Page 147 - Russian History Viewed through Distorted Mirrors, Vol. 1

Nicolai Levashov. Russian History Viewed through Distorted Mirrors. Vol. 1

new place after they have eaten everything possible at the old one. This gives the
mosses and lichens the opportunity to recover before the next appearance of these
herbivores. A complete elimination of the tundra’s vegetation cover either by man or
by animals could result in the tundra turning into a dead desert for a long time. This is
one of the principal reasons why people follow the reindeer. The nomadic nature of
the tundra’s inhabitants is an evolutional brake.

But why does this become an evolutional brake? Everything is very simple: be-
ing nomadic, the family transports all its possessions from place to place. Therefore,
there could not be very many of these objects, therefore, there could not be machine-
tools and devices which produce new instruments and items for family life. These
people get all necessary items for living in exchange for fur, fish and the meat of
reindeer which they pasture. Nomadic people of the Arctic and Sub-Arctic climatic
zones also engage in fishing in northern rivers and lakes, and during the long winter
they hunt the fur-bearing animals of tundra and forest-tundra.

I could continue this kind of analysis, but what was said is already sufficient to
draw the conclusion that the environmental conditions of the Arctic and Sub-Arctic
climatic zones do not create conditions for the evolutional development of man as a
species. The tribes which have developed these expanses almost stopped their evolu-
tional development. Thus, the poor ecological system — the poor nature — does not
create conditions for evolutional development.

But, maybe, the richer the ecological system, the greater the number of plants
and animals, the better the conditions for man’s evolutional development? Let us ana-
lyze this question and find out whether this is true.

2.4. The Equatorial and Subequatorial climatic Zones and their

conditions for man’s development

Undoubtedly, the Equatorial climatic Zone creates the richest ecological sys-
tem on Midgard-earth. It is warm there and has enough light all year round; the divi-
sion into seasons is relative, the “winter” in the Equatorial climatic Zone is just sev-
eral degrees colder than the summer. In fact, it is possible to distinguish two seasons
in the Equatorial climatic zone: the rainy season and ... the rest of the year. The only
distinctive feature is the duration of the rainy season within the limits of the Equato-
rial climatic Zone and its severity. During the rainy season the temperature is several
degrees lower than usual and, in fact, this is its “winter”. Very warm climate, mois-
ture in abundance, sometimes even too much, especially in the rainy season, creates
paradisiacal conditions for plants.

The vegetable life flourishes in the direct and figurative sense of this word.
Plants create a many-tiered ecological system in the equatorial forests. Each plant on
each tier of this system is violently fighting for a “piece of bread” which for plants is
sunlight and water, therefore, the usual for man, concept of a “piece of bread” turns
into a “piece of sky” for plants! And if there is no problem with water in the Equato-
rial climatic Zone, with sunlight, there is. It is twilight in the lowest tier of the equato-
rial forest even at midday. Only plants which can live in minimal light conditions are

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