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This book is volume 33 of the yearbook series ‘Palaeoecology of Africa’ presenting the outcome of a ‘tribute conference’ to the internationally recognized South African researcher and palynologist Professor Louis Scott. He has recently retired, but is continuing his active research career. The conference proceedings and articles published here highlight and celebrate Prof. Scott’s contribution to palaeoscience and to the natural sciences in general. The conference was organized in July 2014 by the National Museum, Bloemfontein and the University of the Free State, South Africa, and focused on both past and present environments, ecosystems and climates of the arid regions of southern Africa, an area that serves as major focus of Prof. Scott's research.Louis Scott’s research interests include stratigraphic palynology, long-term continental environmental change during the Cainozoic, and interpretation of palaeoenvironmental records associated with archaeological sites. His research has contributed insights into the origin of our current environment by identifying long-term patterns of climate change. Results have been applied in numerical models of vegetation change in Africa and globally. The results of these studies are relevant across the fields of botany, geology, climatology, archaeology, anthropology and palaeontology.The chapters revisit and discuss the scientific work of Prof. Scott: among others the reconstructions of vegetation and climatic history in various areas of southern Africa, including the Tswaing Crater with a record of 200 000 years, that give insights into environmental conditions during the Last Glacial Period and the subsequent development of modern conditions. Some observations also provide key baseline information, contributing to understanding past human and environmental contexts and climatic change and the effects of global warming.

During the Neogene – covering the last 23 Million years – the evolution of the environmental setting in Africa was subject to considerable changes. Natural shifts, slow and rapid, evidenced by modifications in palaeogeography, geodynamics, climate, and vegetation have caused repeated and strong changes of ecosystems in the lower latitudes. Using a variety of proxy data – researched and applied by many authors from numerous disciplines – an attempt is made to reconstruct African landscapes over space and time. Besides such spatio-temporal oscillations in recently humid, semi-humid, and dry areas of Africa, this volume of Palaeoecology of Africa (PoA) focuses on long term interrelationships between ecosystem dynamics and climate change, not ignoring the ever growing and ongoing influence of humans on natural ecosystems since the Quaternary. Regionally, this volume lays a strong focus on Nigeria (Niger Delta).Facing the omnipresent challenges of Global Change, an increasing number of African scientists is involved in palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic research, both theoretical and applied. PoA systematically supports established as well as junior African scientists in the field of sustainable cooperation and academic capacity building.This book will be of interest to all concerned with or interested in up-to-date research on Neogene to Quaternary low latitudes ecosystem changes and their respective interpretation in the framework of natural climate and vegetation change evidenced by a variety of methods that allow to read and learn from the past by following the motto, "The geologic foretime as the key to the present, and possibly to the future." Palynologists, Geologists, Geographers, Archaeologists, and Geomorphologists will find this edition equally useful for their work.

This book presents the outcome of an interdisciplinary and international workshop supported by the Volkswagen Stiftung (funding line ‘Knowledge for Tomorrow’) on the topic of ‘Natural Resources, Socio-Ecological Sensitivity and Climate Change in the Volta-Oti Basin, West Africa’. The conference was jointly organised by Goethe-University Frankfurt (Germany) and the University of Kara (Togo) held from March 6 to 8, 2019 in northern Togo. It aimed to strengthen capacities of junior scientists from the sub-region, exchange and mobilise theoretical and methodological background from various scientific fields (Botany, Construction, Geology, Geography, Infrastructure, Politics, Remote Sensing, Sociology and Urban Planning). One goal was to deliver reliable elements for ongoing and profound environmental analyses that lie outside the common questions of the academic and civil society stakeholders.Ecosystem fragmentation and deforestation in West Africa are mainly triggered by humans such as agriculture and small-scale forest disturbances for charcoal and firewood production. Increasing population pressure, declining of carrying capacity and demand for agricultural land caused the reduction of land conservation capacities, even in protected areas. The complexity of interactions between environmental and socio-ecological systems and subsequent effects (sensitivity) has raised ongoing international awareness in light of ongoing climate change. By the example of natural resources, land use and stakeholders’ perceptions within the Volta-Oti Basin the book’s proceedings present, discuss and distribute new findings that will sustainably stimulate the international debate. The workshop also intended to overcome national borders and language barriers between the Anglophone (Ghana) and the Francophone (Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Togo) research communities, and supported better West African cooperation and networking. The young as well as the established partners formed new collaborations, and the event at the University of Kara (Togo) was a truly unique opportunity for all involved, not only to discuss science, but also to assess applied and best future management practices for the Oti-Volta Basin in West Africa.

