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In the south-west of Mauritania, the present provinces of Brakna and Trarza stem from the history of the pre-colonial emirates of the same names. This paper quotes the few but various data at our disposal concerning the landscape history and vegetation and climate evolution during the last centuries. We propose a diachronic approach of this area, to identify the part of the heritage in the current landscape and usefully enlighten environmental and development issues. We can thus identify the main features of the precolonial landscapes of this region as well as the historical roots of the production systems and put into perspective their recent evolutions. Beyond its historical interest, this knowledge can also be one of the grounds of the current environmental approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the south-west of Mauritania, the present provinces of Brakna and Trarza stem from the history of the pre-colonial emirates of the same names. This paper quotes the few but various data at our disposal concerning the landscape history and vegetation and climate evolution during the last centuries. We propose a diachronic approach of this area, to identify the part of the heritage in the current landscape and usefully enlighten environmental and development issues. We can thus identify the main features of the precolonial landscapes of this region as well as the historical roots of the production systems and put into perspective their recent evolutions. Beyond its historical interest, this knowledge can also be one of the grounds of the current environmental approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]