ABSTRACT
The results of pollen analysis of core V95-2P from lake Victoria (East Africa) at latitude 00°58.67′ South and longitude 33°27.32′ East revealed that a semideciduous forest that existed before 3400 yr BP progressively declined in relation with a deterioration of climate from ca 3000 yr BP. This decline of the forest is mainly reflected in the decrease of the Moraceae, Celtis and the Acalypha pollen. Human impact probably intensified this phenomena from ca 2000 yr BP onwards. The regional arboreal taxa represented by: Olea, Podocarpus and Juniperus genera contribute significant percentages (5–15%) to the pollen spectra. Concerning more particularly Juniperus, previous data obtained in East African lakes give evidence that its pollen is not very well dispersed over great distances. However, the pollen record from lake Victoria shows that the percentages of the Juniperus pollen frequently exceeds 1% although the species is found today at distances greater than 150 km from the cored site, in the forests located in the north and east of Mt. Elgon.