This book presents the outcome of an interdisciplinary and international workshop supported by the Volkswagen Stiftung (funding line ‘Knowledge for Tomorrow’) on the topic of ‘Natural Resources, Socio-Ecological Sensitivity and Climate Change in the Volta-Oti Basin, West Africa’. The conference was jointly organised by Goethe-University Frankfurt (Germany) and the University of Kara (Togo) held from March 6 to 8, 2019 in northern Togo. It aimed to strengthen capacities of junior scientists from the sub-region, exchange and mobilise theoretical and methodological background from various scientific fields (Botany, Construction, Geology, Geography, Infrastructure, Politics, Remote Sensing, Sociology and Urban Planning). One goal was to deliver reliable elements for ongoing and profound environmental analyses that lie outside the common questions of the academic and civil society stakeholders.Ecosystem fragmentation and deforestation in West Africa are mainly triggered by humans such as agriculture and small-scale forest disturbances for charcoal and firewood production. Increasing population pressure, declining of carrying capacity and demand for agricultural land caused the reduction of land conservation capacities, even in protected areas. The complexity of interactions between environmental and socio-ecological systems and subsequent effects (sensitivity) has raised ongoing international awareness in light of ongoing climate change. By the example of natural resources, land use and stakeholders’ perceptions within the Volta-Oti Basin the book’s proceedings present, discuss and distribute new findings that will sustainably stimulate the international debate. The workshop also intended to overcome national borders and language barriers between the Anglophone (Ghana) and the Francophone (Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Togo) research communities, and supported better West African cooperation and networking. The young as well as the established partners formed new collaborations, and the event at the University of Kara (Togo) was a truly unique opportunity for all involved, not only to discuss science, but also to assess applied and best future management practices for the Oti-Volta Basin in West Africa.

This book celebrates the relaunch of the African Pollen Database, presents state-of-the-art of modern and ancient pollen data from sub-Saharan Africa, and promotes Open Access science. Pollen grains are powerful tools for the study of past vegetation dynamics because they preserve well within sedimentary deposits and have a huge diversity in ornamentation that allows different taxa to be determined. The reconstruction of past vegetation from the examination of ancient pollen records thus can be used to characterize the nature of past landscapes (e.g. abundance of forests vs. grasslands), provide insights into changes in biodiversity, and gain empirical evidence of vegetation response to climatic change and human activity. In this, the 35th Volume of "Palaeoecology of Africa", we bring together new data and extensive synthetic reviews to provide novel insights into the relationships between human evolution, human activity, climate change and vegetation dynamics during the Quaternary, the last 2.6 million years. Current and ongoing climate and land-use change is exerting pressure on modern vegetation formations and threatening the livelihoods and wellbeing of many peoples in Africa. In this book the focus is on the Quaternary because it is during this geological period that the modern vegetation formations developed into their current configurations against a backdrop of high magnitude global climate change (glacial-interglacial cycles), human evolution, and a growing human land-use footprint. In this book the latest information is presented and collated from around the African continent to parameterize past vegetation states, identify the drivers of vegetation change, and assess the vegetation resilience to change. To achieve this research from two broad themes are covered: (i) the present is the key to the past (i.e. studies which improve our understanding of modern environments so that we can better interpret evidence from the past), and (ii) the past is the key to the future (i.e. studies which unlock information on how and why vegetation changed in the past so one can better anticipate trajectories of future change). This Open Access book will provide a strong foundation for future research exploring past ecological, environmental and climatic change within Africa and the surrounding islands. The book is organized regionally (covering western, eastern, central, and southern Africa) and it contains specialized articles focused on particular topics (such as modern pollen-vegetation relationships and fire as a driver of vegetation change), as well as regional and pan-African syntheses drawing together decades of research to assess key scientific questions (including the role of climate in driving vegetation change and the role of vegetation change in human evolution). These articles will be useful to students and teachers from high school to the highest level of university who are interested in the origins and dynamics of vegetation in Africa. Furthermore, it is also meant to provide societally relevant information that can act as an inspiration for the development of sustainable management practices for the future.

This book looks at the distribution, occurrences, potential and prospects for good governance, transparency and sustainable development of geological resources in Sub-Saharan Africa. By bringing together numerous different point of views, it is carried out in a holistic, interdisciplinary and scientific way.The states of Sub-Saharan Africa are among the world’s most resource-rich regions – yet many of these countries are a long way from attaining their development potential – some are among the least developed in the world. Paradoxically, those countries that are most richly endowed with resources are often the least developed ("paradox of plenty"). This phenomenon is exacerbated in many African countries by inadequate governance; and yet, if the state is unable to provide basic services, the application of social and environmental standards in the extractive and processing sectors will not be effective.The idea for this volume was conceived during an international conference of the Commission de la Communauté Economique et Monétaire de l’Afrique Centrale (CEMAC) on ‘Geological Resources and Good Governance in Central Africa’ held in September 2009 in Yaoundé, Cameroon. International experts from the political, scientific and private sectors, along with civil society, came together and discussed the various demands being placed on good governance and transparency in the Sub-Saharan raw materials sector and the prerequisites that must be met, and considered how to seek answers to future challenges. New forms of inter-sectorial, transnational governance like the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) and civil society’s transparency movements like Publish What You Pay (PWYP) offer ways to take account of all the different stakeholder interests in the resources sector. In this book there is also a strong focus on artisanal mining, on gender and on the spread of HIV/AIDS in the mining sector.This publication is addressed to stakeholders in the field, including civil society, international and private development agencies, planners, politicians and decision makers; as well as to researchers such as earth scientists, economists, jurists and political scientists.

