The growing impact of changing agricultural practices on the environment is a matter of general concern, but it is generally supposed to date largely from the introduction of machinery and agrochemicals. In fact, the impact was substantial long before this and can, indeed, be traced back to hunter-gatherers like the Australian aborigines who, without actively cultivating the land nevertheless deliberately controlled their local environment – as by burning or simple water management – in order to conserve the wild life on which they depended.
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