Suchergebnisse

El presente trabajo aspira resaltar los elementos asociados a los testimonios de viaje a partir de un análisis histórico de la película venezolana Aire Libre, del director venezolano Luis Armando Roche. Así, reconociendo la importancia del género de los viajeros en la historiografía venezolana, se busca destacar la imagen de Alexander von Humboldt y Aime Bompland en su recorrido por Venezuela (1799-1800); hombres ilustrados, cuya búsqueda de riqueza no se centraba en el oro, sino en el conocimiento. En consecuencia, el lector puede advertir la relación entre los diálogos y las imágenes con los aspectos geohistóricos, político-económicos y socio-culturales de la Venezuela colonial, asociados a elementos históricos dentro del contexto de una producción audiovisual. ; This paper intends to highlight the elements associated with the testimonies of trip from a historical analysis of the Venezuelan Film Free Air, the venezuelan director Luis Armando Roche. So, in recognizing the importance of the gender of the travellers in the Venezuelan historiography, it aims to highlight the image of Alexander von Humboldt and Aime Bompland in its tour of Venezuela (1799-1800); men illustrated, whose pursuit of wealth is not focused on the gold, but in the knowledge. As a result, the reader can see the relationship between dialogues and images with the geohistorical, political-economic and social cultural aspects of colonial Venezuela, associated with historical elements within the context of audiovisual production. ; 71-87 ; johnnyhis@gmail.com ; Semestral

Resumen: El presente artículo, aborda una mirada de género al interior de la resistencia esclava en la región histórica de Vueltabajo, en Cuba. Se establecen los parámetros geohistóricos, económicos y naturales que condicionan la presencia de la mujer cimarrona, con dos estudios de casos representativos: el de la Madre Melchora y el de Petrona Conga. Los métodos histórico-lógico, y de recopilación, ordenamiento y análisis documental de las fuentes primarias, sustentaron los resultados que se presentan. Se resalta a modo de conclusiones, el papel de las mujeres en el cimarronaje como portadoras y trasmisoras de una cultura de resistencia, lo que contrasta con la escasa atención que sobre el asunto existe en la historiografía cubana. Abstract: This article reports a gender perspective within the slave resistance in the historical region of Vueltabajo, in Cuba. The geohistorical, economic and natural parameters that determine the presence of the Maroon woman are established, with two representative case studies: that of Mother Melchora and that of Petrona Conga. The historical-logical methods, and the collection, ordering and documentary analysis of the primary sources, supported the results presented. It highlights as a conclusion, the role of women in the cimarronaje as carriers and transmitters of a culture of resistance, which contrasts with the scant attention on the matter in Cuban historiography.

El presente artículo tiene por objetivo presentar un diagnóstico preliminar de la magnitud del tráfico de drogas, sus dinámicas, modalidades, y las condiciones sociales y económicas que favorecen el desarrollo de este negocio ilegal en la isla de San Andrés (Colombia). El análisis se desarrolla, no obstante, en el marco de la condición histórica y natural de "zona de tránsito" de drogas, armas y otros recursos ilegales, que se le atribuye a la región del Gran Caribe, entendida como un continuo geográfico, histórico y cultural en el que se observan patrones comunes en materia de amenazas a la seguridad, la geopolítica de las relaciones con Estados Unidos y los efectos sociales y económicos derivados del flagelo del narcotráfico.En este sentido, el caso de la isla de San Andrés (Colombia) se examina más como parte de la dinámica insular gran caribeña que como parte de las tendencias propias del negocio en la Colombia continental, lo que permite, sin embargo, establecer las conexiones entre ambos espacios regionales —el insular y el continental— y, a la vez, evaluar el impacto regional del fenómeno a partir de las conexiones ilegales que desde el archipiélago se establecen con algunos países vecinos del Gran Caribe. Finalmente, se sostiene la hipótesis de que el fenómeno del narcotráfico se instala en la isla como resultado de factores geohistóricos, culturales y socioeconómicos que en conjunto han determinado la participación activa de distintos sectores de la sociedad en este negocio ilegal.

