In the Miombo ecoregion (2,865,000 km² or 9.1% of Africa), the Zambezian open forest constitutes the main vegetation unit. It extends to no less than eight countries, from Burundi in the North to South Africa in the South, and from Angola in the West to Mozambique in the East. The austral part of Africa's open forests falls within the Zambezian Regional Center of Endemism outlined by White in 1983. This book focuses mainly on the wetter Zambezian Miombo woodlands. Also patches of mosaic Zambezian dry evergreen forests and small areas of grasslands on Kalahari sands are incorporated in the study. The aim of this book is to gather together the amazing local environment knowledge of Zambezian open forests peoples in order to permit an easier improvement of their well-being. This research has been developed in an ethnoecological way of thinking. Indeed, the synergy arising from putting together local knowledge and updated ecological research provides huge information on ecosystem management, including biodiversity aspects. Ethnoecology is an emergent field that focuses on local peoples' perception and management of complex and co-evolved relationships between the cultural, ecological, and economic components of anthropogenic and natural ecosystems. In the present book, the Zambezian wild edible products are treated according to fourteen items (from fungi, plants and honey, to beverages and salt, through mammals, birds, fish, insects and other animals). Some other comments concern agriculture and ethnoecology. All together more than a thousand edible products are involved; their ecology, their phenology, as well as their nutritional values are presented and discussed. The iconography is supported by a CD with 387 color photographs. The earlier French version of 1997 has been reviewed and enlarged, taking into account recent progress of knowledge. An important bibliography is presented.

The harvesting, processing and consumption of edible insects is one of the main keys to the sustainability of food chains on the African continent. Insects are the largest and most successful group of animals on the planet and it is estimated that they comprise 80% of all animals. This makes edible insects extremely important to the future survival of large populations across Africa and the world. Insects offer a complete animal protein that includes all 9 essential amino acids and are very competitive with other protein sources. They are also a good source of beneficial unsaturated fats, and many insects have a perfect Omega 3:6 balance. African Edible Insects As Alternative Source of Food, Oil, Protein and Bioactive Components comprehensively outlines the importance of edible insects as food and animal feed and the processing of insects in Africa. The text also highlights indigenous knowledge of edible insects and shows the composition and nutritional value of these insects, plus presents reviews of current research and developments in this rapidly expanding field. All of the main types of edible insects are covered, including their nutritional value, chemical makeup, and harvesting and processing details. The various preparation technologies are covered for each insect, as are their individual sensory qualities and safety aspects. A key aspect of this work is its focus on the role of insects in edible oils and gelatins. Individual chapters focus on entomophagy in Africa and the various key aspects of the continent's growing edible insect consumption market. As it becomes increasingly clear that the consumption of insects will play a major role in the sustainability of food chains in Africa, this work can be used as a comprehensive and up-to-date singular source for researchers looking for a complete overview on this crucial topic.

Plants are fundamental to life; they are used by all human groups and most animals. They provide raw materials, vitamins and essential nutrients and we could not survive without them. Yet access to plant use before the Neolithic can be challenging. In some places, plant remains rarely survive and reconstructing plant use in pre-agrarian contexts needs to be conducted using a range of different techniques. This lack of visible evidence has led to plants being undervalued, both in terms of their contribution to diet and as raw materials. This book outlines why the role of plants is required for a better understanding of hominin and pre-agrarian human life, and it offers a variety of ways in which this can be achieved. Wild Harvest is divided into three sections. In section 1 each chapter focuses on a specific feature of plant use by humans; this covers the role of carbohydrates, the need for and effects of processing methods, the role of plants in self-medication among apes, plants as raw materials, and the extent of evidence for plant use prior to the development of agriculture in the Near East. Section 2 comprises seven chapters which cover different methods available to obtain information on plants, and the third section has five chapters, each covering a topic related to ethnography, ethnohistory, or ethnoarchaeology, and how these can be used to improve our understanding of the role of plants in the pre-agrarian past.

The dry forests and woodlands of Sub-Saharan Africa are major ecosystems, with a broad range of strong economic and cultural incentives for keeping them intact. However, few people are aware of their importance, compared to tropical rainforests, despite them being home to more than half of the continent's population. This unique book brings together scientific knowledge on this topic from East, West, and Southern Africa and describes the relationships between forests, woodlands, people and their livelihoods. Dry forest is defined as vegetation dominated by woody plants, primarily trees, the canopy of which covers more than 10 per cent of the ground surface, occurring in climates with a dry season of three months or more. This broad definition - wider than those used by many authors - incorporates vegetation types commonly termed woodland, shrubland, thicket, savanna, wooded grassland, as well as dry forest in its strict sense. The book provides a comparative analysis of management experiences from the different geographic regions, emphasizing the need to balance the utilization of dry forests and woodland products between current and future human needs. Further, the book explores the techniques and strategies that can be deployed to improve the management of African dry forests and woodlands for the benefit of all, but more importantly, the communities that live off these vegetation formations. Thus, the book lays a foundation for improving the management of dry forests and woodlands for the wide range of products and services they provide.

Ectomycorrhizal symbiosis plays a major role in biodiversity and stability of ecosystems in tropical forests. It is a research imperative in tropical and neotropical forest ecosystems because they contain ecologically and economically important tree species. This book provides an overview of the knowledge of ECM symbioses in tropical and neotropica

Based on work by the Miombo Network in southern Africa, this book helps decision-makers and general readers alike improve their understanding of the socio-ecology of the Miombo woodlands across southern Africa. It also highlights the importance of and the need for further research on the unique Miombo ecology and its link with economic development. One major challenge facing these woodlands is the influence that direct (both natural and anthropogenic) and indirect drivers of change, as well as interactions between these, have had over the centuries. As such the book explores the socio-economic and ecological interactions that occur in these woodlands and discusses the need for further research to provide a better understanding of these interactions. Drawing on data and information from numerous studies conducted in the last 20 years, the book presents a comparative analysis of policy changes and management experiences in the countries concerned. It also addresses issues of global climate change, since they have an impact on Miombo ecosystem management and restoration, and provides future projections based on an assessment of how climate change has affected the Miombo woodlands in the past.