Training in emerging palaeoenvironmental methods to study East African ecosystem dynamics

Colin Courtney Mustaphi,Stephen Rucina,Robert Marchant

doi:10.21425/f5fbg23507

Abstract

news and update ISSN 1948-6596 Workshop summary Training in emerging palaeoenvironmental methods to study East African ecosystem dynamics Introduction Palaeoecology is an increasingly important disci- pline for understanding East African ecosystem dynamics, particularly as environmental gradi- ents are steep and cultural and biological diver- sity high. Over 50 years of palaeoecology is now revealing a good understanding of the spatio- temporal variability of ecosystems in the region and providing insights into questions such as: why do certain mountain ranges have greater biological diversity than others (Fjeldsa et al. 1997)? how important are fires in shaping eco- system composition (Schwilk et al. 1997)? and, how has the historical decline of elephant popu- lations, associated with the rise of caravan trades, impacted ecosystems (Hakansson 2004)? Combined with a rich tradition of archaeological studies in the region we are starting to contextu- alize and unravel past human-environment inter- actions. Yet, the complexity of socio-ecological issues demands the synergy of international and multi-disciplinary collaborations for appropriate solutions. During 17–20 March 2014, a joint workshop between the National Museums of Kenya (NMK) and the training component of a multi-institutional Marie Curie Initial Training Network (ITN) entitled ‘Resilience in East African Landscapes’ (REAL) was held at NMK, Nairobi, Kenya. The workshop was developed as a forum for international networking across institutions, disciplines, and nations, and for capacity devel- opment in palaeoenvironmental research. There were 17 participants that included early-stage researchers (ESRs) from REAL and NMK who are working in archaeology, geology, palaeobotany, palaeoanthropology and palaeontology (Figure 1). Participants’ experience ranged from interns, postgraduates, junior and senior researchers. The workshop included a speech from the Direc- tor General of NMK, who discussed the strate- gies of the museum to further develop multi- disciplinary collaboration within the institution, government institutions, and to further interna- tionalise with external partners. Figure 1. Participants of the joint REAL project and National Museums of Kenya palaeoenvironmental science work- shop, March 2014. frontiers of biogeography 6.4, 2014 — © 2014 the authors; journal compilation © 2014 The International Biogeography Society

Highlights

Palaeoecology is an increasingly important discipline for understanding East African ecosystem dynamics, as environmental gradients are steep and cultural and biological diversity high
Over 50 years of palaeoecology is revealing a good understanding of the spatiotemporal variability of ecosystems in the region and providing insights into questions such as: why do certain mountain ranges have greater biological diversity than others (Fjeldså et al 1997)? how important are fires in shaping ecosystem composition (Schwilk et al 1997)? and, how has the historical decline of elephant populations, associated with the rise of caravan trades, impacted ecosystems (Håkansson 2004)? Combined with a rich tradition of archaeological studies in the region we are starting to contextualize and unravel past human-environment interactions
There were 17 participants that included early-stage researchers (ESRs) from Resilience in East African Landscapes’ (REAL) and National Museums of Kenya (NMK) who are working in archaeology, geology, palaeobotany, palaeoanthropology and palaeontology (Figure 1)

Summary

Introduction

Training in emerging palaeoenvironmental methods to study East African ecosystem dynamics Introduction Palaeoecology is an increasingly important discipline for understanding East African ecosystem dynamics, as environmental gradients are steep and cultural and biological diversity high. During 17–20 March 2014, a joint workshop between the National Museums of Kenya (NMK) and the training component of a multi-institutional Marie Curie Initial Training Network (ITN) entitled ‘Resilience in East African Landscapes’ (REAL) was held at NMK, Nairobi, Kenya.

Results

Conclusion