Una versión inicial y resumida del artículo se presentó como comunicación en el IX Encuentro de Geógrafos de América Latina, celebrado en Mérida (México) en abril de 2003 ; En los últimos veinte años, el proceso de formación de las divisiones territoriales subestatales de algunos países de Europa y América Latina ha sido objeto de estudios geohistóricos profundos y novedosos. En el marco de las transformaciones político-territoriales recientes y, en estrecha relación con ellas, del renacer de la geografía política y de la geografía regional, el conocimiento del mapa administrativo contemporáneo no sólo ha recobrado actualidad y una atención abandonada durante muchas décadas, sino que también ha experimentado una renovación teórica y metodológica significativa. En este artículo se revisan algunos de esos logros y planteamientos: en primer lugar, el entendimiento de las divisiones político-administrativas como procesos y construcciones sociales, así como poderosos agentes de organización y de cambio socio-espacial; a continuación, el notable interés dedicado a las identidades, imaginarios y narrativas territoriales; por último, las conexiones entre la historia de los procesos contemporáneos de regionalización política y la historia del pensamiento geográfico. ; In the last twenty years, the formation of contemporary substate territorial divisions of several European and Latin American countries has been the subject of detailed and original geo-historical studies. Within the framework of recent territorialpolitical changes, as well of the renaissance of Political and Regional Geography, the analysis of modern administrative map not only has regained an attention forgotten for some decades, but also has undergone a remarkable theoretical and methodological renewal. In this article some of these achievements and approaches are reviewed: firstly, the understanding of political-administrative divisions both as social constructions and processes and as powerful agents in transforming and organizing society and space; secondly, the careful attention devoted to territorial identities, narratives and iconographies; finally, the relationships between the history of contemporary political regionalization and the history of geographic thought. ; Los resultados expuestos en este trabajo se inscriben en el proyecto postdoctoral del autor, titulado «Geografía política de la España de las Autonomías: genealogía y análisis de discursos, políticas y conflictos territoriales » y financiado por la Consejería de Educación de la Comunidad de Madrid y el Fondo Social Europeo

