Geographical

July 2008

Features:

• Seeds of chang ePhotographer Pascal Meunier visits the Mauritanian village of Oualata, where a market garden has helped the community to recover from drought and hunger, allowing residents to preserve their long heritage
• Some like it hotWhile global warming is ringing alarm bells around the world, a corner of southern Austria has quietly welcomed warmer temperatures, which have breathed new life into the region’s wine pro duction, writes Charlie Furniss
• Can oil and wildlife mix?Sarah Monaghan reports from the oili elds of Gabon, where energy giant Shell and the Smithsonian Institution have collaborated to ensure that biodiversity thrives amid o il exploration activities
• Holy hills and sacred stonesWiltshire’s Silbury Hill has been an archaeological enigma for centuries, but new research of ers a possible explanation for its purpose, as David Keys discovers
• Pushing the boats outRichard Orange meets the Indian Muslim boat-builders of Gujarat, who combine traditional techniques and modern business sense to construct huge wooden ca rgo vessels
• Take the Lao roadAmar Grover visits Laos to take part in a UNESCO-sponsored eco-trekking project in the country’s far north that is helping to support the region’s ethnic communities
• Archive: Seeing China Historica l ima ges of the world’s most populous nation drawn from the archives of the Royal Geographical Society for a new exhibition
• Essential gear: climbing Kilimanjaro Trekking to the summit of Africa’s tallest peak is a n increasingly popular pursuit. Paul Deegan of ers his tips for the best kit for the task
• :Silbury Hill is part of a World Heritage site that encompasses Stoneheng e and a number of other Neolithic monuments in Wiltshire. The hole at the summit is a collapsed antiquarian shaftthat was originally sunk in 1776. An English Heritage restoration and archaeological project is now underway