The Living Deserts of Southern Africa is published by Struik Nature.
I am saddened to hear of the sudden passing of biologist Barry Lovegrove. Nature lovers, students as well as academics will enjoy his fully revised The Living Deserts of Southern Africa, an interesting and captivating read. Scientists, travellers, researchers and lay readers alike are fascinated by the seemingly barren wastes of deserts when in actual fact they sport a huge variety of life forms. One can not help but wonder how these animals survive in harsh conditions like scarce food and water and severe temperatures.
The back cover reads, “How do they protect themselves against predators? And what is the impact of climate change on these life forms and their habitats? Drawing on an earlier edition, published in 1993, biologist Barry Lovegrove answers these questions and explores many of the mysteries associated with life in the desert. He describes the four arid biomes of South Africa, Namibia and Botswana – 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, superb photography, and explanatory diagrams and maps.”
Lovegrow dedicated The Living Deserts of Southern Africa (hard cover, 296 pages) to Jennifer Jarvis and Gideon Louw “who introduced me as a student to the wonders of sociality in desert mammals and the physiology of desert organisms, respectively”. The ten chapter titles are: The deserts of Southern Africa; Water: the currency of life; In the heat of the day; The struggle for food; The armoury of desert conflicts; Social contracts; Time out; Go forth and multiply; The Ancient Karoo and The future of the deserts.
Lovegrow was humbled to learn that since Fernwood Press published the first edition of The Living Deserts of Southern Africa almost three decades ago, it “had become the holy writ for many: tourist guides, reserve management staff, researches, students and others” (9). He wrote that it gave him much pleasure to be able to offer a revised edition to those who have utilised and used his book for so long, and to those who have yet to discover the deserts of southern Africa.
More about the author: Barry Lovegrove was professor emeritus at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Not only was he an evolutionary physiologist, specialising in the diversity of metabolic adaptations in birds and mammals, but he was also a National Research Foundation A-rated scientist. He wrote Fires of Life: Endothermy in Birds and Mammals that was published by Yale University Press.
I am very proud of my copy of The Living Deserts of Southern Africa. Order yours here.
Also read Louise Viljoen’s review of Sky Guide Africa South 2022 here.
