Recovering plant data for Guinea-Bissau: implications for biodiversity knowledge of West Africa

ReviewThe rich plant diversity that characterizes the West African Region and the inherent knowledge of their flora and vegetation has been the backbone of scientific explorations during the past centuries. The evolution of botanical knowledge on Guinea-Bissau, throughout the 16th and 20th centuries is reviewed. We present and discuss floristic data collected by scientific expeditions between the mid-1700s to 1974, when the Portuguese colonial period ended. Expeditions undertaken by French naturalists provided some of the earliest plant collections. A list of herbarium specimens collected by the French naturalist Jardin, in the Bijagós Islands in ca. 1847–1858 is presented here for the first time, while in the late 1800s some Portuguese naturalists also explored Guinea-Bissau. During the colonial period (1915–1974), Gomes e Sousa published the first comprehensive study of the territory’s flora while Espírito Santo assembled the largest plant collection. Our review applies a multi-disciplinary perspective to fill important lacuna regarding biodiversity knowledge of this under-researchedWest African country. It constitutes the first study tracing the long term evolution of knowledge on Guinea Bissau's plant diversity, which provides the basis for understanding trends and research priorities, in particular in conservation and botanical fieldsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Viagens de Luis de Cadamosto e de Pedro de Sintra

En p. [VII]: "Edição comemorativa do V centenário do descobrimento da Guiné"Na p. [VII]: "Edição comemorativa do V centenário do descobrimento da Guiné

A carta náutica de Piri Reis (Piri Reis Haritasi), 1513

Ottoman Admiral Piri Reis designed his nautical chart based on a body of knowledge that was already widely disseminated in the Mediterranean and on new information brought back by Portuguese navigators. This article presents the sources used to make the Piri Reis map, thoroughly quoted against other charts of its time, and reveals certain aspects of Portuguese mapmaking practices in the 16th century

Dumb Barter: A Seminal Form of Negotiation

Negotiation requires communication, but not necessarily verbal exchanges. Adjustments can be achieved incrementally by other means. This article will examine how some parties have managed to strike a deal in situations characterized by total distrust and even hostility, asymmetric power relations, major cultural differences, extreme logistical difficulties in reaching the place in which the trade is to be made, and several additional process risks by employing a type of bargaining known as "dumb barter." This process presents a distinct paradigm with a specific and unique rationale. Sometimes called "silent trade," it has been observed in many places (especially West Africa) for more than two millennia. It may well be the oldest form of trade negotiation and is still practiced in some parts of the world. An examination of this unlikely but real and effective process can also provide negotiation theorists with some useful insights into the fundamental nature of negotiation