Impact of war on conservation: Rwandan environment and wildlife in agony

Among the crucial problems that affect conservation in less developed countries are the high human pressure on natural habitats, poverty, low conservation education and lack of integration of local population. However, political and ethnic conflicts, which occur around the world and particularly in African countries, significantly affect all sectors of human society, the environment and wildlife. In this paper, we discuss the consequences of the Rwandan civil war of 1990–1994, recognized as one of the major tragedies of the 20th century, with a particular focus on protected areas and conservation bodies in the country.     

Presence of rhizobia in soils in Somalia

Bradyrhizobium japonicum was absent and only low numbers of Rhizobium were present in nodulating forage legumes in 13 soil samples from the Jubba and Shabelle rivers of Somalia.The authors are with the Dipartimento di Biologia Vegetale Sez, Microbiologia Applicata, Università degli Studi di Perugia, via Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06100 Perugia, Italy     

Bringing the “General Strike” Back In: DuBois,Slavery and Emancipation

ABSTRACT

The “general strike” of slaves in the Civil War was a direct action that involved millions of small and large acts of defiance by slaves. These actions pushed President Lincoln from hesitation to full on military action, although this chapter of history has been neglected. The work of W.E.B. Du Bois reinserted the agency of slaves in their own liberation through the “general strike” but this analysis has also been pushed to the margins. David Roediger's “Seizing Freedom: Slave Emancipation and Liberty for All' is an important corrective to this historical omission.     

The Bantu expansion revisited: a new analysis of Y chromosome variation in Central Western Africa

The current distribution of Bantu languages is commonly considered to be a consequence of a relatively recent population expansion (3-5kya) in Central Western Africa. While there is a substantial consensus regarding the centre of origin of Bantu languages (the Benue River Valley, between South East Nigeria and Western Cameroon), the identification of the area from where the population expansion actually started, the relation between the processes leading to the spread of languages and peoples and the relevance of local migratory events remain controversial. In order to shed new light on these aspects, we studied Y chromosome variation in a broad dataset of populations encompassing Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon and Congo. Our results evidence an evolutionary scenario which is more complex than had been previously thought, pointing to a marked differentiation of Cameroonian populations from the rest of the dataset. In fact, in contrast with the current view of Bantu speakers as a homogeneous group of populations, we observed an unexpectedly high level of interpopulation genetic heterogeneity and highlighted previously undetected diversity for lineages associated with the diffusion of Bantu languages (E1b1a (M2) sub-branches). We also detected substantial differences in local demographic histories, which concord with the hypotheses regarding an early diffusion of Bantu languages into the forest area and a subsequent demographic expansion and migration towards eastern and western Africa.     

The Robin Hood Narrative: A Discussion of Empirical and Ethical Legitimizations of Somali Pirates

The pirates of Somalia pose a major challenge for the international community, both economically and morally. Somali pirates try to legitimize their actions by reference to a number of arguments that appeal to the international community. Allegedly, the illegal fishing and waste dumping in Somali waters were the triggers for piracy. Hence, the pirates want to protect their coasts. These various strands form the so-called legitimacy Robin Hood narrative. In this article, this narrative is critically examined. The analysis includes a discussion of justice theories and related claims based on the works of John Rawls and Thomas Pogge. This is followed by a discussion of the justification of violence using Nicholas Fotion's irregular just war theory.     

Digitaria brunoana (Gramineae), nuova specie della Somalia

Abstract

Digitaria brunoana (Gramineae), a new species from Somalia. - Digitaria brunoana, a new species occurring on the coastal sand dunes at Gesira near Mogadishu (Somalia), is described. This new taxon is related to D. longiflora which is distributed in the Tropical Africa.     

Vegetation of pastoralist campsites within the coastal grassland of central Somalia

Seasonal occupancy of pastoralist campsites where livestock are bedded down at night has created islands of soil fertility within the coastal grassland of central Somalia. Soil organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium concentrations were greatest at the centre of the campsites and decreased towards the perimeter. The vegetation on the campsites differed from the surrounding grassland, presumably in response to soil fertility and intense grazing. The fast-growing, grazing-tolerant, stoloniferous grass, Cynodon dactylon , and the non-palatable, annual forbs, Cleome tenella and Gisekia pharnaceoides , occupied the centre of the campsites. The campsite perimeters were dominated by the slow-growing, grazing-sensitive, perennial plants Cencrhus ciliaris and Indigofera intricata .

