If ecology is responsible for studying the relationships of living beings and their habitat or environment, human ecology does the same, focusing its field of study to the study of people and their relationship with the environment.
Human ecology has a strong gregarious component, oriented to social sciences, mainly. In fact, it is a discipline that is part of the program of sociological studies, and also in it many other sciences such as cultural anthropology, human geography, social psychology or demography converge. Are you still wondering What is human ecology? In the following Ecologiaverde article we explain it to you.
Human ecology: what are its objectives
In human ecology, the ecosystem make it up Not only natural elementsbut also those others that the human being has built, so they will be considered part of it from living organisms, air, soil or water, among other resources, in addition to the physical structures that make it up, including architectural constructions and their set.
In this way, ecosystems are both from an urban landscape to a small town, a farm, a hamlet, a cabin in the forest or a rural environment and of any other nature Where there is human presence. It will also be studying that ecosystem in which it is planned to have it in the future, which seeks a certain planning.
Within these ecosystems, are human beings and their way of organizing socially, with the logical differences between one and other countries or cultures. In short, different social systems are built that establish a interaction between that social system and the environment.
It is easy to understand, therefore, that there are endless disciplines and approaches involved in the gaze and analysis performed by human ecology. On the one hand, the social system has its dynamics, that is, it follows its rules, and these in turn translate into a certain social organization. Rules are created that influence the behavior of the same social system as a result of the interaction of numerous factors such as population, psychology, values and knowledge of the population.
Also plays a fundamental role double dimension of the individual and societythe values and knowledge (with special importance of technology) that translate into action, actions that affect the environment, modify it in one way or another, to a greater or lesser extent.
While social systems range from one person to the other extreme, covering the entire population of the planet, human ecology usually focuses on groups of people who live in a certain ecosystem to study how resources are obtained.
Constant environmental problems
In that sense, the ecosystem provides matter, energy and information to the social system, logically with a utilitarian purpose. There is a constant movement of energy (workforce or machinery), information (things are organized following a series of ideas) and matter, such as construction materials, food and resources in general.
It is this interaction between the human social system and the ecosystem that can cause environmental disasterswithout forgetting that it can also happen in reverse. The first happens when, for example, human activities harm the environment consciously or after a series of chain effects. The different variables at stake make the ecosystem unstable and there is a strip and loosen between the expansion of the population and the preservation of the environment. It is then that there are endless conflicting situations.
Sustainability or, more specifically, Sustainable development seeks that equilibrium point Between both elements, a reciprocal adaptation that allows preserving the environment and at the same time meet the needs of man, although these are a subjective concept that will depend on predefined social schemes and at the same time changing.
Within this scheme they can be studied from the problem of traffic in cities to, let’s put, the deterioration of the marine ecosystem as a result of overfishing. They are almost infinite, unfortunately, examples of abuse of resources, which cause systematic exploitation, since in this world our sustainable development processes are rare Avis, not only globally, but on a small scale.
Actually, it does not stop increasing demand on ecosystems, and this entails a deterioration of the planet’s environmental health at a dizzying speed. Like a Boomerang, its consequences end up affecting us. Variables such as consumption, technology, the environment and the population interact, depend on each other. And, obviously, although the demands on the ecosystems are multiplied exponentially, in the end there will always be a limit, even if it is nothing, as is already happening on so many occasions, and in others we are on the way to it. Is there a solution, we can change, the human being is able to establish a relationship with the most respectful environment? The dire effects of effects established between the ecosystem and the social system does not allow to be optimistic, but we also bet on ecologically sustainable development at the planetary level.
What is human ecology: summary
As we have explained above, human ecology is an academic discipline that is integrated within sociological studiesbeing a meeting point between disciplines such as cultural antopology, geography, psychology or demography. In fact, it is precisely that multidisciplinary nature that allows to address the study of the connections established by the population with the ecosystem from an approach a broad mode. Basically, the interactions that occur between the social system and the environment in a certain context or ecosystem are studied, focusing the issue on social organization and the use of technology and knowledge to alter the environment for survival and exploitation.
If you want to read more articles similar to What is human ecologywe recommend that you enter our category of society and culture.
