“I've been craving the road for some time,” writes Justin Fox – odd words for this most seasoned of travel writers. But there is more to it: “Restless, anxious about an uneventful slide into my late 30s ...” And thus begins ten thousand kilometres around the edge of the Republic. Hugging the comforts which distance offers agitated souls, he bears east from Cape Town. This is fatherland, and for Justin his father’s land, which the famous architect Revel Fox has marked as much as he had shaped his son’s own identity. Justin tarries at outposts and towns; he skips entire cities to favour the off-beat treasures of characters fashioned less by convention than by their own battles against nature or circumstance. Back home his dad is fighting cancer. Having travelled with acute observation he reports like a novelist, stringing together scenes, pictures, communities and characters to form a totality of what South Africa is today as seen from its margins: a sad, exciting clash of histories and stories.

“An engagingly romantic, fast-paced tale of sailing-ship adventures off the myth-laden East African coast, with plenty of sex and action, plus a serious revisionist message regarding modern-day Somali piracy.” – JM Coetzee South African scriptwriter Paul Waterson is in Kenya to carry out research for a documentary film. It’s October 2001, and his relationship has come to an unexpected end. Searching for solace in Mombasa, Malindi and Lamu, he becomes obsessed with finding the last remaining mtepe dhow in Somalia, a magnificent, sewn vessel harking back to Africa’s rich maritime past. But getting someone to take him into Somali waters proves near impossible. When he does manage to talk a dhow captain into the journey, he and the crew are oblivious to the dangers that lie ahead.

After exploring more than twenty other African nations using only public transport, Sihle Khumalo this time roams within the borders of his own country. The familiarity of his own car is a luxury, but what he finds on his journey through South Africa ranges from the puzzling to the downright bizarre. Voyaging from the northernmost part of South Africa right to the south, the author noses his car down freeways and back roads into small towns, townships, and villages, some of which you’ll have trouble finding on a map. But this is no clichéd description of beautiful landscapes and blue skies. Khumalo is out to investigate the state of the nation, from its highest successes to its most depressing failures. Whether or not he’s baffled, surprised, or sometimes plain angry, Sihle Khumalo will always find warmth in his fellow South Africans: security guards, religious visionaries, drunks, political activists and the many other colourful personalities that come alive in his riveting account.

Plant Analysis: An Interpretation Manual 2nd Edition is an easily accessible compilation of data summarising the range of nutrient concentration limits for crops, pastures, vegetables, fruit trees, vines, ornamentals and forest species. This information is valuable in assessing the effectiveness of fertiliser programs and for monitoring longer term changes in crop nutritional status. New to this edition: *Volume and scope of information accessed from the literature has expanded several-fold. Interpretation criteria for 294 species have been compiled in the tables from more than 1872 published papers. *New chapter on nutrient criteria for forest species. *Includes guidelines for collecting, handling and analysing plant material. An entire chapter is devoted to the identification of nutrient deficiency and toxicity symptoms.

The adventures described in this book represent the realisation of a dream that in the author’s boyhood seemed unthinkable. His first safari, in Kenya in 1962 was certainly low-budget (£12 for 2 days!). Later, when working as a teacher in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, he often spent weeks in some of the world’s most celebrated national parks and reserves, camping in tiny tents in the middle of the African bush. The sometimes hazardous adventures, and the good-humoured camaraderie of those with whom the author travelled, make this book an entertaining as well as interesting read. Incidents with lions, elephants, rhinos, buffaloes and other big game abound, but safaris are not just about wild animals. The author also describes the landscape of Africa as well as many of the other adventures that occurred to him during this time. The general tone of the book is far from gung-ho male chauvinism. Like the bush itself it is predominantly one of tranquillity, of being “at one with the moment”, enhanced by the author’s obvious love for life on safari and for wild-life, wild places and their conservation, enlightened by a self-deprecating sense of humour and sensitive, deeply felt and lyrically expressed reflections.

