Savannas of our birth : people, wildlife, and change in East Africa / Robin S. Reid.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Reid, Robin Spencer.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Savanna ecology--Africa, East.

Savanna ecology.

Land use--Environmental aspects--Africa, East.

Land use.

Pastoral systems--Environmental aspects--Africa, East.

Pastoral systems.

Savannas--Africa, East.

Savannas.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (411 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Berkeley : University of California Press, 2012.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This book tells the sweeping story of the role that East African savannas played in human evolution, how people, livestock, and wildlife interact in the region today, and how these relationships might shift as the climate warms, the world globalizes, and human populations grow.Our ancient human ancestors were nurtured by African savannas, which today support pastoral peoples and the last remnants of great Pleistocene herds of large mammals. Why has this wildlife thrived best where they live side-by-side with humans? Ecologist Robin S. Reid delves into the evidence to find that herding is often compatible with wildlife, and that pastoral land use sometimes enriches savanna landscapes and encourages biodiversity. Her balanced, scientific, and accessible examination of the current state of the relationships among the region's wildlife and people holds critical lessons for the future of conservation around the world.

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Chapter One. Searching for the Middle Ground

Chapter Two. Savannas of Our Birth

Chapter Three. Pastoral People, Livestock, and Wildlife

Chapter Four. Moving Continents, Varying Climate, and Abundant Wildlife: Drivers of Human Evolution?

Chapter Five. Ecosystem Engineers Come of Age

Chapter Six. Can Pastoral People and Livestock Enrich Savanna Landscapes?

Chapter Seven. When Coexistence Turns into Conflict

Chapter Eight. The Serengeti- Mara: "Wild Africa" or Ancient Land of People?

Chapter Nine. Amboseli: "Cattle Create Trees, Elephants Create Grassland" in the Shadow of Kilimanjaro

Chapter Ten. The Kaputiei Plains: The Last Days of an Urban Savanna?

Chapter Eleven. Ngorongoro: A Grand Experiment of People and Wildlife

Chapter Twelve. Savannas of Our Future: Finding Diversity in the Middle Ground

NOTES

REFERENCES

INDEX

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9786613855640

9781283543194

1283543192

9780520954076

0520954076

OCLC:

809910935