ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts covered in the preceding chapters of this book. The book provides a broad overview of the biophysical characteristics of the subcontinent, the dynamics of physical change, and the outcomes, both observable as well as predicted, of such change. It examines the soils of southern Africa and their susceptibility to exploitation. Fluvial environments and dryland environments might appear to be extreme opposites but, in the southern African context, fluvial erosion frequently has consequences within dryland settings. Similarly, the impact of aeolian processes is of importance in sub-humid marginal environments, and within the coastal belt. Because subsistence farming sustains a large proportion of southern Africa's population, the issue of agriculture and a changing biophysical environment is highly significant. In terms of both subsistence as well as commercial farming, arable and pastoral land are finite resources, and the theme of land degradation and its monitoring cannot be emphasised enough.
