| 1. |
|
|
| 2. |
- Boles, Oliver J. C., et al.
(författare)
-
Historical Ecologies of Pastoralist Overgrazing in Kenya : Long-Term Perspectives on Cause and Effect
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Human Ecology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0300-7839 .- 1572-9915. ; 47:3, s. 419-434
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The spectre of overgrazing' looms large in historical and political narratives of ecological degradation in savannah ecosystems. While pastoral exploitation is a conspicuous driver of landscape variability and modification, assumptions that such change is inevitable or necessarily negative deserve to be continuously evaluated and challenged. With reference to three case studies from Kenya - the Laikipia Plateau, the Lake Baringo basin, and the Amboseli ecosystem - we argue that the impacts of pastoralism are contingent on the diachronic interactions of locally specific environmental, political, and cultural conditions. The impacts of the compression of rangelands and restrictions on herd mobility driven by misguided conservation and economic policies are emphasised over outdated notions of pastoralist inefficiency. We review the application of overgrazing' in interpretations of the archaeological record and assess its relevance for how we interpret past socio-environmental dynamics. Any discussion of overgrazing, or any form of human-environment interaction, must acknowledge spatio-temporal context and account for historical variability in landscape ontogenies.
|
|
| 3. |
- Ekblom, Anneli, 1969-
(författare)
-
An historical ecology of cattle in Mozambique
- 2018
-
Ingår i: At Nature’s Edge. - New Delhi : Oxford University Press. - 9780199489077
-
Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- No account of human nature history can be complete without the complimentary story of one of our companion species. Cattle in many parts of Africa, as also other parts of the world are highly prized and loved, sharing the destinies of the people who rear them. By structuring the narrative around cattle: its biology, selection and breeding history, and tracing the social webs and markets of cattle we allow them to become agents of history. In this narrative the relations between cattle, people and landscapes are central to how history unfolded and nature was remade. Rather than structuring the narrative chronologically or along a cultural-history continuum, I will here attempt to focus on nodes of connections in the long history of the relationships of cattle and people. The historical ecology of cattle illustrates the intricate and long term relationship between people, cattle, and landscapes, and the ecological skills of farmers and herders. Cattle herding in southern Africa demand a good ecological understanding of landscape dynamics. Traditional cattle keeping are ecologically well suited to meet the environmental constraints of episodic disease and episodic droughts. Contrary to industrialised forms of cattle rearing, traditional cattle keeping remain an enterprise that is low in environmental cost. Cattle usually roam freely over large distances and grazing is low intensive and crucial for biodiversity and to keep the landscape open.
|
|
| 4. |
- Ekblom, Anneli, 1969-, et al.
(författare)
-
Conservation through Biocultural Heritage-Examples from Sub-Saharan Africa
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Land. - : MDPI. - 2073-445X. ; 8:1
-
Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this paper, we review the potential of biocultural heritage in biodiversity protection and agricultural innovation in sub-Saharan Africa. We begin by defining the concept of biocultural heritage into four interlinked elements that are revealed through integrated landscape analysis. This concerns the transdisciplinary methods whereby biocultural heritage must be explored, and here we emphasise that reconstructing landscape histories and documenting local heritage values needs to be an integral part of the process. Ecosystem memories relate to the structuring of landscape heterogeneity through such activities as agroforestry and fire management. The positive linkages between living practices, biodiversity and soil nutrients examined here are demonstrative of the concept of ecosystem memories. Landscape memories refer to built or enhanced landscapes linked to specific land-use systems and property rights. Place memories signify practices of protection or use related to a specific place. Customary protection of burial sites and/or abandoned settlements, for example, is a common occurrence across Africa with beneficial outcomes for biodiversity and forest protection. Finally, we discuss stewardship and change. Building on local traditions, inclusivity and equity are essential to promoting the continuation and innovation of practices crucial for local sustainability and biodiversity protection, and also offer new avenues for collaboration in landscape management and conservation.
|
|
| 5. |
|
|
| 6. |
- Ekblom, Anneli, 1969-, et al.
