Since the nineties I have been doing research on different aspects of vegetation in arid environments in Sub-Saharan Africa. Generally interested in dynamic ecosystems, my current main interest in Africa lies in the dynamics of forbs in arid ecosystems. Here, I am particularly interested in the forbs’ survival and dispersal strategies, the forbs responses to an unsteady environment and changing climate and land use practices. Herbaceous plants and annual forbs account for a significant proportion of plant biodiversity in savannas, and yet this group of plants receives little attention in comparison to the economically more important grasses and trees. However, for the preservation of biodiversity, the maintenance of ecosystem processes and in the restoration of bush encroachment, forbs are indispensable ecosystem components.
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