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- Collection: Kyoto University
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VEGETATION SUCCESSION AND PLANT USE IN RELATION TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES ALONG THE KUISEB RIVER IN THE NAMIB DESERT
The aim of this study was to clarify the relationship between environmental change and vegetational succession in the Kuiseb River area of the Namib Desert. The results reveal the following: 1. About 5000–7000 years ago, wetter conditions prevailed…
Vegetation structure of the biomes in southwestern Africa And their precipitation patterns
Southwestern Africa contains diverse biomes. The amount of the annual precipitation of this area has been traditionally thought to be the most important controlling factor to the differentiation of the biomes. However, this territory experiences the…
VEGETATION CHANGES AND USE OF PALMS AS A BUILDING MATERIAL BY OVAMBO AGRO-PASTORALISTS IN NORTH-CENTRAL NAMIBIA
This paper focuses on the mutual transition between vegetation and timber use by the Ovambo people in north-central Namibia and their use of palms for timber in recent years. The vegetation around the research area was characterized as Mopane…
TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL VARIABILITY OF GRASS PRODUCTIVITY IN THE CENTRAL NAMIB DESERT
The production of grass was investigated on the gravel plains of the Central Namib Desert, Namibia, during 10 rainfall seasons sampled between 1989-2003. The aim was to evaluate the rainfall-productivity relationship, to elucidate the relationship…
Soil Clay Minerals in Namibia and their Significance for the Terrestrial and Marine Past Global Change Research
We delineated seven soil clay mineral provinces in Namibia. Many individual clay mineral assemblages occur in fluvial, pan, cave and other environments. Previous researchers have used clay mineral compositions as evidence for palaeoenvironmental…
Seasonal Trends of Rainfall and Surface Temperature over Southern Africa
This study investigated seasonal trends of surface temperature and rainfall from 1979 to 2007 in southern Africa. In recent years, annual rainfall has decreased over the African continent from the equator to 20ºS, as well as in Madagascar. On the…
San Cross-border cultural heritage and identity in Botswana, Namibia and South Africa
The aim of this paper is to examine the indigenous San cultural identity that transcends ecological zones across the borders of Botswana, Namibia and South Africa respectively. The paper explores the representation of borders and boundaries within…
REFUGEES, RESETTLEMENT, AND LAND AND RESOURCE CONFLICTS: THE POLITICS OF IDENTITY AMONG !XUN AND KHWE SAN IN NORTHEASTERN NAMIBIA
This study examines land use, natural resource, and development conflicts, and the effects of government policies in a remote area in northeastern Namibia, known formerly as West Bushmanland, now Tsumkwe West. !Xun and Khwe San who had been soldiers…
Recent Grain-Size Coarsening of Floodplain Deposits and Forest Decline along the Kuiseb River, Namib Desert, Namibia
We investigated the flood plain deposits of the middle reach of the Kuiseb River in order to reveal the recent fluvial environment changes and forest decline. For the conservation of watershed environments, it is important to examine the relationship…
ORIGIN OF THE FOG IN NAMIB DESERT IN DRY SEASON
The origin of the fog in the Namib Desert was generally considered the westerly advection fog over the Benguela cold current. When the author went to the Namib Desert in dry seasons in 2003 and 2004, the fog in the early morning, however, moved…
OBSERVATION OF RIPARIAN VEGETATION IN WESTERN NAMIBIA BY USING NDVI AND NDWI DERIVED FROM SPOT-VEGETATION
Ephemeral rivers in western Namibia are unique entities that support both natural vegetation and human activities. This paper presents an approach for observing riparian vegetation along them synoptically using remotely sensed datasets, derived from…
Late Pleistocene Sedimentary Environment of the "Homeb Silts" Deposits, along the Middle Kuiseb River in the Namib Desert, Namibia
In the Namib, the tectonic and geographic setting of the area means that there are no large lake basins, and relict aeolian deposits appear to be quite rare. This has posed severe problems for reconstructing palaeoclimates in this region. In…
LANDFORM DEVELOPMENT ALONG THE MIDDLE COURSE OF THE KUISEB RIVER IN THE NAMIB DESERT, NAMIBIA
The hyperarid to arid Namib Desert extends along the west coast of southern Africa. The Kuiseb River is one of the major ephemeral rivers originating in the interior highland, and crosses the Namib Desert. Fluvial terraces are well developed along…
Interactions between Termite Mounds, Trees, and the Zemba People in the Mopane Savanna in Northwestern Namibia
Termite mounds comprise a significant part of the landscape in northwestern Namibia. The vegetation type in this area is mopane vegetation, a vegetation type unique to southern Africa. In the area where I conducted research, almost all termite mounds…
Influence of Geomorphology on the Physiognomy of Colophospermum mopane and its Effect on Browsing in Central Namibia
Colophospermum mopane is a characteristic tree species indigenous to Southern Africa, where it forms 'mopane vegetation.' Mopane plays an important role in livestock farming, and the physiognomy of mopane influences the availability of feed. This…
Hunting with Dogs among the San in the Central Kalahari
Among the Central Kalahari San, hunting with dogs was once only of secondary importance to that with traps or bows and arrows. In recent years, hunting with bows and arrows has declined, whereas that with dogs has become more common. Dogs play an…
FARMER'S SELECTION OF LOCAL AND IMPROVED PEARL MILLET VARIETIES IN OVAMBOLAND, NORTHERN NAMIBIA
A new and improved cultivar of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), Okashana-1, was released in Namibia in 1990 and was rapidly adopted in Ovamboland. However, as most farmers do not buy new seeds each year, any genetic trials of the cultivar on actual…
FACTORS CONTROLLING GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION IN SAVANNA VEGETATION IN NAMIBIA
Here, I describe the geographical distribution of the savanna types in Namibia and identify the factors controlling the occurrence of each savanna type in relation to the amount of annual precipitation and the various physiographical regions,…
Ethnohistory and Archaeology of the Ju/'hoansi Bushmen
The 'Great Kalahari Debate' which revolved around the degree of isolation of the Ju/'hoansi Bushmen failed to adequately interrogate the Bushmen on what they knew of their own history. A combination of interviews with respected Ju/'hoansi elders and…
ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES IN RELATION TO TREE DEATH ALONG THE KUISEB RIVER IN THE NAMIB DESERT
The Namib Desert is located along the western coast of Namibia and is affected by the cold Benguela Current. Although forest is distributed along the Kuiseb River in the Namib Desert, many trees are almost dead in some areas. The aim of this research…