Dynamics of forest ecosystems in Central Africa during the Holocene : past - present - future /
Tropical rain forests in Africa and in other low latitude regions around the world are recognized as evolutionary, ancient ecosystems which are species-rich and stable over time. Another perspective on tropical forests sees them as biodiversity hotspots which are often endangered by human exploratio...
| Other Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
London ; New York :
Taylor & Francis,
[2008], ©2008
London ; New York : c2008 London ; New York : [2008] |
| Series: | Palaeoecology of Africa ;
v. 28 Palaeoecology of Africa and the surrounding islands ; v. 28 |
| Subjects: |
| Summary: | Tropical rain forests in Africa and in other low latitude regions around the world are recognized as evolutionary, ancient ecosystems which are species-rich and stable over time. Another perspective on tropical forests sees them as biodiversity hotspots which are often endangered by human exploration of biological and geological resources. It has long been recognized that previous assumptions about the stability of rain forests over time cannot generally be validated. Natural shifts in climate over the last 40.000 years, during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene, have caused repeated, strong modification in the area dynamics of rain forest ecosystems. These changes have resulted in the temporary demise of the rain forest and the expansion of more open, savanna-like vegetation patterns. Indeed, on the environmental and landscape scale, one can hypothesize a striking tendency for rapid modifications due to climate change. Besides spatio-temporal oscillations in the forested areas of Central Africa, this book also focuses on possible relationships between environmental change and human and cultural innovations. One such example is that of the so-called 'migration of Bantu' inside Central and Southern Africa These papers were presented at an international workshop organized by the German Research Foundation (DFG, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft), from March 5-7, 2006 in Cameroon's capital, Yaounde. The book will be of interest to all concerned with tropical forests and related development problems of Third World countries, including ecologists, botanists, earth scientists, palaeobotanists, palynologists and quaternarists. It will serve as a reference for undergraduates and postgraduates on Late Pleistocene and Holocene landscape evolution in the lower latitudes of Africa |
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| Physical Description: | xviii, 306 p. : ill., maps ; 26 cm xviii, 306 p. : ill., maps, port. ; 26 cm xviii, 306 pages : illustrations, maps ; 26 cm |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and indexes |
| ISBN: | 0203930428 (ebk.) 0203930428 0415426170 (hbk.) 0415426170 9780203930427 (ebk.) 9780203930427 9780415426176 (hbk.) 9780415426176 |