318.WHY ARE WE SO CONNECTED TO SAVANNAS?

Reader86

WHY ARE WE SO CONNECTED TO SAVANNAS?
05/19/17
The African savanna, a habitat type defined as open grasslands with scattered stands of trees and dense woods in the low valleys and along waterways, is very similar to the historic and restored oak savannas of Fontenelle Forest. In some studies, researchers found that grassy, tree-dotted savannas apparently prevailed “for all of the last 6 million years in the environments in eastern Africa where some of the most significant early human fossils were found,” said geochemist Thure Cerling at the University of Utah….”Wherever we find human ancestors, we find evidence for open habitats similar to savannas — much more open and savanna-like than forested,” Cerling said. (1)

Not only are humans connected to savannas from an evolutionary and historical perspective, research indicates they connect psychologically and physiologically as well. “When humans are offered a choice of landscapes, people react most positively to savanna-like settings, a finding that is consistent across every
culture studied”. (2)

The thinking is that the restorative benefits of being in or viewing a savanna-like setting is very positive and helps people recover from stress better. People feel more tranquil, peaceful, or relaxed, they have decreased fear and anger, and have improved alertness,and cognitive performance.

The restoration of Fontenelle Forest’s Oak Savannas and Woodlands is vital not only for improving biological diversity; it also has important implications for humans that visit our amazing and unique landscape. Next time you are feeling stressed, a walk around the Third Loop of the boardwalk or along Ridge Trail, two restored savanna areas, may be just what the doctor ordered. We hope you continue to support the connection between humans and savannas by embracing our Oak Savanna and Woodland restoration efforts for years to come.

– Jeanine Lackey, Director of Research and Stewardship, and Matt Miller, Restoration Biologist

1). Nature 476, 51–56 (04 August 2011) Woody cover and hominin environments in the past 6 million years. Thure E. Cerling, Jonathan G. Wynn, Samuel A. Andanje, Michael I. Bird, David Kimutai Korir, Naomi E. Levin, William Mace, Anthony N. Macharia, Jay Quade & Christopher H. Remien

2). Rebuilding the Unity of Health and the Environment: A New Vision of Environmental Health for the 21st Century. Institute of Medicine. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2001.

https://fontenelleforest.org/why-are-we-so-connected-to-savannas/

Reader86

“You cannot leave Africa, Africa said. It is always with you, there inside your head. Our rivers run in currents in the swirl of your thumbprints; our drumbeats counting out your pulse; our coastline the silhouette of your soul.”

“Africa changes you forever, like nowhere on earth. Once you have been there, you will never be the same. But how do you begin to describe its magic to someone who has never felt it? How can you explain the fascination of this vast, dusty continent, whose oldest roads are elephant paths? Could it be because Africa is the place of all our beginnings, the cradle of mankind, where our species first stood upright on the savannahs of long ago?”

“You cannot leave Africa, Africa said. It is always with you, there inside your head. Our rivers run in currents in the swirl of your thumbprints; our drumbeats counting out your pulse; our coastline the silhouette of your soul.”
-Bridget Dore

“Wilderness gave us knowledge. Wilderness made us human. We came from here. Perhaps that is why so many of us feel a strong bond to this land called Serengeti; it is the land of our youth.”

“To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted”

Why is it you can never hope to describe the emotion Africa creates? You are lifted. Out of whatever pit, unbound from whatever tie, released from whatever fear. You are lifted and you see it all from above.”

“Africa is mystic; it is wild; it is a sweltering inferno; it is a photographer’s paradise, a hunter’s Valhalla, an escapist’s Utopia. It is what you will, and it withstands all interpretations. It is the last vestige of a dead world or the cradle of a shiny new one. To a lot of people, as to myself, it is just home.”

“But African time was not the same as American time…As African time passed, I surmised that the pace of Western countries was insane, that the speed of modern technology accomplished nothing, and that because Africa was going its own way at its own pace for its own reasons, it was a refuge and a resting place.”

“You cannot leave Africa, ” Africa said, “It is always with you, there inside your head. Our rivers run in currents in the swirl of your thumbprints; Our drumbeats counting out your pulse; Our coastline, the silhouette of your soul”

“You cannot leave Africa, ” Africa said, “It is always with you, there inside your head. Our rivers run in currents in the swirl of your thumbprints; Our drumbeats counting out your pulse; Our coastline, the silhouette of your soul”

“Nothing but breathing the air of Africa, and actually walking through it, can communicate the indescribable sensations.”







https://theworldpursuit.com/africa-quotes/