Résumé

L'occupation saisonnière des lieux de campement où le bétail est rentré pendant la nuit a créé des ilots au sol fertile dans la partie côtière de la Somalie centrale. La matière organique du sol, les concentrations en azote, phosphore et potassium, étaient plus élevées au centre du campement et diminuaient vers la périphérie. La végétation à l'intérieur des campements différait de la prairie environnante, résultat sans doute de la fertilité du sol et du pâturage intense. L'herbe à la croissance rapide, résistante au pâturage et stolonifèhe, Cynodon dactylon , et les désagréables et annuelles Cleome tenella et Gisekia pharnaceoides , occupaient le centre des campements. Le périmètre des campements était dominé par les plantes à croissance lente, sensibles au pâturage et perennes, Cenchrus ciliaris et Indigofera intricata .     

Agricultural Biodiversity in Northwest Somalia – an Assessment Among Selected Somali Sorghum(<Emphasis Type="Italic">Sorghum bicolor</Emphasis> (L.) Moench) Germplasm

The seed sector situation in Northwest Somalia is critical. The availability of food has decreased and many people are at risk of hunger. Food security can be restored by enhancing the local genetic resources and creating an efficient seed sector. Sorghum is important as a food and fodder crop in this region. It is close to Ethiopia, which is considered as the probable origin and domestication of Sorghum. Twelve morphological and productive characteristics were chosen to assess the phenotypic variability of 16 accessions of sorghum from Northwest Somalia. Univariate (analysis of variance and G test) and multivariate (discriminant and cluster analysis) methods were used to assess the morphological variation within the accession and to group the 16 accessions into clusters based upon quantitative and qualitative characters. Elmi Jama Cas, Masego Cas, Masego Cad and Carabi clearly represent distinct landraces with specific features suitable for different purpose, such as grain and/or forage production. Each landrace tested is able to grow under harsh environmental conditions, thus ensuring a low, but stable production for small poor resources farmers. Knowledge and conservation of local landraces will provide a broad base of genetic variability from which improved sorghum varieties can be developed, thus aiding in the stabilisation of a secure and sustainable food supply for farmers of Northwest Somalia.     

Social complexity and linguistic diversity in the Austronesian and Bantu population expansions

Reconstructing the rise and fall of social complexity in human societies through time is fundamental for understanding some of the most important transformations in human history. Phylogenetic methods based on language diversity provide a means to reconstruct pre-historic events and model the transition rates of cultural change through time. We model and compare the evolution of social complexity in Austronesian (n = 88) and Bantu (n = 89) societies, two of the world's largest language families with societies representing a wide spectrum of social complexity. Our results show that in both language families, social complexity tends to build and decline in an incremental fashion, while the Austronesian phylogeny provides evidence for additional severe demographic bottlenecks. We suggest that the greater linguistic diversity of the Austronesian language family than Bantu likely follows the different biogeographic structure of the two regions. Cultural evolution in both the Bantu and Austronesian cases was not a simple linear process, but more of a wave-like process closely tied to the demography of expanding populations and the spatial structure of the colonized regions.     

Body morphology and the savanna — forest transition: A West african example

Four Cameroonian populations were studied for a large set of anthropometric measurements. Three groups live in the forest (two Bantuspeaking, and one pygmoid tribe) and the fourth one in the savanna plateau. Multivariate analysis of the morphological features showed that the two Bantu groups have very similar body morphology. This is interpreted to be a result of common genetic origin and of the fact that they inhabit the same environment Whereas the Pygmoids segregate apart. The savanna dwellers are morphologically equidistant from the two former groups, and when compared to other savanna peoples living in Burkina-Faso, are seen to be more similar to forest populations. Some climatic influences can be identified, mainly on limb proportions and nose and face dimensions. They seem to play a larger part in body differentiation than do nutritional and/or pathological conditions. Differences between the forest Bantu and the savanna-dwellers are mostly due to a shape component, whereas the Pygmoids display an overall reduction in size. Savanna highlanders also exhibit a size reduction, which results in their being more similar in shape to the Pygmies than are the other groups compared. A fruitful approach to morphological differentiation must take advantage of opportunities to compare peoples sharing the same genetic origin but having migrated to occupy contrasting environments. The hypothesis is raised that a common African stock has differentiated in contrasting ecosystems.