The African continent will be hit hardest by climate change, despite its people contributing the least to global warming. Indeed, African rural populations have a long tradition of adapting their needs to the soil, vegetation and climate. This tradition is understudied yet is significant for adapting to climate change. This book provides insight into how these communities have lived and used their land in relation to climate and vegetation.

This 36th volume of Palaeoecology of Africa presents an interdisciplinary perspective on the historical relationship between humans and their environment, as well as the evolution of the climate in sub-Saharan and tropical Africa. It also explores the challenges posed by climate change and its consequences. It covers a wide geographical area extending from west to east across the center of the African continent. Furthermore, this book covers a broad timeframe, from Pleistocene and Holocene epochs, through the Iron Age, to the last five millennia, up to the present day. Using data and archaeological findings, this book sheds light on Africa’s environmental history and climate dynamics. Natural resource exploitation, changes and degradation in vegetation, climate change and the relationship between humans and their environment are introduced and discussed by numerous case studies with the aim to stimulate the international climate debate and future sustainable management practices. Junior and established scientists from Germany, Switzerland, South Africa and Madagascar have strengthened their cooperation and networking in sub-Saharan Africa, a region rich in natural resources and home to a diversity of people, vegetation and animal species.

This Open Access book establishes a strong foundation for future research into the climate and vegetation of sub-Saharan Africa, as well as the relationship between humans and natural resources. It enables us to understand the dynamics of climate change and how humans adapt to their natural environment. It will be of interest to anyone concerned with climate evolution, vegetation dynamics and the transformation of the natural environment by humans, particularly in the sub-Saharan and tropical regions.

Environmental History and Climate Dynamics in Tropical Africa

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