Publisher's Synopsis
From 1955 to 2002, Dr Sylvia Sikes travelled on and around Lake Chad - that strange, immense lake in the southern Saharan Desert. This book presents an easy-to-read record of her travels, adventures and observations during this time, and illuminates the plight of the indigenous people whose way of life is being affected by climate change and modern development in Africa.;Dr Sykes witnessed the lake at its peak, when it covered approximately 22,000 to 25,000 square kilometres, and was alive with fish and other wildlife. During this period, floating papyrus and reed grass and fossilized dune islands characterized the lake, and a unique lake tribe - the Yedina - with their rare bulbous-horned cattle and papyrus canoes, made it their home. These canoes provided one of the modes of travel by which Dr Sykes explored the lake, along with a sloop-rigged yacht - the "Jolly Hippo" - which she brought from England and trailed by road across Nigeria for an eight-month exploration.;Continuing her travels in 1974, after the climactic "crash" of the previous year, Dr Sykes arranged a a small launch to tour the remaining areas of the lake - severely diminished by a searing drought that would continue to affect West Africa for several years. Since then, Lake Chad has remained in a dessicated state and its conservation has become a matter of serious international concern: it is unlikely that it will ever again be full with sweet, fresh water. In the closing chapters of the book, the author describes its present condition and prospects for recovery.;A completely revised and updated edition of "Lake Chad", published in 1972 by the same author, this title captures the former mystery and beauty of the lake and compares this with its subsequent decline. Two additional chapters, covering the period 1973 to 2002, are accompanied by satellite images and photographs taken at Lake Chad in January 2002.
