Summary Of A Plague Of Sheep By Elinor Melville

A commentary on â€Å"A Plague of Sheep† In her book, â€Å"A Plague of Sheep,† Elinor Melville argues that it was not environmental inevitability, but human choice that caused the ecological degradation of the Valle del Mezquital. She outlines the environmental characteristics of the valley in Mexico before and after the colonial conquest of the region. Melville furthers her argument through the analysis of another region in Australia and the stratification of the conquest process. The study is focused on the decades between 1500 and 1600. A cogent book, â€Å"A Plague of Sheep† does well to deliver information pertinent, but sometimes irrelevant, to Melville’s argument. Logically, Melville opens with an introduction. Here, she lies down information mostly inarguable, describing the Europeans conquest through the joint power of military and ecology, not only human force. Plants, animals, and diseases, rather, were conquerors more so than conquistadors. She elaborates on this idea. The most substantial evidence towards the ecological takeover of the New World, Melville argues, is the occurrence of ungulate irruptions. This concept appears throughout the book and is a pillar of her argument. It occurs when ungulates, hooved animals, are introduced to an environment of exceptional abundance. The population soars, but the land then becomes overgrazed. The next generation of ungulates, although hearty in population, suffers from starvation as the grasses are not as they once were. Plant life