About this book
Palaeoecology of Africa, volume 31 presents two compressed English versions of the PhD theses by J. Eisenberg and M. Sangen, produced in the framework of the German Research Foundation's funded "Rain Forest Savanna Contact" project that has been carried out between 2004 and 2009 in Southern Cameroon (Central Africa). A complementary introductory, as well as summing up articles by two Cameroonian colleagues (B. Kankeu, M. Tchindjang) complete the results of this joint German-Cameroon research project.
This book will be of interest to all concerned with ecosystems dynamics, tropical forests, savannahs, deserts and related development problems of third world countries, especially ecologists, botanists, earth scientists (e.g. Quaternary and recent climate change), regional planners. It will be valuable for advanced undergraduates and postgraduates as a reference for new research articles on the topic of long term tectonic and Quaternary landscape and climate evolution in a marginal area of the Congo basin. Palaeobotanists, Palynologists and Quaternarists will equally find this edition useful for their work.
Contents
Foreword - Jurgen Runge
Contributors
1. Scientific Background and Capacity Building in the Framework of German - Cameroonian Research Project on Long- and Short-Term Landscape Dynamics - Jurgen Runge
2. Geological and Tectonic History of Western Central Africa since the Palaeozoic - Boniface Kankeu, Jean Bassahak, Joseph V. Hell & Jurgen Runge
3. Geomorphic Evolution of the Nyong and Ntem River Basins in Southern Cameroon considering Neo-Tectonic Influences - Joachim Eisenberg
4. Late Quaternary Palaeoenvironments in Southern Cameroon as Evidenced by Alluvial Sediments from the Tropical Rain Forest and Savanna Domain - Mark Sangen
5. Challenges of Climate Change, Landscape Dynamics and Environmental Risks in Cameroon - Mesmin Tchindjang, Joseph A. Amougou, Samuel A. Abossolo & Stanislas B. Bell
Regional Index
Subject Index
Customer Reviews
Biography
Since almost 25 years Professor Dr. Jurgen Runge (*1962) has worked as a Physical Geographer and Environmentalist on the evolution of tropical landscapes, former and recent environmental changes and on questions related to tropical and subtropical land use in subsaharan semi-humid and humid regions in Africa. After basic studies in Geography, Geology, Soil Science and Botany at the Universities of Giessen and Gottingen, he regionally specialized on West and Central Africa as an assistant Professor at the University of Paderborn. Since the 1990's extended field work and scientific expeditions on the Late Pleistocene climate and vegetation in the Congo basin and neighbouring areas were undertaken. In 2000 he was appointed as a full Professor for Physical Geography and Geoecology with regional focus on subsaharan Africa at Frankfurt University. In 2003 he set up the 'Center for interdisciplinary research on Africa' (Zentrum fur interdisziplinare Afrikaforschung, ZIAF, www.ziaf.uni-frankfurt.de) In 2005 he tooks over the editorship of "Palaeoecology of Africa". Between 2007 and 2010 he worked as a project manager for the the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) in the topic of sustainability of geological resources and good gouvernance in Central Africa.
