Nature Books

Of all Africa's wildlife, none has captured the imagination more than those species that have come over the years to be known as the Big Five. Whether the biggest, the most beautiful, the fiercest or most formidable, these animals are the ones that have the power to remind us of our insignificance in the face of the true kings of the savannas.

The Big Five have always been the most sought-after trophies for hunters, and now are the most desired quarry of the photographer or nature lover. These magnificent animals are also coming to represent the vulnerability of the natural world and the uniqueness of creatures that are close to being lost for ever by man's greed and carelessness. Today elephant, white and black rhino, lion, leopard and buffalo are mainly confined to game reserves and national parks, and few people have the privilege of encountering them at close quarters.

The romance of the safari and adrenalin-stirring excitement of the chase have given us some of our greatest stories of Africa. Hunters are passionate about what they do, and hunting has deep roots in the soul of man. An equal passion is felt by conservationists and animal lovers who abhor the senseless killing of even a single animal. The authors of this book have stood on both sides of the fence, and the experiences and insights they have gained through years of close observation and face-to-face confrontation are conveyed here in words and photographs that will thrill the imagination.

Here, in all its beauty and harshness, its mountains, grasslands and deserts, its astonishing variety of living forms, is southern Africa - revealed by one of the world's foremost nature photographers. Gerald Cubitt's pictures, each one a jewel, together a gallery of wonders. They go deeper than the merely visual: they touch the very soul of this most striking of regions.

"Living Shores" revisits the award-winning 1981 classic that influenced and informed generations of beachcombers and scientists. It vividly details the exciting discoveries of the past decades and the latest understanding of marine ecosystems and their management. Covering human interactions from early mankind to the modern day, its authoritative, fresh text and superb photography and illustrations bring to life the amazing diversity of marine life, and outline practical steps required to protect our ocean heritage.

For generations, the deserts of southern Africa have intrigued scientists and travellers alike. Seemingly barren wastes, they in fact teem with life - from ants to elephants, stone plants to the curious welwitschia, dainty dik-diks to towering gemsbok, and cart-wheeling spiders to fog-basking beetles. How do they cope with scarce resources, unpredictable rainfall and extreme temperatures? How do they protect themselves against predators? And what is the impact of climate change on these life forms and their habitats?

Based on an earlier edition published in 1993, biologist Barry Lovegrove answers these questions and unravels many of the mysteries associated with life in the desert. He describes southern Africa's four arid biomes - Desert, Arid Savanna, Succulent Karoo and Nama-Karoo - and explains how and why such a great diversity of plants, insects, mammals, reptiles and birds successfully exist in these regions. The text is supported by the most recent research, spectacular photographs, and explanatory diagrams and maps.

"The Living Deserts of Southern Africa" is a compelling, in-depth read that is accessible to both the serious student and academic as well as the interested nature lover.

A detailed overview of insect life in the region.

Insects arguably play the most important roles in the functioning of the Earth's ecosystems - the natural world could not function without them. And southern Africa is home to a particularly rich insect diversity, which is intricately examined in this lavishly illustrated and authoritative book. Structured around 13 distinct biomes within the region, the book scrutinises the insects associated with each system - both endemics and those more widely distributed - and explores the essential roles that insects play in processes such as pollination, predation, parasitism, soil modification and nutrient recycling. It also highlights their value as an essential food source for multitudes of other organisms, from bacteria and fungi to cunningly adapted plants, insect-feeding arthropods, reptiles, birds and mammals.
The book explores intriguing, often remarkable aspects of insect life, described in an accessible text and illustrated in some 1,600 photographs. It concludes with a guide to each of the 25 insect orders found in southern Africa, accompanied by images that depict their diagnostic characters.
This intimate insight into the beauty and diversity of southern African insects and their importance as service providers underlines their great value, and, it is hoped, will promote conservation of these key players of the natural world.

The Gardens and Landscapes of Patrick Watson

Featuring 23 gardens and landscapes, and richly supported by exquisite photographs and specially commissioned artworks, "Veld" is a beautiful tribute to an extraordinary talent whose clarity of vision has had a profound influence on his profession. Patrick Watson is arguably the most innovative and versatile landscape architect working in South Africa today. Lauded for his pioneering approach to the restoration of degraded land, and for his use of indigenous species, he has created hundreds of gardens in Africa, and many others beyond - ranging from extensive mega-landscapes to exquisite small home gardens and tranquil spaces for quiet contemplation.
Patrick seldom works from carefully drawn plans, instead taking his cue from nature itself. His gardens are creative, unconventional, inspiring and often bold, and he uses plants along with colours and landforms to design spaces that are both visually and emotionally captivating. "Veld" beautifully showcases the complexity of modern garden design, while also serving as a record of the knowledge, ingenuity and intuitive powers of as gifted artist.

