The Living Deserts was first published 28 years ago. It was an exposé of the adaptations of plants and animals to the extremes of existence in the four desert biomes of southern Africa; Desert, Succulent Karoo, Nama Karoo and Arid Savanna. There has been significant new research and conservation initiatives since then, warranting an urgent update of the book. In this presentation, Barry Lovegrove describes these changes and introduces a fascinating new chapter, The Ancient Karoo, which covers the evolution of mammal and bird ancestors as represented in the fossil record of the Karoo Basin. The influence of climate change on the biomes, especially that of the Succulent Karoo, is also discussed.

Barry Lovegrove is professor emeritus at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He is an evolutionary physiologist, specialising in the diversity of metabolic adaptations in birds and mammals, and is a National Research Foundation A-rated scientist.

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