Sub-Saharan Africa: An Environmental History (Nature and Human Societies Series)

A wealth of information and analysis on the environmental forces that have helped shaped the cultures of the African continent. The legacy of the transatlantic slave trade…HIV/AIDS…War and famine…This volume shows how, despite these difficulties, Africans were among the first people to develop agriculture, and today have created impressive networks of national parks and other land protection systems to help cope with the conflicting demands of conservation and rapid urbanization. A scholarly reference work that will also appeal to the general reader, Sub-Saharan Africa sets the story of the African environment within the context of geological time and shows how the continent’s often harsh conditions prompted humans to develop unique skills in agriculture, animal husbandry, and environmental management. Of particular interest are the book’s sections dealing with the impact of the Biafran famine of the 1960s, the Sahelin drought of the 1970s, population growth, and the ongoing challenges of war and HIV/AIDS. Crucially, the book also shows how, despite their relative poverty, many African states have coped admirably with rapid urbanization and have developed world-class conservation and sustainability programs in order to protect and harness some of the most endangered species in the world.