International audience ; Along the edges of the Congo basin forest, where forest-savannah mosaics are the main ecological formation, it is important to determine how this mosaic has developed, particularly for forest protection. Have savannah lands resulted from deforestation or have forest patches expanded into them? Given the long-standing human occupation of this region, this question needs to be addressed through human-environment relationships over time. Combining oral histories of village mobility and geographical analyses of a forest-savannah mosaic in the Bolobo territory (Democratic Republic of Congo) can shed light on the landscape dynamics. This study involved nine months of daily participant observations of human land use practices, 40 individual interviews and 18 focus groups to analyse changing village mobility from the late 19th century to the present. Several maps were produced by combining oral histories of past village mobility with an evaluation of 44 GPS landmarks corresponding to former villages. Two Principal Component Analyses (PCA), based on landscape composition within a 250 m-radius buffer zone around the GPS landmarks, according to a land cover map classifying the landscape into 11 categories, were used to document forest expansion into old abandoned villages and the effect of distance from currently inhabited villages. Forest cover expanded into the abandoned villages and the savannah as a consequence of environmental eutrophication facilitating forest establishment. Forest use decreases with distance from currently inhabited villages as a result of a shift from semi-sedentary livelihoods in small settlements to entirely sedentary livelihoods in larger, extended villages. Livelihood transformations that took place during and after colonisation resulted in a decline in the quality of environmental goods and reduced the well-being of human populations. These insights can help NGO conservation and development efforts to be more sensitive to overlooked local human practices and needs. ; A lo largo de las lindes del bosque de la cuencadel Congo, donde los mosaicos bosque-sabanason la principal formación ecológica, es importantedeterminar cómo se ha desarrollado estemosaico, especialmente para la protección delbosque. ¿Las tierras de la sabana son el resultadode la deforestación o los rodales de bosquese han expandido en ellas? Dada la largaocupación humana de esta región, esta cuestióndebe abordarse a través de las relacionesentre el hombre y el medio ambiente a lo largodel tiempo. La combinación de relatos oralessobre la movilidad de los pueblos y los análisisgeográficos de un mosaico de bosque y sabanaen el territorio de Bolobo (República Democráticadel Congo) puede arrojar luz sobre la dinámicadel paisaje. Este estudio incluyó nuevemeses de observaciones participativas diariasde las prácticas en el uso del suelo, 40 entrevistasindividuales y 18 grupos de discusiónpara analizar la evolución de la movilidad delos pueblos desde finales del siglo XIX hasta laactualidad. Se elaboraron varios mapas combinandolos relatos orales sobre la movilidad delos pueblos en el pasado con una evaluaciónde 44 puntos de referencia GPS correspondientesa antiguos pueblos. Se utilizaron dosanálisis de componentes principales (ACP),basados en la composición del paisaje dentrode una zona tampón de 250 m de radio alrededorde los puntos de referencia GPS, según unmapa de cobertura del suelo que clasificaba elpaisaje en once categorías, para documentar laexpansión del bosque hacia antiguos pueblosabandonados y el efecto de la distancia a lospueblos actualmente habitados. La cubiertaforestal se expandió en los pueblos abandonadosy en la sabana como consecuencia dela eutrofización del medio ambiente, que facilitóel establecimiento del bosque. El uso delos bosques disminuye con la distancia de lospueblos actualmente habitados como resultadode un cambio de los medios de subsistenciasemisedentarios en los asentamientospequeños a los medios de subsistencia totalmentesedentarios en las poblaciones másgrandes y extensas. Las transformaciones delos medios de subsistencia que se produjerondurante y después de la colonización dieronlugar a una disminución de la calidad de losbienes ambientales y redujeron el bienestarde las poblaciones humanas. Estas observacionespueden hacer que las ONG dedicadasa la conservación y el desarrollo aumenten susensibilidad hacia las prácticas y necesidadeshumanas locales, que a menudo se omiten. ; Sur les lisières de la forêt du Bassin duCongo, où les mosaïques de forêt et desavane dominent les formations écologiques,il est important de connaître le moded'évolution de ces mosaïques, notammentpour mieux protéger la forêt. Les savanessont-elles le résultat de la déforestation, ouont-elles été envahies par des îlots forestiers? Compte tenu de l'ancienneté de l'occupationhumaine dans cette région, cettequestion doit être abordée par le biais desrelations humaines avec l'environnement aucours du temps. Le rapprochement entre leshistoires orales sur la mobilité villageoiseet l'analyse géographique d'une mosaïqueforêt-savane en territoire Bolobo (RDC) renseignesur la dynamique paysagère de larégion. La présente étude s'est basée surneuf mois d'observation participative quotidiennedes pratiques d'utilisation des sols,40 entretiens individuels et 18 groupes deréflexion mis en place pour analyser l'évolutionde la mobilité villageoise de la fin du19e siècle à nos jours. Plusieurs cartes ont étéproduites en intégrant les histoires orales surla mobilité villageoise passée et l'évaluationde 44 repères GPS correspondant à d'anciensvillages. Deux analyses en composante principale(ACP) sur la composition paysagèred'une zone tampon dans un rayon de 250 mautour des repères GPS, selon une carte ducouvert terrestre qui distingue 11 catégoriespaysagères, ont permis de documenter l'envahissementd'anciens villages abandonnéspar la forêt et l'effet de la distance depuisles villages actuels. Le couvert forestier s'estétendu dans les villages abandonnés et dansla savane en conséquence d'une eutrophisationenvironnementale favorisant l'installationde la forêt. L'exploitation forestièredécroît à mesure que l'on s'éloigne des villagesactuels en raison de la transition d'unmode d'existence semi-sédentaire dans despetits hameaux vers une existence entièrementsédentaire dans des village étendusplus grands. Les transformations des modesd'existence pendant et après la colonisationont provoqué un déclin de la qualité desbiens environnementaux et du bien-être despopulations humaines. Ces constats peuventcontribuer à une meilleure sensibilisation surdes pratiques et des besoins parfois méconnusdans les efforts des ONG pour la conservationet le développement.

