East Africa's Human Environment Interactions Historical Perspectives for a Sustainable Future

About this book

This book is an ambitious integration of ecological, archaeological, and anthropological land use sciences, drawing on human geography, demography and economics of development across the East Africa region. It focuses on understanding and unpicking the interactions that have taken place between the natural and unnatural history of the East African region and traces this interaction from the evolutionary foundations of our species (c. 200,000 years ago), through outwards and inwards human migrations that are often associated with the adoption of subsistence strategies, new technologies, and the arrival of new crops. The book explores the impact of technological developments such as transitions to tool making, metallurgy, and the arrival of crops. Time is presented with a widening focus that frames the contemporary with a particular focus on the Anthropocene (last 500 years) to the present day. Many of the current challenges have their foundations in precolonial and colonial history and as such there is a focus on how these have evolved and what their impact has been on environmental and human landscapes. Moving into the Anthropocene era, there was increasing exposure to international drivers of change, such as those associated with the ivory and slave trade. These international trade routes were tied into the ensuing decimation of elephant populations through to the exploitation of natural mineral resources that have been sought after through to the present day.

The book provides a balanced perspective on the region, the people, and how the natural and unnatural histories have combined to create a dynamic region. These historical perspectives are galvanized to outline the future changes and the challenges they will bring around such issues as sustainable development, space for wildlife and people, and the position of East Africa within a globalized world and how this is potentially going to evolve over the coming decades.

Contents

Chapter 1: Foundations
Chapter 2: Origins and migration
Chapter 3: Trading languages, crops - East Africa's place in the world
Chapter 4: Elephants, Maize and guns
Chapter 5: Colonial transitions
Chapter 6: Post-Colonial transitions and recent political history
Chapter 7: Protecting Protected Areas
Chapter 8: A bright future?

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Biography

Rob Marchant is Professor of Tropical Ecology in the Department of Environment and Geography at the University of York, UK.