Many countries have experienced a decline of economic growth for decades, an effect that was only aggravated by the recent global financial crisis. What if in the 21st century this is no longer an exception, but the general rule? Does an economy without growth necessarily bring hardship and crises, as is often assumed? Or could it be a chance for a better life? Authors have long argued that money added to an income that already secures basic needs no longer enhances well-being. Also, ecological constraints and a sinking global absorption capacity increasingly reduce the margin of profitability on investments. Efforts to restore growth politically, however, often lead to reduced levels of social protection, reduced ecological and health standards, unfair tax burdens and rising inequalities. Thus it is time to dissolve the link between economic growth and the good life. This book argues that a good life beyond growth is not only possible, but highly desirable. It conceptualizes "the good life" as a fulfilled life that is embedded in social relations and at peace with nature, independent of a mounting availability of resources. In bringing together experts from different fields, this book opens an interdisciplinary discussion that has often been restricted to separate disciplines. Philosophers, sociologists, economists and activists come together to discuss the political and social conditions of a good life in societies which no longer rely on economic growth and no longer call for an ever expanding circle of extraction, consumption, pollution, waste, conflict, and psychological burnout. Read together, these essays will have a major impact on the debates about economic growth, economic and ecological justice, and the good life in times of crisis.

Indigenous peoples and protected areas all over the world are portraited. The conflict between "modern life" and the lifestyle practised for ages in these areas is discussed

“Until the lion has its own storyteller, tales of the lion hunt will always glorify the hunter.” —Zimbabwean proverb In 2015, an American hunter named Walter Palmer shot and killed a lion named Cecil. The lion was one of dozens slain each year in Zimbabwe, which legally licenses the hunting of big cats. But Cecil’s death sparked unprecedented global outrage, igniting thousands of media reports about the peculiar circumstances surrounding this hunt. At the center of the controversy was Dr. Andrew Loveridge, the zoologist who had studied Cecil for eight years. In Lion Hearted, Loveridge pieces together, for the first time, the fascinating life and murky details of this beloved lion’s slaying. In the tradition of Born Free and Gorillas in the Mist, Lion Hearted chronicles Loveridge’s long acquaintance with a host of charismatic lions that his team has tracked, often from birth to death. Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Loveridge learned to love predators at the knee of his father, an eminent herpetologist who stored baby crocodiles in the family bathtub. After earning his doctorate at Oxford, he seized an invitation to study the lions of Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park. There he meets Stumpy Tail, who, despite her name, has the dignity of the Queen of the Animal Kingdom; Dynamite, a venerable coalition leader who, muscled out by younger males, sets off on an incredible thirty-seven-day, 137-mile journey to find a new home; and Kataza, who escapes another lion’s claws, and whom Loveridge twice saves from death at the hands of humans. And, of course, there is Cecil. Dethroned in an epic battle, he forms an alliance with a former rival. He also becomes a favorite of photographers and tourists—until the fateful night when a Minnesota dentist and his hunting guide entice the trusting cat with a free meal. Loveridge unravels the complexities of lion society and the dangers the cats face both within their ranks and from the outside world. Despite their ruthless reputation, lions can form deep emotional bonds—females live in prides, a sisterhood of mothers, daughters, sisters, and aunts that can exhibit military precision when hunting in formation; males band together in coalitions to vie for control of territory and the female prides. They also display a wide range of emotional behavior, including mourning the loss of their mates, partners, and cubs. Africa’s lion population is estimated to have shrunk by 43 percent in the last twenty years. There may now be as few as 20,000 wild lions across the entire continent—far fewer than the number of elephants. While deploring the killing of lions for sport, Loveridge does not believe that banning trophy hunting, by itself, will halt the decline of Africa’s lion populations. He sees greater threats in human population growth, the loss of habitat to agriculture, and the illegal trade in lion body parts for use in traditional medicines. And he offers concrete proposals for averting the lion’s extinction. More than a gripping detective story, Lion Hearted is an exploration of humanity’s relationship with the natural world and an attempt to keep this majestic species from disappearing. “Lions are one of the most beloved animals on the planet,” Loveridge observes. “They are the national symbol of no fewer than fifteen countries. . . . Surely, we can think of a better way to save the wild animals we love besides killing them.”

A surprising and intriguing examination of how scarcity—and our flawed responses to it—shapes our lives, our society, and our culture

Formerly a largely Western practice, leisure travel is today the most dynamic industry in the world in terms of growth. Developments in transport and communication systems mean tourism is now an integral part of our understanding of the world, and involved in the exponential increase of links between societies and different cultures. The Tourist Places of the World has comprehensive data on the number of international visitors annually. It also includes an original map ? not dictated by country, but by major tourist areas and places. The hierarchy of destinations drawn is highlighted by the different levels of popularity and passenger flows; from the universal places where all societies meet to the still unfrequented places. Beyond the recognition of global tourism, the challenge is to understand how and why societies can achieve a better life through sustainable development, which encompasses social, economic and environmental dimensions.