Natural and cultural lands capes of Equatorial Africa

• Authors: Jerzy Gilarowski

Abstracts

EN

This paper attempts to characterise various cultural landscapes in the area of Eąuatorial Africa. To achieve this, the contents of various thematic maps and satellite photos representing: areas covered with forests (mostly secondary forests), naturę reserves, areas of extensive and intensive agriculture and urban-industrial areas were overlaid with the contents of map of potential vegetation (which represent, to use a simplification, the natural, primeval landscape). The method applied allowed for distinguishing five types of cultural landscape that correspond to five levels of transformation of the primeval landscape. The resulting map shows a mosaic-like structure of landscapes. This structure changes constantly. The surface area of regions with a certain landscape type increases or decreases, or else the regions change their locations. A detailed analysis of socio-economic processes (and the related changes in the natural environment) can constitute a basis for a prediction of cultural landscape transformation. It is the author's opinion that such prediction could be applied in various planning projects.

Keywords

EN

natural landscape; cultural landscape; transformation; prediction

• Publisher: Wydział Geografii i Studiów Regionalnych Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
• Journal: Miscellanea Geographica. Regional Studies on Development
• Year: 2006
• Volume: 12
• Pages: 155-163

Dates

published

2006

Contributors

author

Jerzy Gilarowski

• Institute of Developing Countries

translator

Małgorzata Mikulska

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Identifiers

Biblioteka Nauki

2032459