International audience ; Along the edges of the Congo basin forest, where forest-savannah mosaics are the main ecological formation, it is important to determine how this mosaic has developed, particularly for forest protection. Have savannah lands resulted from deforestation or have forest patches expanded into them? Given the long-standing human occupation of this region, this question needs to be addressed through human-environment relationships over time. Combining oral histories of village mobility and geographical analyses of a forest-savannah mosaic in the Bolobo territory (Democratic Republic of Congo) can shed light on the landscape dynamics. This study involved nine months of daily participant observations of human land use practices, 40 individual interviews and 18 focus groups to analyse changing village mobility from the late 19th century to the present. Several maps were produced by combining oral histories of past village mobility with an evaluation of 44 GPS landmarks corresponding to former villages. Two Principal Component Analyses (PCA), based on landscape composition within a 250 m-radius buffer zone around the GPS landmarks, according to a land cover map classifying the landscape into 11 categories, were used to document forest expansion into old abandoned villages and the effect of distance from currently inhabited villages. Forest cover expanded into the abandoned villages and the savannah as a consequence of environmental eutrophication facilitating forest establishment. Forest use decreases with distance from currently inhabited villages as a result of a shift from semi-sedentary livelihoods in small settlements to entirely sedentary livelihoods in larger, extended villages. Livelihood transformations that took place during and after colonisation resulted in a decline in the quality of environmental goods and reduced the well-being of human populations. These insights can help NGO conservation and development efforts to be more sensitive to overlooked local human practices and needs. ; A ...

International audience ; Along the edges of the Congo basin forest, where forest-savannah mosaics are the main ecological formation, it is important to determine how this mosaic has developed, particularly for forest protection. Have savannah lands resulted from deforestation or have forest patches expanded into them? Given the long-standing human occupation of this region, this question needs to be addressed through human-environment relationships over time. Combining oral histories of village mobility and geographical analyses of a forest-savannah mosaic in the Bolobo territory (Democratic Republic of Congo) can shed light on the landscape dynamics. This study involved nine months of daily participant observations of human land use practices, 40 individual interviews and 18 focus groups to analyse changing village mobility from the late 19th century to the present. Several maps were produced by combining oral histories of past village mobility with an evaluation of 44 GPS landmarks corresponding to former villages. Two Principal Component Analyses (PCA), based on landscape composition within a 250 m-radius buffer zone around the GPS landmarks, according to a land cover map classifying the landscape into 11 categories, were used to document forest expansion into old abandoned villages and the effect of distance from currently inhabited villages. Forest cover expanded into the abandoned villages and the savannah as a consequence of environmental eutrophication facilitating forest establishment. Forest use decreases with distance from currently inhabited villages as a result of a shift from semi-sedentary livelihoods in small settlements to entirely sedentary livelihoods in larger, extended villages. Livelihood transformations that took place during and after colonisation resulted in a decline in the quality of environmental goods and reduced the well-being of human populations. These insights can help NGO conservation and development efforts to be more sensitive to overlooked local human practices and needs. ; A ...

