Fairy Circles: Book by experts released
A few weeks ago, a study made headlines around the world claiming the mystery of the fairy circles had been solved and termites had been ruled out as the cause.Now a book has been published that condenses more than 15 years of research work by the biologist Professor emeritus Norbert Jürgens (University of Hamburg) and opens the floor to 14 other experts in relevant disciplines such as soil sciences and entomology.
The basic message is that fairy circles are “desert farms”, created by termites and operated sustainably, with an underground “dam” and plant root “field”.
In the book “Fairy Circles of the Namib Desert”, the termite theory, which had already been published in Science magazine in 2013, is presented and substantiated in detail.
The book will be launched also in Windhoek in March and will then be available in local bookshops.
*Norbert Jürgens et al. (2022): Fairy circles of the Namib Desert – Ecosystem engineering by subterranean social insects. Klaus Hess Publishers, Göttingen & Windhoek 2022. 376 pages. ISBN: 978-3-933117-96-0 (Germany), 978-99916-57-44-8 (Namibia)
Price: €40 / N$790.