(författare)
-
Negotiating identity and heritage through authorised vernacular history, Limpopo National Park
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Journal of social archaeology. - : Sage Publications. - 1469-6053 .- 1741-2951. ; 7:1, s. 49-68
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this paper, we assess vernacular history, traditional authority and the use of heritage places as mediums for negotiating ancestry, identity, territory and belonging based on conversations, interviews and visitations to heritage places together with residents in Limpopo National Park. We explore how particular vernacular histories become dominant village history through the authorisation of traditional leaders and their lineage histories and how traditional leaders use heritage places to mediate narratives. Authorised vernacular histories are narratives about mobility and identity, but they are also localised narratives about ‘home’ in terms of access to resources and heritage places. We discuss how lineage histories and traditional authority are mobilised or questioned in the context of the ongoing displacement of local residents through resettlement programmes and make comparisons with the historical experiences of evictions in the neighbouring Kruger and Gonarezhou National Parks. We emphasise the need for residents to remain connected to and in control of heritage places; otherwise, the linkages between these places, ancestral authority, and present-day authority risk being severed.
|
|
| 7. |
|
|
| 8. |
- Ekblom, Anneli, 1969-, et al.
(författare)
-
Water flow, ecological dynamics, and management in the lower Limpopo Valley : a long‐term vie
- 2017
-
Ingår i: WIREs Water. - : Wiley. - 2049-1948. ; 4:5
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this contribution, we review long-term (millennial-decadal scale) river-flow changes, climate interactions, and interlinkage with vegetation dynamics, as well as society and policy, focusing on the lower Limpopo Valley (from the South African border through Mozambique). Drawing on paleoecological data, we address the valley's potential for defining critical ecological thresholds and managing an adaptive ecological landscape, by focusing on the dynamic relationship between different drivers (fire, hydrology, and grass/tree relationships). We briefly review the long-term interactions between water flow, climate variability, and society using archeological records and written sources. Lastly, we analyze the social and political context of water management, focusing on the last 100 years and transboundary water management. We also discuss planning and mitigation in relation to climate change and rainfall extremes that are projected to increase. It is stressed that forward-thinking policies must heed long-term climate variability, hydrology and biological and social impact and to plan and mitigate for environmental events. The discussion also brings to the fore the importance of an adaptable and equitable strategy in cross-border water sharing.
|
|
| 9. |
- Elinor, Breman, et al.
(författare)
-
Phytolith-based environmental reconstruction from an altitudinal gradient in Mpumalanga, South Africa, 10,600 BP-present
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0034-6667 .- 1879-0615. ; 263, s. 104-116
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Studying vegetation change across biome boundaries provides insight into vegetation resilience. In this study, shifts in grassland composition are reconstructed from sediments in three wetland sites across altitudinal gradient from 2128 to 897 m.a.s.l., representing a gradient from the grassland biome to the grassland/savanna boundary in the Mpumalanga region, north-eastern South Africa. Phytolith records from Verloren Valei (dated from 10,600 BP), Graskop (dated from 6500 BP) and Versailles (dated from 4500 BP) are used to reconstruct shifts in grassland composition and vegetation change. Phytolith morphotypes are used to construct environmental indices that are correlated with pollen main ecological groups, charcoal and delta 13C and C/N ratio. The results are compared to available regional paleoclimate data. Both Verloren Valei and Graskop have been dominated by grassland, but Versailles show a stronger influence of bushveld/savanna pollen. Phytolith data suggest that grassland composition was stable at Versailles and Graskop, but grassland at Verloren Valei has changed significantly over time. The early Holocene was dominated by a Pooideae/Chloridoideae C3 and C4 grassland, probably a remnant of the earlier Pleistocene cool-dry conditions. After 8500 BP grassland composition changed gradually to a Chloridoideae and Panicoidea dominated C4 grassland BP, and finally a moist Cyperaceae and Panicoidea dominated C3/C4 grassland after 4000 BP. This shift possibly occurs as a delayed response to the warmer and wetter conditions of the mid Holocene optimum at this high altitude site. The results suggest that the grassland/savanna boundary has remained stable over time, indicating considerable resilience of grasslands to climate change. This resilience may be related to the turnover of species within the grassland biome, as indicated by shifts between 8500 and 4000 BP at Verloren Valei.
|
|
| 10. |
- Eriksson, Ove, 1956-, et al.
(författare)
-
Concepts for Integrated Research in Historical Ecology
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Issues and Concepts in Historical Ecology: ThePast and Future of Landscapes and regions. - Cambridge : Cambridge University Press. - 9781108420983 - 9781108355780 ; , s. 145-181
-
Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)
|
|
