Stratigraphic analyses of outcrops, shorelines, and diatoms from the southern Bolivian Altiplano (Uyuni-Coipasa basin) reveal two major lacustrine phases during the late-glacial period and the early Holocene, based on a chronology established by radiocarbon and U/Th control. A comparison of14C and230Th/234U ages shows that during times of high lake level, radiocarbon ages are valid. However, during low-water periods,14C ages must be corrected for a reservoir effect. The lacustrine Tauca phase started a little before 16,00014C yr B.P., and the lake level reached its maximum between 13,000 and 12,00014C yr B.P. A dry event (Ticaña) occurred after ca. 12,000 and before 950014C yr B.P. A moderate lacustrine oscillation (Coipasa event) occurred between ca. 9500 and 850014C yr B.P., using a reservoir-corrected conventional14C chronology. Comparisons between the lake-level chronology in the Uyuni-Coipasa basin and data from other southern tropical areas of South America suggest that the lacustrine evolution may reflect large-scale climatic changes.

This review paper synthesizes the recent published palaeoecological results obtained in Atlantic Equatorial Africa (ECOFIT program) on the history of forest ecosystems and inferred climate changes during the past 4000 years. Evidence are mainly provided by pollen analysis carried out at nine sites from Congo, Cameroon and Ghana, locally supported by macroflora remains, phytoliths, diatoms, 13 C and mineralogical data. At all the sites, except Lake Bosumtwi (Ghana), following a large expansion of rain and mesophilous forests until 3000 years BP, a major change is registered, affecting floristic composition, structure and geographical distribution. According to the hydrological sensitivity of the different sites, local openings of the forests with development of heliophilous formations and/or isolated enclosed savannas are observed at the most humid sites; complete disappearance of forested formations at the driest. The agreement between pollen records, hydrological and hydrobiological data definitely demonstrates that an arid event has been the primary driving factor of this change and is responsable for the main features of the modern landscapes in Atlantic Equatorial Africa. Moreover, the most recent palaeoecological data obtained in Congo (Lake Sinnda), indicate that this Late Holocene increasing aridity was of longer duration, from 4000 to 1300 years BP, and more progressive than previously inferred. A new expansion of forests is locally detected c. 900-600 BP despite increased human impact.

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Diatom assemblages are described from surface sediments in thirteen salt lakes located in the southern Bolivian Altiplano. Factor analysis of correspondences and cluster analysis are used to classify the diatom assemblages. New methods are proposed to establish the qualitative and quantitative relationships between diatom floras and ecological parameters. Diatom assemblages are linked more to the ionic elements than to the salinity, pH, depth, temperature or elevation. Environmental variables are divided into three modalities which allow considerations of many different variables not under the same units.

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