Grasses and Greenery

We are a species of storytellers.  The prevailing story of Madagascar evokes an island covered by timeless, lush forest, which people cut down and burned after arriving about 10,000 years ago. But the evidence points to a dynamic and changing landscape of forests and grasslands deep in the past, long before human arrival. Why does an account of the island's history that is flawed at best, and plain wrong at worst, still persist - and why does it matter?

with Alison Richard,
Department of Anthropology

This event is co-sponsored by the Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies and the Yale Peabody Museum.