RESILIENCE IN A MOUNTAIN RANGE: THE CASE OF THE TADRART ACACUS (SOUTHWEST LIBYA).

Between 2003–2011, a research programme in southwest Fazzan (Libya) aimed at understanding the resilience of the Kel Tadrart Tuareg, currently inhabiting the Acacus Mts. Using a multi-pronged approach featuring oral interviews, participant observation, mapping of settlements and localisation of natural resources, the Kel Tadrarts’ interaction with the landscape was investigated, and traditional (local) ecological knowledge turned out to be a key factor in the successful adaptation of the Kel Tadrart to erratic rainfall and meagre pastures. The study of Kel Tadrart resilience has fostered new interpretation of the recent past of the region, developed under the framework of the Theory of Resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]