ABSTRACT
This editon of the series ‘Palaeoecology of Africa-International Yearbook of Landscape Evolution and Palaeoenvironments’ is presenting the outcome of a ‘tribute conference’ to the internationally recognized South African researcher and palynologist Professor Louis Scott from the Botany section, Department of Plant Sciences at the University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa. Louis Scott has recently retired, but he is still continuing his active research career (see 1.5 bibliography). The 11 conference proceedings and articles published here highlight and celebrate Professor Scott’s contribution to palaeoscience and to the natural sciences in general. The conference was organized in July 2014 by the National Museum, Bloemfontein and the University of the Free State and was attended by over 60 delegates from numerous countries (Figure 1). The conference focused on both past and present environments, ecosystems and climates of the semi-arid to arid regions of southern Africa (and also some adjoining regions), areas that serve as major foci of Prof. Scott’s research.