International audience ; Along the edges of the Congo basin forest, where forest-savannah mosaics are the main ecological formation, it is important to determine how this mosaic has developed, particularly for forest protection. Have savannah lands resulted from deforestation or have forest patches expanded into them? Given the long-standing human occupation of this region, this question needs to be addressed through human-environment relationships over time. Combining oral histories of village mobility and geographical analyses of a forest-savannah mosaic in the Bolobo territory (Democratic Republic of Congo) can shed light on the landscape dynamics. This study involved nine months of daily participant observations of human land use practices, 40 individual interviews and 18 focus groups to analyse changing village mobility from the late 19th century to the present. Several maps were produced by combining oral histories of past village mobility with an evaluation of 44 GPS landmarks corresponding to former villages. Two Principal Component Analyses (PCA), based on landscape composition within a 250 m-radius buffer zone around the GPS landmarks, according to a land cover map classifying the landscape into 11 categories, were used to document forest expansion into old abandoned villages and the effect of distance from currently inhabited villages. Forest cover expanded into the abandoned villages and the savannah as a consequence of environmental eutrophication facilitating forest establishment. Forest use decreases with distance from currently inhabited villages as a result of a shift from semi-sedentary livelihoods in small settlements to entirely sedentary livelihoods in larger, extended villages. Livelihood transformations that took place during and after colonisation resulted in a decline in the quality of environmental goods and reduced the well-being of human populations. These insights can help NGO conservation and development efforts to be more sensitive to overlooked local human practices and needs. ; A ...

International audience ; Along the edges of the Congo basin forest, where forest-savannah mosaics are the main ecological formation, it is important to determine how this mosaic has developed, particularly for forest protection. Have savannah lands resulted from deforestation or have forest patches expanded into them? Given the long-standing human occupation of this region, this question needs to be addressed through human-environment relationships over time. Combining oral histories of village mobility and geographical analyses of a forest-savannah mosaic in the Bolobo territory (Democratic Republic of Congo) can shed light on the landscape dynamics. This study involved nine months of daily participant observations of human land use practices, 40 individual interviews and 18 focus groups to analyse changing village mobility from the late 19th century to the present. Several maps were produced by combining oral histories of past village mobility with an evaluation of 44 GPS landmarks corresponding to former villages. Two Principal Component Analyses (PCA), based on landscape composition within a 250 m-radius buffer zone around the GPS landmarks, according to a land cover map classifying the landscape into 11 categories, were used to document forest expansion into old abandoned villages and the effect of distance from currently inhabited villages. Forest cover expanded into the abandoned villages and the savannah as a consequence of environmental eutrophication facilitating forest establishment. Forest use decreases with distance from currently inhabited villages as a result of a shift from semi-sedentary livelihoods in small settlements to entirely sedentary livelihoods in larger, extended villages. Livelihood transformations that took place during and after colonisation resulted in a decline in the quality of environmental goods and reduced the well-being of human populations. These insights can help NGO conservation and development efforts to be more sensitive to overlooked local human practices and needs. ; A ...

International audience ; Along the edges of the Congo basin forest, where forest-savannah mosaics are the main ecological formation, it is important to determine how this mosaic has developed, particularly for forest protection. Have savannah lands resulted from deforestation or have forest patches expanded into them? Given the long-standing human occupation of this region, this question needs to be addressed through human-environment relationships over time. Combining oral histories of village mobility and geographical analyses of a forest-savannah mosaic in the Bolobo territory (Democratic Republic of Congo) can shed light on the landscape dynamics. This study involved nine months of daily participant observations of human land use practices, 40 individual interviews and 18 focus groups to analyse changing village mobility from the late 19th century to the present. Several maps were produced by combining oral histories of past village mobility with an evaluation of 44 GPS landmarks corresponding to former villages. Two Principal Component Analyses (PCA), based on landscape composition within a 250 m-radius buffer zone around the GPS landmarks, according to a land cover map classifying the landscape into 11 categories, were used to document forest expansion into old abandoned villages and the effect of distance from currently inhabited villages. Forest cover expanded into the abandoned villages and the savannah as a consequence of environmental eutrophication facilitating forest establishment. Forest use decreases with distance from currently inhabited villages as a result of a shift from semi-sedentary livelihoods in small settlements to entirely sedentary livelihoods in larger, extended villages. Livelihood transformations that took place during and after colonisation resulted in a decline in the quality of environmental goods and reduced the well-being of human populations. These insights can help NGO conservation and development efforts to be more sensitive to overlooked local human practices and needs. ; A ...

