Profiling climate change vulnerability of forest indigenous communities in the Congo Basin

Nkem, Johnson; Somorin, Olufunso A.; Jum, Cyprian; Idinoba, Monica; Bele, Y.; Sonwa, D.J.

doi:10.1007/s11027-012-9372-8

Cited by 29 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…This dependence on rainwater creates sensitivity to drought when local precipitation patterns change and rain is less frequent or predictable (Oluoko-Odingo 2011). In all activities in both communities, increasingly hot and sunny conditions, with less frequent rainfall, were seen as a primary reason for crop failure in recent seasons, an observation also documented in these communities and other regions in Uganda and elsewhere Orlove et al 2010;Nkem et al 2013;Oluoko-Odingo 2011). However, concern over scarcity of trees and shade from sunshine appeared to be more pronounced in the more arid microclimate of Kihembe, Bcrops no longer grow very well… [we] are no longer getting good harvests because of sunshine…there is more sunshine now^(Kihembe, male).…”

Section: Food Insecuritymentioning

confidence: 57%

“…In many of these indigenous or subsistence livelihood-based communities, vulnerability and health outcomes are determined by a complex multiscalar web of prevailing livelihood conditions, poverty, food insecurity, weak institutional frameworks, and exposure to variant stresses, including volatile financial markets, conflict, and extreme weather events and where vulnerability is unequally distributed (McDowell et al 2013;Ford et al 2010a;Berrang-Ford et al 2012;Brown et al 2010;Djoudi et al 2013;Westerhoff and Smit 2009;Ziervogel et al 2014;Hepworth 2010;Hofmeijer et al 2013;Nkem et al 2013). In addition to the local relevance and place-based nature of our research, the findings on the role of climate in influencing health concerns such as food security and waterborne illness, the erosion of traditional knowledge, and constraints to adaptation are common themes and issues faced by communities in different geographic settings.…”

Section: Global Relevancementioning

confidence: 99%

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Vulnerability to the health effects of climate variability in rural southwestern Uganda

Labbé

Ford

Berrang‐Ford

et al. 2015

Mitig Adapt Strateg Glob Change

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Vulnerability to the health impacts of climate change will be shaped by the existing burden of ill-health and is expected to be highest in poor and socio-economically marginalized populations. Sub-Saharan Africa, in particular, is considered a highly vulnerable region. This paper analyses the vulnerability and adaptive capacity of rural Bakiga communities in southwestern Uganda to climate-sensitive health risks. The objectives were threefold: i) identify key climate-sensitive, community-identified health priorities; ii) describe and characterize determinants of sensitivity to these health priorities at the individual, community and regional levels; and iii) assess the adaptive capacity of Bakiga. Data collection employed a combination of individual and key informant interviews, biographies, future storylines, and Photovoice. Three key health risks were identified by the study communities (malaria, food insecurity, and gastrointestinal illnesses) -all affected by local climatic and environmental conditions, livelihoods, land use changes, and socio-economic conditions. Adaptation within Mitig Adapt Strateg Glob Change these communities is dependent on their capacity to reduce sensitivities to identified health challenges among the potential of increasing exposures. Crop diversification, reducing deforestation, expanding of livestock rearing, transfer of traditional knowledge, and access to affordable health services are among potential strategies identified. We demonstrate significant existing vulnerabilities to present day climate-related health risks and highlight the importance of non-climatic processes and local conditions in creating sensitivity to health risks. Our placebased understanding is useful to inform interventions or policies aimed to reduce exposure and sensitivity and support adaptive capacity as the conditions these communities face are consistent with many other sub-Saharan African countries.

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Section: Food Insecuritymentioning

confidence: 57%

Section: Global Relevancementioning

confidence: 99%

Vulnerability to the health effects of climate variability in rural southwestern Uganda

Labbé

Ford

Berrang‐Ford

et al. 2015

Mitig Adapt Strateg Glob Change

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“…The capacity for people to adapt to this stressor relies on their ability to access different capitals, which are also impacted by the same systems (Connolly-Boutin & Smit, 2016). Sustainable Livelihoods approaches are emerging as a focus of climate change adaptation literature and food security studies (Connolly-Boutin & Smit, 2016;Levine et al, 2004;Nkem, Somorin, & Sonwa, 2013;Penn, Gerlach, & Loring, 2016) as they acknowledge the needs of the people involved, and not just the issues and solutions (Levine et al, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate change, community capitals, and food security: Building a more sustainable food system in a northern Canadian boreal community

Spring

Carter²,

Blay-Palmer

2018

CanFoodStudies

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Canada’s North offers unique food systems perspectives. Built on close cultural and spiritual ties to the land, the food systems within many northern communities still rely on the harvesting and gathering of traditional food and function through the sharing of food throughout the community. However, social, economic and environmental pressures have meant that some communities rely more on food purchased from the stores, which can be unhealthy and expensive, leading to high rates of food insecurity and chronic health problems in many communities in the North. Northern communities are now dealing with the impacts of climate change that are increasing pressure on the food system by limiting both access to the land and the availability of traditional food sources. This research presents a case study from the Northern Canadian boreal community of Kakisa, Northwest Territories. Using a Participatory Action Research (PAR) methodology, community members play an active role in identifying threats to the community food system, as well as developing community-based solutions to foster adaptation and transformation of their food systems to become more resilient to the impacts of climate change. By using the Community Capitals Framework to identify multiple stressors on the food system this research illustrates how a community can allocate available capitals to adapt to the impacts of climate change as well as identify which capitals are required to build a more sustainable food system.

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“…The carbon storage function of forests is a central pillar of the climate change mitigation agenda, as demonstrated since 2008 in the high profile of REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation) activities in developing countries, and related carbon management initiatives. Perhaps less firmly established in climate change discourse is the argument that forests can provide a significant contribution to climate change adaptation for local populations, although momentum behind this perspective among forest researchers has been growing in recent years (Locatelli et al 2010;Nkem et al 2013;Somorin et al 2016). It is both important and timely for researchers from broader development fields to contribute to this debate.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trade-offs in linking adaptation and mitigation in the forests of the Congo Basin

2016

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Recent discussions on forests and climate change have highlighted the potential for conservation of tropical forests to contribute synergistically to both mitigation (reducing emissions of greenhouse gases) and adaptation (increasing capacity to cope with changing climate conditions). Key mechanisms through which adaptive advantages might be gained include the potential for forest resources to support livelihoods in the context of climatic strains on agriculture and the protection that intact forest ecosystems might provide against landslides, flash floods and other hazards related to extreme weather. This paper presents findings from field research with forest communities in three areas of the Congo Basin in Central Africa, in which the adaptive role and potential of forests in these respects is critically analysed. The investigation was carried out through a combination of structured and semi-structured qualitative techniques within six villages in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Rwanda. The findings of the research highlight the need to understand both the limits of synergy, and the constraints and trade-offs for rural livelihoods that may be associated with a forest conservation agenda driven by the additional impetus of carbon sequestration. The search for synergy may be conceptually laudable, but if forest management actions do not take account of on-the-ground contexts of constraints and social trade-offs then the result of those actions risks undermining wider livelihood resilience.

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Profiling climate change vulnerability of forest indigenous communities in the Congo Basin

Cited by 29 publications

References 46 publications

Vulnerability to the health effects of climate variability in rural southwestern Uganda

Vulnerability to the health effects of climate variability in rural southwestern Uganda

Climate change, community capitals, and food security: Building a more sustainable food system in a northern Canadian boreal community

Trade-offs in linking adaptation and mitigation in the forests of the Congo Basin

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