Natural and Cultural Landscapes of Equatorial Africa

This paper attempts to characterise various cultural landscapes in the area of Equatorial Africa. To achieve this, the contents of various thematic maps and satellite photos representing: areas covered with forests (mostly secondary forests), nature reserves, areas of extensive and intensive agriculture and urban-industrial areas were overlaid with the contents of map of potential vegetation (which represent, to use a simplification, the natural, primeval landscape). The method applied allowed for distinguishing five types of cultural landscape that correspond to five levels of transformation of the primeval landscape.

The resulting map shows a mosaic-like structure of landscapes. This structure changes constantly. The surface area of regions with a certain landscape type increases or decreases, or else the regions change their locations. A detailed analysis of socio-economic processes (and the related changes in the natural environment) can constitute a basis for a prediction of cultural landscape transformation. It is the author’s opinion that such prediction could be applied in various planning projects.