International audience ; Along the edges of the Congo basin forest, where forest-savannah mosaics are the main ecological formation, it is important to determine how this mosaic has developed, particularly for forest protection. Have savannah lands resulted from deforestation or have forest patches expanded into them? Given the long-standing human occupation of this region, this question needs to be addressed through human-environment relationships over time. Combining oral histories of village mobility and geographical analyses of a forest-savannah mosaic in the Bolobo territory (Democratic Republic of Congo) can shed light on the landscape dynamics. This study involved nine months of daily participant observations of human land use practices, 40 individual interviews and 18 focus groups to analyse changing village mobility from the late 19th century to the present. Several maps were produced by combining oral histories of past village mobility with an evaluation of 44 GPS landmarks corresponding to former villages. Two Principal Component Analyses (PCA), based on landscape composition within a 250 m-radius buffer zone around the GPS landmarks, according to a land cover map classifying the landscape into 11 categories, were used to document forest expansion into old abandoned villages and the effect of distance from currently inhabited villages. Forest cover expanded into the abandoned villages and the savannah as a consequence of environmental eutrophication facilitating forest establishment. Forest use decreases with distance from currently inhabited villages as a result of a shift from semi-sedentary livelihoods in small settlements to entirely sedentary livelihoods in larger, extended villages. Livelihood transformations that took place during and after colonisation resulted in a decline in the quality of environmental goods and reduced the well-being of human populations. These insights can help NGO conservation and development efforts to be more sensitive to overlooked local human practices and needs. ; A ...

International audience ; Along the edges of the Congo basin forest, where forest-savannah mosaics are the main ecological formation, it is important to determine how this mosaic has developed, particularly for forest protection. Have savannah lands resulted from deforestation or have forest patches expanded into them? Given the long-standing human occupation of this region, this question needs to be addressed through human-environment relationships over time. Combining oral histories of village mobility and geographical analyses of a forest-savannah mosaic in the Bolobo territory (Democratic Republic of Congo) can shed light on the landscape dynamics. This study involved nine months of daily participant observations of human land use practices, 40 individual interviews and 18 focus groups to analyse changing village mobility from the late 19th century to the present. Several maps were produced by combining oral histories of past village mobility with an evaluation of 44 GPS landmarks corresponding to former villages. Two Principal Component Analyses (PCA), based on landscape composition within a 250 m-radius buffer zone around the GPS landmarks, according to a land cover map classifying the landscape into 11 categories, were used to document forest expansion into old abandoned villages and the effect of distance from currently inhabited villages. Forest cover expanded into the abandoned villages and the savannah as a consequence of environmental eutrophication facilitating forest establishment. Forest use decreases with distance from currently inhabited villages as a result of a shift from semi-sedentary livelihoods in small settlements to entirely sedentary livelihoods in larger, extended villages. Livelihood transformations that took place during and after colonisation resulted in a decline in the quality of environmental goods and reduced the well-being of human populations. These insights can help NGO conservation and development efforts to be more sensitive to overlooked local human practices and needs. ; A ...

