The Kalahari Environment

This book provides an integrated, thorough and up-to-date review of the nature and development of the Kalahari environment, an environment of great ecological and geomorphological diversity. Its complex climatic and geological history and its long association with human societies attempting to utilise its natural resources are aspects of increasing scientific interest. The book has evolved from the authors' own research in the Kalahari, and attempts to provide explanations and answers to some of the many questions raised about this region, ranging from the commonly asked 'is it really a desert?', to more specific and detailed concerns. The interdisciplinary approach will make the book of interest to researchers, lecturers and advanced students in earth sciences, environmental studies, tropical geomorphology and Quaternary science. The extensive bibliography will also make the book a very important source of reference.

This collection provides a comprehensive overview of the dynamics of contemporary natural resource based livelihoods and implications for their sustainability in the context of the Kalahari environment of southern Africa, a region subject to marked spatial and temporal natural variability. Each chapter is written by an active Kalahari researcher and addresses, from an environmental or a social perspective, the implications of different policies for rural livelihoods and coping strategies.

The Central Kalahari Game Reserve in Botswana is a sand desert covered by scrub and thorn forest, dry and bitterly cold in winter and extremely hot in summer before the short wet season. The only kinds of vegetation surviving this climate are short-lived annuals and deciduous species that lie dormant in the dry season. In this inhospitable territory live the hunter-gatherer G/wi bushmen. George Silberbauer has lived and worked among the G/wi for over ten years. In Hunter and Habitat, he analyses the ways in which G/wi society and culture have been shaped by the rugged natural environment. The book provides a thorough analysis of G/wi society, describing their social, political, and economic organization, their living patterns, subsistence technology, and seasonal adaptations. In short, Hunter and Habitat describes and elucidates the foundation of G/wi society: the interrelationships of the bushmen, their sociocultural system, and their habitat.

"This is the story of the Owens' travel and life in the Kalahari Desert, [where] they met and studied unique animals and were confronted with danger from drought, fire, storms, and the animals they loved"--Amazon.com.

This is a new release of the original 1960 edition.

Comprehensively assessing anthropology's engagement with climate change, this volume both maps out exciting trajectories for research and issues a call to action. Linking sophisticated knowledge to effective actions, 'Anthropology and Climate Change' is essential for students and scholars in anthropology and environmental studies.

The Dark side of the Kalahari is Hannes Lochner's third and latest addition to his book collection. He recently returned from a two year, 100 000 Km journey in the Kalahari (Kgalagadi) Desert, capturing the life of a single leopard female and her struggle to raise cubs in this extremely harsh environment.