In order for biodiversity to be conserved, it is important to know how and where diverse populations of plants and animals exist, to understand the effects of human impacts on them, and to find the means by which these impacts can be lessened and even reversed. While tropical systems are known to be among the most diverse and most threatened globally, tropical freshwater systems have been neglected, and the tremendous variety of fish, amphibians, invertebrates and plants that live in them are poorly known yet seriously threatened. This comprehensive book brings together a wealth of information on the fish of tropical African systems, and discusses how these systems evolved, what holds them together, and what is tearing them apart.