Human Footprint - Rural exploration
Ying zhang
Introduction
What is nature? People have different answers. Marx gave a definition. “When we come to the wilderness, nature in its unspoiled, ostensibly pristine state- we meet a less tangible kind of change” (Marx,1996). Nature to me is the world without any arbitrary human involvement such as deforestation, genetic modification, and farmland expansion, etc. Along with technology development and economic boosts, the human footprint across all corners of our planet includes the north and south poles. Today, people pursue to possess more resources and spaces become easier and simpler than behindhand past; therefore, we found suburban sprawl and urban expansion commonly. However, some places lack transportation or population growth would lead to downfall, decay, and vanished. The contrast phenomenon between metropolis prosperity and wilderness desolation demonstrates the human behavior severely impacts nature.
Rural Komoka
Recently I visited road 16 in Komoka. There is a small village. I remember when I first landed in London in 2012, I explored anywhere close to London, including this place. In my mind, there were many residents around this area. However, I was surprised the villagers had gone already; many houses, storage sheds, and barns had been abandoned. The obsolescent shelter and bungalow stay lonely in the wilderness. Thick dust, broken window, clutter scattering on the ground. The front door disappeared and left the room wide open.
The small, decrepit garage was almost submerged in the woods. The brushy plants and dilapidated shingles provide evidence that it has been ruined by neglect for a long time. Solitude and silence surrounded me. I experienced both the joys and dangers of exploration. The poet expressed properly of this atmosphere, "And say no word to tell me who he was…… It was also older......The wood was grey and the bark was warping off it and the pile was somewhat sunken "(Frost, 1914). That vividly described the cycle of life from cradle to death. The rotted wood pile exemplified nature's impermanence. It was created by humans and was abandoned by humans. The relationship between human activities and the natural world is impermanent. The only thing left behind is our human footprint. Meanwhile, intense emotions engulfed me. I deeply understood the loneliness Frost had when I stood in the wildness by myself. The feeling is distinctly human isolation and loneliness. Suddenly, a complicated mood crept in; it was kind of a familiar and unfamiliar blend together. I feel familiar with the surroundings because this was a place where people lived, and many human activity marks can be found. But I felt I did not belong here. It belongs to nature and is part of nature. Actually, the abandoned house had been cut off from human context. The power of nature will slowly erode all human marks in the future. After leaving this place, a lot of questions emerged in my mind. What are the reasons that make families leave the home empty? Where did they go? Why did not they sell the house or transfer it to someone else?
Abandoned Barn
In "The American landscape in the era of postmodernity", the author gives the answers. "Today, many small towns and villages in the countryside are more dead than alive... that is partly because the population is shrinking and partly because the merchants cannot compete with the outlets of national corporations" (Marx, 1996). I agree with Marx's opinion that the population is shrinking and shifting in a rural area or those small businesses that lack competitive advantages lead to suburban decline. The abandoned barn is located near the empty shelter by about one kilometer. That is a massive barn when I approach it. From afar, the big holes caused by missing boards are standouts. It showed that it had been abandoned for many years. The stone foundation looks solid, but the wooden walls are cracked and absent. Due to severe rot, two pieces of girders are tumbling down and squeaking in the wind. The owner left an empty and derelict barn in the village and let it ruin and decay naturally. Maybe their children move to big cities where there are more job opportunities, or they are no longer interested in the farmer’s lifestyle. Just the dilapidated barn verifies it once belonged to a human.
Burn Down building
Besides the barn, there is a burned-down building. All the building structures have disappeared. Only the stone wall stands there, so it can provide the roughly sized original building. I estimated that area may have 1000 sq. feet. The forgotten truck trail and big disused tires occupy part of the county yard. The rest of the place was piled high with all kinds of sundries and pervasive weeds. The entire thing remains radiated, spiritless, and stagnant is difficult to connect with the houses people lived in.
Industry impact nature
Along with the revolution of industry development and economic growth, humans prove their presence on the planet by expanding living spaces and growing agriculture in rural areas. The human footprint is spread all over the world. Since the global population is rising, we need more farmland to provide food for survival. "In the middle decades of the 20th century, innovations in farming techniques brought about huge increases in crop yields by area of arable land" (National Geographic Society, 2021). Due to the high demand for agricultural land, people develop as much arable land as possible. "According to World Bank figures, in 2016, more than 700 million hectares (1.7 billion acres) were devoted to growing corn, wheat, rice, and other staple cereal grains—nearly half of all cultivated land on the planet" (National Geographic Society, 2021). That is why we can find lots of disused vehicles and agricultural tools abandoned on the ground. Once the farmer has a better option for living, they may simply walk away. Over-exploiting nature has caused many problems. One of the main issues is people's illusion of natural resources are infinite and endless. However, the truth is many countries are suffering from scarce resources. According to the world footprint, our earth is suffering from an ecological deficit because our demand is far exceeding the earth’s biocapacity. "Today, humanity uses the equivalent of 1.7 Earths to provide the resources we use and absorb our waste" (Ecological footprint, 2021).
From a collapsed wood wheel to a rusty plough and ending in an older truck, they displayed the industry's history and development. The rot and cracked wood wheel told me it has the longest history and reflects the primitive work method. The metal plough expressed that the tools had been improved and the materials were more durable and hard. The disused truck presented modern technology that highly liberated human labour input. That perfectly reveals human-made techniques developed to maximize human benefits because humans control the innovation of new technology and are able to take advantage of them to acquire more and more natural resources.
Conclusion
These pictures show human activities and footprints in nature. It demonstrated human preservation and industrial development. Research during the COVID-19 pandemic shows nature's ecosystem is recovering from fewer human activities. "The date of coral reefs in the Israeli Gulf of Aqaba during the lockdown reveals an increase in fish diversity and species richness in this area" (China, 2020).As we become dependent on material consumption, the increase in human activities and footprint would badly impact nature's environment.
We only have one earth to live on, so please protect our planet, and limit human activities that interact with or disturb the ecosystem. Reduce the human footprint and maintain a clean and clear environment.
Reference
Frost, R. (n.d.). The wood-pile by Robert Frost. Poetry Foundation. Retrieved October 13, 2021, from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44276/the-wood-pile.
​
Marx, L. (1996). The American Landscape in the era of postmodernity.
​
National Geographic Society. (2020, January 16). Environmental impacts of agricultural modifications. National Geographic Society. Retrieved October 14, 2021, from https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/environmental-impacts-agricultural-modifications/.
​
Ecological footprint. Global Footprint Network. (n.d.). Retrieved October 14, 2021, from https://www.footprintnetwork.org/our-work/ecological-footprint/.
​
China, V., Zvuloni, A., Roll, U., & Belmaker, J. (2021, April 1). Reduced human activity in shallow reefs during the covid-19 pandemic increases fish evenness. Biological Conservation. Retrieved October 14, 2021, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320721001555.