Dynamics of Forest Ecosystems in Central Africa During the Holocene, Past - Present - Future ― Palaeoecology of Africa, an International Yearbook of Landscape Evolution and Palaeoenvironments

This book consists of scientific papers resulting from an international workshop: ‘Environmental and Cultural Change in West- and Central Africa’ organized by the German Research Foundation (DFG) in Yaounde, Cameroon, March 2006. Problems of Holocene and Late Pleistocene modifications of the rain forest savanna fringe and their possible influence on cultural innovations are discussed.

The book will be of interest to all concerned with tropical forests and related development problems of third world countries, especially ecologists, botanists and earth scientists. It will be valuable for advanced undergraduates and postgraduates as a reference for review and overview articles as well as a source of information for new original manuscripts on the topic of Late Pleistocene and Holocene landscape evolution in the lower latitudes of Africa. Palaeobotanists, Palynologists and Quaternarists equally will find this edition useful for their work.

Professor Dr. Jurgen Runge (1962) has worked, for almost 25 years, 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 specialized on West and Central Africa regions as an assistant Professor at the University of Paderborn.

In 2000 he was appointed full Professor for Physical Geography and Geoecology focussing on subsaharan African region at Frankfurt University. In 2003 Dr. Runge and colleagues from different scientific disciplines set up the ‘Center for interdisciplinary research on Africa’ (Zentrum fur interdisziplinare Afrikaforschung, ZIAF, www.ziaf.de) where he was recently appointed as Vice Director.

In 2005 he became Editor of the book series ‘Palaeoecology of Africa’.