A Review with Emphasis on Succulents

The extraordinary floristic diversity in southern Africa is not only one of the region's greatest natural assets, but also one of the botanical wonders of the world. Here, south of the Cunene-Zambezi Rivers, more than 10% of all vascular plants - over 30 000 species - are found on about 2.5% of the world's land surface area. Moreover, at least 60% of these species are strictly confined (endemic) to the region.
Contrary to what would be expected from a botanically rich region, more than half of the subcontinent is semi-desert or desert. One consequence of the general aridity of the region has been the development of succulence as a survival mechanism in many plants, including a significant proportion of endemics. Southern Africa is host to more than 46% of all succulent plants that occur worldwide; no other region boasts such a rich succulent flora.
It is remarkable that most of southern Africa's endemic plants are concentrated in only a few relatively small and well demarcated areas, known as Regions or Centres of Endemism. Although the existence of these Centres has been known to field botanists for a long time, most of them remain comparatively little known outside scientific circles. While the classification and mapping of southern Africa's vegetation types has been the subject of numerous publications, the classification and mapping of the region's plant species (or flora) has been neglected.
"Regions of Floristic Endemism in Southern Africa" brings together, for the first time in one work, all the relevant information on most of the principal Regions and local Centres of Plant Endemism in southern Africa. Fully referenced and indexed, comprehensive overviews of each Centre of Endemism include notes on the name, history, boundaries, topography, climate, geology, soils, flora, vegetation, evolution, floristic links, conservation status and opportunities for further investigations. An informative introduction explains some of the principles and practices of plant geography. Profusely illustrated with superb full-colour photographs and maps, this outstanding reference source is accessible to a wide range of users, and will be an invaluable resource for students and general readers alike.

"Figs of Southern and South-Central Africa" by John and Sandra Burrows, the well-known husband & wife botanical team which also produced the definitive work on ferns of the region in their "Southern African Ferns and Fern-Allies" (1990), was eleven years in the making. This new authoritative work provides detailed information on the 48 native figs (Ficus) of South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi. Also included are the commonly cultivated figs which were introduced into the region for economic and ornamental horticulture, and the other members of the Fig family (Moraceae) found in the region, including the cultivated mulberry (Morus), the breadfruit (Artocarpus), and the timber tree which produces iroko lumber (Milicia). A total of 88 species are covered.

John & Sandie have followed their dictum of not writing about a plant without first seeing it growing in habitat. To achieve this goal they have travelled, at their own expense, more than 70 000 km through all the countries of southern Africa, tracking down all but one of the species described in this work. This extensive field experience has provided the insight to help sort out some of the intractable nomenclatural problems with which tree-lovers are faced in this part of Africa. The engaging style in which they represent their observations and information, with an abundance of illustrations, is equally understandable to the layman and valuable to the professional botanist.

Three contributors have written chapters in their own specialist fields. Duncan Butchart provides detailed insight into the role the figs play in the lives of birds, animals and insects; Dr Simon van Noort illuminates the fascinating world of wasps and their involved relationship with figs, while Geoff Nichols covers the cultivation of figs.

Introductory chapters provide a general background to the family Moraceae and figs in the African sub-continent.

Each indigenous species has a distribution map, a detailed black & white illustration by Sandie Burrows, and photographs depicting habitat, bark, leaves and fruit. A key to the indigenous species of figs in southern Africa is provided.

Find out all about the rocks around you in southern Africa - and then see how many you can find to build your own rock collection! This book, by well-known geologist Nick Norman, is packed with fascinating information about how rocks form, how to identify the different rock types and what they're made of, what each rock is used for and where to go to collect them. You'll also learn about Stone Age tools, fossils and some of our best-known geological sites.

This richly illustrated book provides a clear and accessible guide to the spectacular exposures of rocks and mountains in the Cape Town area. It is aimed at visitors and residents keen to understand how the scenic landscape surrounding them came about and what the rocks reveal of the recent as well as the 'deep' geological history of the area. In scope it covers both the large-scale features of the region as observed from space and particular features that can be seen up close on the ground.

While emphasis is on the greater Cape Town area, other popular areas of the Western Cape within easy access of Cape Town are also included. The book is intended to get us looking at and thinking about our environment from a new perspective so that whether on our daily commute to work or out for a hike, we may understand it better and derive greater pleasure from being part of it.

