The Lie of the Land: Challenging Received Wisdom on the African Environment

Images of children starving because of environmental destruction have become an integral part of the way that Africa is perceived in the West, a typical signpost to "the lie of the land." The driving force behind much environmental policy in Africa is a set of similar images and powerful assumptions about environmental crises. We read about overgrazing and the spread of deserts, the overuse of woodfuels and decline of forests, soil erosion, and the over-mining of natural resources. Yet the newer research reported in this book shows that many of the "crisis" images are deeply misleading.

If the assumptions behind these apparent crises are incorrect, then many of the policies created to "solve" them are misguided. This book questions the reasoning behind such images and brings us critical current information about environmental change.