Palaeoenvironments and Palaeoclimates during the Upper-Pleistocene and Holocene in the western Lake Kivu region

A 35,000-year palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the western Lake Kivu region reveals significant climatic and vegetation shifts during the Upper Pleistocene and Holocene. The study, based on palynological analysis of sediment cores from Kahuzi-Biega National Park, identified nine forest evolution phases, including a heterogeneous forest under moderately hot and humid conditions (32,000–26,000 years BP) and an expansion of open herbaceous environments during the Last Glacial Maximum (25,000–15,000 years BP), indicating increased dryness. The African Humid Period (10,000–7000 years BP) marked a rise in precipitation, while a subsequent shift around 4000 years BP introduced open environments and highland grasslands, linked to the 'First Millennium Crisis' of aridity. This study provides critical insights into past climatic variability and its ecological impacts in this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Kabonyi Nzabandora, C., Roche, E., & Akaegbobi†, M. I. (2017). Palaeoenvironments and Palaeoclimates during the Upper-Pleistocene and Holocene in the western Lake Kivu region. The African Neogene – Climate, Environments and People, 145–159. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781315161808-8