Burning Table Mountain An Environmental History of Fire on the Cape
Cape Town's iconic Table Mountain and the surrounding peninsula has been a crucible for attempts to integrate the social and ecological dimensions of wild fire. This environmental history of humans and wildfire outlines these interactions from the practic
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An Environmental History of Fire on the Cape Peninsula Simon Pooley
10.1057/9781137415448 - Burning Table Mountain, Simon Pooley
Copyright material from www.palgraveconnect.com - licensed to Stockholm University Library - PalgraveConnect - 2015-08-16
Burning Table Mountain
‘In this meticulously researched and lucidly written book, Simon Pooley exposes the reader to the myriad of contradictions and conflicts that arise when northern Europeans colonise a fire-prone ecosystem. Throw into the mix introduced invasive trees, a biota of exceptional diversity and a populace riddled with inequality, arrogance, ingenuity and passion – and what you have is the setting for a riveting tale. Pooley’s cogent message is that the fire regime concept – currently couched in biophysical parlance – must embrace the messy world of humans, their values and their institutions. How else can fire be comprehended in the densely populated regions where it holds sway and will continue to do so, despite a plethora of well-intentioned attempts to suppress it? This book is a must-read for social and natural scientists that grapple with the human–wildland interface in the vast areas of the world’s fire-prone ecosystems.’ – Professor Richard Cowling, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, South Africa ‘South Africa is a fire-prone land. Simon Pooley has written an innovative and fascinating study of fire in the Cape Peninsula over the long term. This is the first sustained historical treatment of the subject, and it goes some way to answering a key question: have the fires that sear Cape Town become more dangerous to natural fynbos, people and property? In the process, the book tells us a great deal about environmental history, Cape landscapes, forestry, indigenous and exotic plants, South African science and growing ecological understanding. The peninsula is both beautiful and blessed in its biodiversity. But it is crowded by a rapidly expanding city and exotic plants. This is a rich and multi-facetted discussion of the processes, human and natural, that produce fire as well as the means by which it may be controlled.’ – Professor William Beinart, University of Oxford ‘Ecologists have known for decades that fire is essential for the healthy functioning of fynbos ecosystems. However, fire is a complex and destructive force as well and therefore needs to be carefully managed. Simon Pooley’s Burning Table Mountain is the most comprehensive account to date of the development of fire policy in the Cape Floristic Region and provides a detailed description of how fire practices have changed over the last 300 years. Using the Cape Peninsula as the focal area, for which most of the historical data are available, this book synthesises our knowledge of early burning practices undertaken by Khoisan and settler communities at the Cape. It then traces the development of fire research management in the wider Cape Floristic Region and how it is currently practised. The influence of several important characters and outcomes of key research initiatives are d
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