International audience ; Along the edges of the Congo basin forest, where forest-savannah mosaics are the main ecological formation, it is important to determine how this mosaic has developed, particularly for forest protection. Have savannah lands resulted from deforestation or have forest patches expanded into them? Given the long-standing human occupation of this region, this question needs to be addressed through human-environment relationships over time. Combining oral histories of village mobility and geographical analyses of a forest-savannah mosaic in the Bolobo territory (Democratic Republic of Congo) can shed light on the landscape dynamics. This study involved nine months of daily participant observations of human land use practices, 40 individual interviews and 18 focus groups to analyse changing village mobility from the late 19th century to the present. Several maps were produced by combining oral histories of past village mobility with an evaluation of 44 GPS landmarks corresponding to former villages. Two Principal Component Analyses (PCA), based on landscape composition within a 250 m-radius buffer zone around the GPS landmarks, according to a land cover map classifying the landscape into 11 categories, were used to document forest expansion into old abandoned villages and the effect of distance from currently inhabited villages. Forest cover expanded into the abandoned villages and the savannah as a consequence of environmental eutrophication facilitating forest establishment. Forest use decreases with distance from currently inhabited villages as a result of a shift from semi-sedentary livelihoods in small settlements to entirely sedentary livelihoods in larger, extended villages. Livelihood transformations that took place during and after colonisation resulted in a decline in the quality of environmental goods and reduced the well-being of human populations. These insights can help NGO conservation and development efforts to be more sensitive to overlooked local human practices and needs. ; A ...

International audience ; Along the edges of the Congo basin forest, where forest-savannah mosaics are the main ecological formation, it is important to determine how this mosaic has developed, particularly for forest protection. Have savannah lands resulted from deforestation or have forest patches expanded into them? Given the long-standing human occupation of this region, this question needs to be addressed through human-environment relationships over time. Combining oral histories of village mobility and geographical analyses of a forest-savannah mosaic in the Bolobo territory (Democratic Republic of Congo) can shed light on the landscape dynamics. This study involved nine months of daily participant observations of human land use practices, 40 individual interviews and 18 focus groups to analyse changing village mobility from the late 19th century to the present. Several maps were produced by combining oral histories of past village mobility with an evaluation of 44 GPS landmarks corresponding to former villages. Two Principal Component Analyses (PCA), based on landscape composition within a 250 m-radius buffer zone around the GPS landmarks, according to a land cover map classifying the landscape into 11 categories, were used to document forest expansion into old abandoned villages and the effect of distance from currently inhabited villages. Forest cover expanded into the abandoned villages and the savannah as a consequence of environmental eutrophication facilitating forest establishment. Forest use decreases with distance from currently inhabited villages as a result of a shift from semi-sedentary livelihoods in small settlements to entirely sedentary livelihoods in larger, extended villages. Livelihood transformations that took place during and after colonisation resulted in a decline in the quality of environmental goods and reduced the well-being of human populations. These insights can help NGO conservation and development efforts to be more sensitive to overlooked local human practices and needs. ; A ...

International audience ; Along the edges of the Congo basin forest, where forest-savannah mosaics are the main ecological formation, it is important to determine how this mosaic has developed, particularly for forest protection. Have savannah lands resulted from deforestation or have forest patches expanded into them? Given the long-standing human occupation of this region, this question needs to be addressed through human-environment relationships over time. Combining oral histories of village mobility and geographical analyses of a forest-savannah mosaic in the Bolobo territory (Democratic Republic of Congo) can shed light on the landscape dynamics. This study involved nine months of daily participant observations of human land use practices, 40 individual interviews and 18 focus groups to analyse changing village mobility from the late 19th century to the present. Several maps were produced by combining oral histories of past village mobility with an evaluation of 44 GPS landmarks corresponding to former villages. Two Principal Component Analyses (PCA), based on landscape composition within a 250 m-radius buffer zone around the GPS landmarks, according to a land cover map classifying the landscape into 11 categories, were used to document forest expansion into old abandoned villages and the effect of distance from currently inhabited villages. Forest cover expanded into the abandoned villages and the savannah as a consequence of environmental eutrophication facilitating forest establishment. Forest use decreases with distance from currently inhabited villages as a result of a shift from semi-sedentary livelihoods in small settlements to entirely sedentary livelihoods in larger, extended villages. Livelihood transformations that took place during and after colonisation resulted in a decline in the quality of environmental goods and reduced the well-being of human populations. These insights can help NGO conservation and development efforts to be more sensitive to overlooked local human practices and needs. ; A ...