This book is the first comprehensive account of large-scale ecosystems (biomes) of Southern Africa (defined as area south of the Kunene and Zambezi Rivers). It addresses the diversity of biomes in one of the most biodiverse regions of the world, comprising South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, southern part of Mozambique, Eswatini, and Lesotho. It has adopted a novel, hierarchical biome-classification approach. The biomes at four levels of complexity are identified, described, and mapped using modern GIS-assisted mapping technology. The structure of the book and its comprehensive nature makes this product of prime interest to teachers and students of all tertiary education levels as well as to scientists in the fields of ecology, biodiversity science, and bioclimatology. It is poised to serve as a major reference book and handbook for the users in these scientific fields.

Professor Ladislav (Laco) Mucina, 68 years young, was born in then Czechoslovakia (today Slovakia). He is currently citizen of Austria and Australia, and holder of permanent residency in South Africa. Almost his entire professional life he served the International Association for Vegetation Science in various management and executive capacities. His scientific interests span vegetation science (especially vegetation surveys, classification, and mapping), ecology of world biomes, plant taxonomy, molecular phylogeny, population ecology, evolutionary biology, biogeography, biodiversity science, environmental management, plant community restoration, and conservation biology.

Dr Michael C. Rutherford was born in South Africa 76 years ago, and currently resides in the United Kingdom. During his research career he was employed by the South African National Biodiversity Institute and its forerunners, based in Windhoek (Namibia), Pretoria and Cape Town, and he served on several national research committees. He was first author of the seminal work on Biomes of Southern Africa in 1986 and was co-editor of the standard work on the Vegetation of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland in 2006. He led the study on the plant diversity component of the South African country report on climate change in 2000. His research has also spanned primary production ecology, ecophysiology, ecological impacts of invasive alien plants, pollution and allelochemical effects, land transformation and biodiversity conservation including, more recently, the impacts of herbivore-driven land degradation on plant diversity.

Mapping Zonal Biomes of Southern Africa: Data Sources and Methods.- Major Zonobiome and Zonoecotone Patterns in Southern Africa.- Southern African Savannas: Zonobiome E2 Tropical Seasonal Zone.- Subtropical Southern African rainforests.- Fynbos: A jewel of the Ethesial Zone.- Warm-Temperate Zonobiome: Afrotemperate Forests.- Deserts and semideserts: Zonobiome S2 Hot Arid Zone.- Drakensberg: Southern African subtropical alpine zone.- Ecotonal biomes of Southern Africa.- Southern African biomes: Caveats, perspectives, future tasks.