Professor from Altai State University Roman Yakovlev delivered an open lecture about his seventh expedition to Africa
In the beginning, Roman Yakovlev shared some facts about South Africa: the country is quite large, with complex social issues, high economic development, and being the only country in the world that has renounced nuclear weapons. South Africa has the largest European population compared to other countries on the African continent – about 10%, with the white population consisting of descendants of the British and Dutch settlers known as the Boers.
South Africa ranks second in the world in the number of official languages, with 2 out of 12 being European – English and Afrikaans. South African Sign Language also holds the official status.
“In South Africa, the affluent segment of society enjoys a notably high standard of living. The privileged group consists of wealthy farmers and owners of a huge amount of land, which is passed on by inheritance. They exhibit a deep appreciation for arts; in their houses you can find collections of paintings, large libraries, they have such an old colonial way of life. However, all this luxury is separated by barbed wire. A significant proportion of the population resides in favelas; even the police hesitates to enter some of these neighborhoods,” notes Roman Yakovlev.
Then the professor explained his choice of South Africa for his expedition.
“As a biologist, I am fascinated by the biodiversity of this country. Botanists and zoologists know that part of South Africa is a special Cape floristic kingdom. Despite its relatively small size, the area is phenomenally rich in endemics; thousands of plant species grow there that are found only in South Africa,” said the professor.
In recent discussions, the concept of “biodiversity hot spots” has gained attention, referring to the regions, usually relatively small in size, that are home to an exceptionally high diversity of taxa of organisms: plants, fungi, and animals. Three such points are located in South Africa, including the Cape Floral Region, the Succulent Karoo and the Indian Ocean coast of Maputoland-Pondoland-Albany. In contrast, only one such point has been identified in Russia which is located in the Western Caucasus.
Another attractive issue in South Africa is a highly developed system of specially protected natural areas, including private ones.
“South Africa is a developed country; the level of expedition-related challenges is not as high compared to any other African country. The risk of contracting a tropical infection is minimal, and the climate is relatively mild,” the professor notes.
Most of the lecture was taken up by a story about interesting territories that Roman Yakovlev managed to visit.
The succulent Karoo is an arid semi-desert that is home to many endemic succulents, plants with succulent stems. There are about 400 species of proteaceae, large bushes with flowers that are a symbol of South Africa.
Another intriguing area for scientists is the Drakensberg, also known as Drakensberg Mountains. Reaching the maximum height of 3482 meters, it experiences cold nights, with some snow covering certain areas. It is noteworthy for its caves and various archaeological sites: rock paintings, traces of primitive man, etc.
A completely contrasting territory is the Kalahari Desert with a huge national park full of animals. It hosts huge colonies of weavers, which are birds that construct nests in trees resembling cocoons. The sheer number of these birds sometimes leads to trees collapsing under the weight of their nests.
Maputoland-Pondoland-Albany, which is situated along the Indian Ocean coast, has developed subtropical forests rich in flora and fauna, for example, penguins.
“Another area I want to mention is Die Hell Valley. In the mid-19th century, a large religious community settled in the inaccessible valley of the Cape Mountains, leading a secluded existence for nearly a century and being unaware of the modern world. They had schools, books, they sewed clothes, in general, they were quite civilized. They were discovered in the 60s of the 20th century, after which they gradually dispersed.”
The professor talked about the animals that he encountered. He noted that large ungulates exhibit little fear of vehicles, but are wary of human presence, and when they encounter a person up close, they swiftly retreat. Giraffes, antelopes, mongooses, lions, ostriches, crowned cranes, flamingos, secretary birds, snakes, and huge insects – this is all Africa.
“Baboons caused us a lot of troubles. They have no fear at all; they can enter the house, turn everything over, and steal something. It is very difficult to drive them away. And males, huddled together in a flock, can even cripple you as fas as they have really powerful teeth. Another dangerous thing we encountered there were the beetles that shoot caustic acid at a distance of one and a half meters, and aim at shiny points such as belt buckles, watches, or eyes.”
During the trip, the scientist documented six new genera and over 100 species of Lepidoptera butterflies belonging to the families Pterophoridae, Alucitidae, and Cossidae, previously unknown to science. A significant amount of new faunal data has been collected.
Also, the lecturer highlighted the well-development tourism infrastructure in South Africa, tasty and varied food is available almost anywhere in the country, and the stores offer a lot of quality products. Every shopping center has a bookstore full of publications featuring the nature of South Africa. In any city you can rent a car to suit every taste equipped with amenities like refrigerators, gas supplies, tents and other things necessary for traveling. Everywhere you can find comfortable accommodation with all amenities, air conditioning, the Internet available at an affordable price.
“How can you not love Africa? It is full of contrast: on one side there are tropical forests, on the other there are highlands with snow. Diverse natural landscapes attract and surprise. Probably, any European naturalist born in temperate latitudes strives to work in the tropics and explore these fascinating territories. In fact, there are only a few Russian teams working on African biodiversity. I am grateful to all my colleagues and friends who took part in the field work and who helped me,” summed up Roman Yakovlev.
After the lecture, the scientist answered numerous questions from the audience.