Southern Africa's rocks span an enormous time period and the region boasts a wealth of mineral deposits. This handy pocket guide presents a selection of the most common, fascinating and important rock and mineral species to be found here. Each entry includes:

• full-colour photographs
• a concise description
• uses, both historic and current
• detailed information on where in the region species are found.

The physical and diagnostic characteristics of each mineral are summarized in tinted panels, and handy icons show other important information at a glance. In addition, the rock selection discusses how the three main rock types form. A comprehensive glossary explains difficult technical terms. Compact and easy-to-use, the "Pocket Guide - Rocks & Minerals of Southern Africa" will be invaluable both to amateur geologists and budding collectors.

Some of the largest concentrations of wildlife remaining on Earth can be seen in the national parks and game reserves of East Africa. This abundance is influenced by the region's dramatic landforms and unique geology, which support a remarkable number of different species in specialised ecosystems.

The interior of East Africa is dominated by an extensive regional plateau that is underlain by some of the oldest rocks on Earth. The plateau has been ruptured by the East African Rift, one of the world's most recognisable geological features. The rifting is inextricably linked to intense - and ongoing - volcanic activity, which has sculpted the landforms, including volcanic cones such as Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro and the fascinating Ngorongoro Caldera are world heritage sites.

"Geological Highlights of East Africa's National Parks" presents a new and exciting angle for tourists to Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and provides a valuable reference for rangers and guides. The Virunga Mountains, an active chain of volcanoes and home to habituated groups of Mountain gorilla, are also included. Maps, satellite images and diagrams, along with vivid photography, help explain how the landforms came to be. Key geosites point readers to the most rewarding geological features.

This indispensable guide will add drama and interest to any East African safari.

"Geology off the beaten track" is all you need to understand and interpret the geology along South Africa's regional and other less-travelled routes. It covers geologically fascinating areas such as the Richtersveld, Cape winelands and the Valley of Desolation near Graaff-Reinet. If you have ever wondered about cone-like koppies, the source of hot-water springs, the sinuous folding of a rocky mountain, of the changing shades of rock and soil along our country roads - this is the book for you. The text is richly illustrated, making it suitable for armchair travellers too. The book includes:

• 13 chapters, each covering a route of geological interest
• Maps for all the routes, with geosites and GPS readings to pinpoint key sites
• Multiple colour images that illuminate the text
• Illustrations to unpack processes that are hard to describe
• A glossary of geological terms, plus a bibliography.

Take this book as a companion on your planned routes - or allow it to take you to places of unimagined interest, and develop an understanding of how planet Earth has changed over the aeons and evolved into the landscapes of today.

South Africa has just about the richest geological heritage on the planet. By pinpointing 50 must-see sites, this inspiring book shows why, where and how to enjoy that heritage. It features 50 of the most recognisable, accessible and geologically diverse places around South Africa, including sites such as Chapman's Peak, Howick Falls, Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens, Mapungubwe, Tswaing Meteorite Crater and the Fraserburg Fossil Surface.

Each site is unpacked to reveal:
• key geological features
• geological heritage
• landscape and rock formations
• topics of local or historical interest
• things to see and do at the site and in the surrounding area

Maps and GPS pointers make the sites easy to find, and some of the more complicated features are explained by means of simplified diagrams.

Nearly 1,000 colour images illustrate South Africa's remarkable geology and bring the topic vividly to life, making the book suitable for armchair travel too.

Geologically speaking, southern Africa is without equal, a treasure house of valuable minerals with a geological history dating back some 3 600 million years. In addition, the evolution of plants and animals, especially mammals and dinosaurs, is well preserved in the region, which also probably has the best record of the origin of modern man.

This book provides a fascinating insight into that remarkable history: how southern Africa, and to some extent the world, came to be the way it is - how its mineral deposits formed, its life evolved and its landscape was shaped. Along the way readers will be enthralled by accounts of the Big Bang that marked the beginning of time and matter, by drifting and colliding continents, folding and fracturing of rocks, meteors colliding with Earth, the time when Earth froze over, volcanic eruptions and the start of life.

Anyone interested in the landscape and ecosystems in which we live will be intrigued to discover how our natural landmarks were formed, from the deserts of Namibia to the mountains of the Western Cape of Mpumalanga. Why is South Africa so rich in minerals? How did glacial deposits come to be found in the Karoo? Why did dinosaurs become extinct? How did mammals develop from reptiles? How closely related are we to apes? The answers to many such questions are found in this lavishly illustrated volume.

The authors also suggest how we can learn from the past in order to anticipate the future - for instance, to be able to predict earthquakes, deal with volcanic eruptions and meet the challenges of global climate change.