User talk:Kalense

Kalense was, and possibly still is, a small clearing in the bush near the village of Kasama, in what was then Northern Rhodesia - now Zambia. When my father arrived in the area to start his field work for his doctorate (he was a linguist, working on Bemba), he asked the chief of the village if he could build a house nearby. The chief granted him his permission to build in Kalense. I grew up there for my first couple of years; my user name is to recognise the contribution that the plants, animals, sights, sounds, smells and feeling of that vanished spot made to create the person typing these words.

My professional life turns around what can be done to help slow down the catastrophic global collapse of biodiversity. In the worst case, climate change could turn our planet into another Venus, but this is - I hope - unlikely. It is my guess that humanity will somehow struggle through - but will also have to make do with a biologically vastly impoverished planet.

My hobby is photography.