The Impact of Climate Change on Livelihoods of Communities Adjacent to Protected Areas in the Ruaha-Rungwa Landscape

Abstract

Despite their significant role in economic, environmental, ecological and socio- cultural development, most protected areas (PAs) in Tanzania have been affected by various challenges emanating from climate change. This paper examines the impact of climate change on the livelihoods of communities living adjacent to the Ruaha National Park and Rungwa Game Reserves. Data for this paper were generated from a study that adopted a mixed research design; under which 234 respondents obtained through a random sample were involved in household surveys, 110 key informants were strategically involved in face-to-face interviews and 44 participants were purposively involved in focus group discussions to create a wider space for understanding the studied phenomenon. The results indicate that climate change has had adverse impacts on the livelihoods of communities, particularly affecting water sources for domestic use, crop production, livestock keeping, human health and human migration. The communities have adapted to the impact of climate change by adopting various strategies including growing drought-tolerant crops, practicing irrigation systems, migrating to new settlements, and practicing agro-pastoralism. However, non- climatic factors such as poor storage facilities, inadequate pest control methods and crop processing facilities; as well as means of transport used in farming activities, market information and soil fertility have limited the adaptive capacities of communities. Thus, due to the significant impacts of climate change and variability, efforts are needed to ensure that communities adjacent to protected areas adapt sustainably, and are resilient to the impacts of climate change and variability.