Introduction
Georgia is the largest state east of the Mississippi River in area. It also is the third fastest growing state in the nation in terms of population. Its varied ecosystems include mountains, rivers, lakes, plains, swamps, estuaries, coastal islands, and beaches, making Georgia home to numerous forms of wildlife.
From the earliest Paleo-Indian migration into this area, wildlife was critical to human survival as a source of food, clothing, bone tools, and other necessities. After the arrival of European colonists, animal skins and furs were traded by the Indians for European goods. Deer skins were shipped to English factories, where they were used to make leather boots, belts, saddles, military accessories, and other items. Skins of fur-bearing animals such as beaver and fox were used to create coats and other clothing goods. In return, the Indians received rifles, gunpowder, metal tools and utensils, cloth, and other manufactured goods that became increasingly important in their lives.
Human interaction with the environment, however, has had negative consequences for Georgia wildlife. For example, at the time of the arrival of the first English colonists in 1733, buffalo (bison) were still found in Georgia. European firearms, however, quickly led to the extermination of the shaggy beasts.
Over the past few centuries, literally thousands of species of Georgia wildlife have become extinct. Along Georgia's coast, the future of such marine animals as the right whale, manatee, and sea turtles is seriously endangered because of death and injury arising from interaction with humans. Georgia's continuing population growth has resulted in the transition of hundreds of thousands of acres of forests, fields, and farm land into subdivisions and shopping centers. Wildlife that once lived on this land has been forced onto ever smaller habitats. Fences along interstate and other controlled-access highways affect the movement of many mammals. Pollution of the Chattahoochee and other Georgia rivers has resulted in the death of numerous fish and other river life.
However, there have been some success stories. For example, by the 1950s, Georgia's white-tailed deer population had been over hunted to the point of near extinction -- but state conservation officials were able to launch a remarkable program to bring the deer back in record numbers. Georgia once claimed the title of quail capital of the United States, but over the past few decades the state's bobwhite quail population has been dramatically reduced. Recently, conservation officials began encouraging farmers to leave small areas untilled to create quail habitats.
While human policies and actions frequently have negative consequences on Georgia wildlife, it is also important to remember that the reverse can also occur -- as evidenced by the damage done by such insects as boll weevils, pine beetles, and fire ants.
In conclusion, neither humans nor wildlife live in a vacuum. Both affect, and are affected by, each other. Because of that, Georgians need to better understand the major forms of wildlife in this state, for the health of that animal life may indeed be a barometer to the future quality of life for humans.
© Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia