsay Gol and continued up through the dry valleys north of the administrative centers (sum) of Sagsay and Ulaan Khus to the Tsagaan Nuur basin.
This landscape, the highest in Mongolia, has been home to hunters and herders beginning early in the Bronze Age. By the Late Bronze Age, horse-dependent semi-nomadic cultures began to appear, eventually spreading west from the Altai to dominate the Eurasian steppe. This region of the Altai is, also, the probable homeland of the iron-working Türks, who dominated Eurasia in the late first millennium of our era.
Mongolia | Altai Region
Monuments in the Mongolian Altai can be divided into a variety of types, each with its own sub-types and probable function. These include khirigsuur, mounds, standing stones, dwellings and related lines, circles, and Turkic memorial structures (including enclosures, Turkic image stones, false image stones, and balbal). Altars may include some of the structures already mentioned as well as several of a distinctive variety. Tamga and inscriptions are here considered together with petroglyphs.Cultural Landscape : General Discussion
The World Heritage Center defines a Cultural Landscape as one intentionally designed and created by human action, as one that has evolved naturally in relationship to traditional social ways of life, or as one that has associative value. Within this last category, the landscape is endowed with “powerful religious, artistic or cultural associations…”(UNESCO World Heritage Center: Cultural Landscape). Another way of thinking about Cultural Landscapes is to consider the definition offered by the geographer, Carl Sauer: a cultural landscape is one that has been “… fashioned from a natural landscape by a cultural group. Culture is the agent, the natural are the medium, the cultural landscape is the result" (Sauer 1925).
Within mountainous Bayan Ölgiy, the deliberate placement of ancient surface monuments with reference to specific landscape features and directions results in the expansion of the monuments’ expressive force. Conversely, the intentional placement of monuments calls attention to specific features in the landscape and to the cardinal directions, thereby reinforcing a sense of their signifying power. In both respects, setting and orientation indicate ancient intentionality and the existence of cultural landscape within a synchronic dimension.
We find, also, that monuments frequently reflect their builders’ awareness of what occurred at an earlier age at that site. This awareness is reflected in the overlay of monuments of different periods and in the reuse of stones from one period and monument to the next. In this respect, the cultural landscape of this region, also, exists within a diachronic dimension, suggesting a sense of cultural memory.
While we do not know what the interrelationships of monuments and natural features or directionality signified, we can observe regular patterns in their occurrence; and we can conclude that ancient people of the Bronze and Iron Ages understood their existence.

Altai Mountains

Altai Mountains

Altai Mountains

Altai Mountains

Altai Mountains

Altai Mountains

The Mount Tribes People

Source google.com.pk
The Mount Tribes People
The Taranaki iwi (tribe) is one of a number from the Taranaki region. Bounded by Te Āti Awa in the north and Ngā Ruahine in the south, the Taranaki tribe has a history of constant vigilance and war, which has given rise to the saying: ‘Kāore e pau, he ika ūnahi nui’ (They cannot be conquered, they are like fish with great, thick scales).

Territory

The tribal area is on the western cape of the North Island. It stretches from Ōnukutaipari on the northern coast to the Ōuri River in the south, and encompasses Mt Taranaki (Mt Egmont). These traditional boundaries are described in the following saying:

Ōnukutaipari marks the ascent to the post of Ōkurukuru,
From Ōkurukuru to Te Whakangerengere,
Te Whakangerengere to Te Tahuna o Tuutawa [Warwick Castle],
Te Tahuna o Tuutawa to Panitahi [Fanthams Peak],
Panitahi to the Ōuri Stream, arriving at the tributary of Raawa o Turi
And the pillar stone of Matirawhati.
The mountains of the Kaitake Range, Pouākai Range and Mt Taranaki bisect the Taranaki tribal area and are the source of the tribe’s genealogy. The first people were called Te Kāhui Maunga – the people of the mountains.The mountain, Taranaki

Traditions say that Mt Taranaki, formerly known as Pukeonaki, once stood at Taupō. He and another mountain, Tongariro, both loved the beautiful maiden mountain Pīhanga, and fought over her. Pukeonaki was beaten and retreated down the Whanganui River to the sea. Led north-west by a guide, Te Toka a Rauhoto, he saw the Pouākai mountain. He progressed up the Hangaataahua River, resurfacing in his final position beside Pouākai.

The ancestor Rua Taranaki

The first ancestor of the Taranaki tribe, Rua Taranaki, came from Taupō. He settled at the headwaters of the Hangaataahua River, carrying the bones of his elders there for burial in a cave, which was called the Cave of Tahatiti. Rua Taranaki was the first of a line of chiefs.

The Mount Tribes People

The Mount Tribes People

The Mount Tribes People

The Mount Tribes People

The Mount Tribes People

The Mount Tribes People