Lisa Cliggett discusses the usefulness of the concept of carrying capacity in her article “Carrying Capacity’s New Guise”. Since the term came into use in the 1940s researchers have tried to measure carrying capacity as an exact value. Cliggett discusses several flaws of this, using the Gwembe Tonga Research Project-a long term study of the effects of development and community continuity and change-to support her argument. To get an accurate value researchers need extreme precision in data which is difficult. They need to figure out, for example, which plants to include when looking at food supply-everything that grows or just those that are eaten? The term often assumes isolation and does not take into account landscape changes within an area. Most importantly, she argues it does not take into account standard of living. In Lusitu, an extremely drought-prone region where people were relocated after the building of a dam, people often adapt to food scarcity by eating less, thereby sacrificing health. As they are still surviving in the environment would this mean carrying capacity has not been exceeded?
After pointing out the flaws of carrying capacity as a scientific term Cliggett argues in favor of using the term as a “folk model”, as it has already become part of popular knowledge. While not an appropriate form of measurement it can be used as a helpful framework in understanding human and environment interaction. Population growth certainly is a factor in environmental stress and it is important to understand that ecologies do have limiting factors. However it is important to understand the social, economic and political aspects at play as well
- Cliggett, Lisa. “Carrying Capacity’s New Guise: Folk Models for Public Debate and Longitudinal Study of Environmental Change” From Africa Today vol. 48, no.1 (2001): 2-19.