This book is volume 33 of the yearbook series ‘Palaeoecology of Africa’ presenting the outcome of a ‘tribute conference’ to the internationally recognized South African researcher and palynologist Professor Louis Scott. He has recently retired, but is continuing his active research career. The conference proceedings and articles published here highlight and celebrate Prof. Scott’s contribution to palaeoscience and to the natural sciences in general. The conference was organized in July 2014 by the National Museum, Bloemfontein and the University of the Free State, South Africa, and focused on both past and present environments, ecosystems and climates of the arid regions of southern Africa, an area that serves as major focus of Prof. Scott's research.Louis Scott’s research interests include stratigraphic palynology, long-term continental environmental change during the Cainozoic, and interpretation of palaeoenvironmental records associated with archaeological sites. His research has contributed insights into the origin of our current environment by identifying long-term patterns of climate change. Results have been applied in numerical models of vegetation change in Africa and globally. The results of these studies are relevant across the fields of botany, geology, climatology, archaeology, anthropology and palaeontology.The chapters revisit and discuss the scientific work of Prof. Scott: among others the reconstructions of vegetation and climatic history in various areas of southern Africa, including the Tswaing Crater with a record of 200 000 years, that give insights into environmental conditions during the Last Glacial Period and the subsequent development of modern conditions. Some observations also provide key baseline information, contributing to understanding past human and environmental contexts and climatic change and the effects of global warming.

During the Neogene – covering the last 23 Million years – the evolution of the environmental setting in Africa was subject to considerable changes. Natural shifts, slow and rapid, evidenced by modifications in palaeogeography, geodynamics, climate, and vegetation have caused repeated and strong changes of ecosystems in the lower latitudes. Using a variety of proxy data – researched and applied by many authors from numerous disciplines – an attempt is made to reconstruct African landscapes over space and time. Besides such spatio-temporal oscillations in recently humid, semi-humid, and dry areas of Africa, this volume of Palaeoecology of Africa (PoA) focuses on long term interrelationships between ecosystem dynamics and climate change, not ignoring the ever growing and ongoing influence of humans on natural ecosystems since the Quaternary. Regionally, this volume lays a strong focus on Nigeria (Niger Delta).Facing the omnipresent challenges of Global Change, an increasing number of African scientists is involved in palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic research, both theoretical and applied. PoA systematically supports established as well as junior African scientists in the field of sustainable cooperation and academic capacity building.This book will be of interest to all concerned with or interested in up-to-date research on Neogene to Quaternary low latitudes ecosystem changes and their respective interpretation in the framework of natural climate and vegetation change evidenced by a variety of methods that allow to read and learn from the past by following the motto, "The geologic foretime as the key to the present, and possibly to the future." Palynologists, Geologists, Geographers, Archaeologists, and Geomorphologists will find this edition equally useful for their work.

This book looks at the distribution, occurrences, potential and prospects for good governance, transparency and sustainable development of geological resources in Sub-Saharan Africa. By bringing together numerous different point of views, it is carried out in a holistic, interdisciplinary and scientific way.The states of Sub-Saharan Africa are among the world’s most resource-rich regions – yet many of these countries are a long way from attaining their development potential – some are among the least developed in the world. Paradoxically, those countries that are most richly endowed with resources are often the least developed ("paradox of plenty"). This phenomenon is exacerbated in many African countries by inadequate governance; and yet, if the state is unable to provide basic services, the application of social and environmental standards in the extractive and processing sectors will not be effective.The idea for this volume was conceived during an international conference of the Commission de la Communauté Economique et Monétaire de l’Afrique Centrale (CEMAC) on ‘Geological Resources and Good Governance in Central Africa’ held in September 2009 in Yaoundé, Cameroon. International experts from the political, scientific and private sectors, along with civil society, came together and discussed the various demands being placed on good governance and transparency in the Sub-Saharan raw materials sector and the prerequisites that must be met, and considered how to seek answers to future challenges. New forms of inter-sectorial, transnational governance like the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) and civil society’s transparency movements like Publish What You Pay (PWYP) offer ways to take account of all the different stakeholder interests in the resources sector. In this book there is also a strong focus on artisanal mining, on gender and on the spread of HIV/AIDS in the mining sector.This publication is addressed to stakeholders in the field, including civil society, international and private development agencies, planners, politicians and decision makers; as well as to researchers such as earth scientists, economists, jurists and political scientists.