Assessing the Sensitivity of Small-Scale Fishery Groups to Climate Change in Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe

Negative human–crocodile interactions in Kariba, Zimbabwe: data to support potential mitigation strategies

Interactions between people and wild animals often result in negative impacts, and different views on the management of such interactions can lead to conflicts. Both intentional and unintentional negative human–wildlife interactions are increasing problems in many places where people share space with wild animals. Here we focus on negative interactions between people and Nile crocodiles Crocodylus niloticus in and around Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe. In the study area, crocodile attacks on people occur frequently, leading to people being injured or killed, which in turn prompts retaliatory actions against crocodiles. However, despite the negative impact of such interactions on both people and crocodiles, little is known about the spatio-temporal patterns of crocodile attacks or environmental conditions under which attacks occur. We collected information about crocodile attacks on people that occurred during 2000–2020, including the date, time, season and location of attacks, the age of victims and the activities they were carrying out when attacks occurred, and water conditions during attacks. We analysed these data to discern patterns and trends of crocodile attacks on people. Attacks occurred in clear as well as turbid water, and nearly half of all reported attacks were at night or in the early morning. The locations with the highest number of recorded attacks were Nyanyana and Charara lakeside, and the fewest attacks occurred at Andora harbour. Most victims were 26–40 years old, and most were attacked in the dry-hot season, while they were fishing. Our findings can be used to design area-specific mitigation strategies to reduce negative human–crocodile interactions.

Conflict-Sensitive Climate Change Adaptation: A Review

Climate change adaptation (CCA) evolved in the global policy framework in the early 1990s. However, it began to flourish about a decade later through a subsequent development of institutions, policies and supporting financial mechanisms. Various adaptation approaches and development practices have been evolving over the last couple of decades through a process of scrutiny, debates, and critiques. One such recent approach is called conflict-sensitive adaptation, which encompasses concepts to understand potential conflict-inflicting elements and peacebuilding aspects of adaptation interventions. This paper examines 35 peer-reviewed research articles that have analysed field data with the notion of conceptualising conflict-sensitive CCA initiatives. Emerging key results were presented and discussed in different academic forums to stimulate peer reflections and debates. We found that the understanding of conflict-sensitive adaptation has its universality in engaging with diverse stakeholders. However, practicalities were different in the cases of the global north and the global south. In the global south, there is a concentration of research in areas of pre-existing conflict in Africa and Asia, where climate change links are often assumed from IPCC reports in order to compensate for the unavailability of field data. However, from the perspective of adaptation politics and governance, there is a concerted urge for the emancipatory participation of local and marginalised populations. We argue for a need to pretest adaptation projects through a conflict lens. Decolonising the adaptation and understanding of local geography is critical in such planning.

Sub-Saharan Africa Freshwater Fisheries under Climate Change: A Review of Impacts, Adaptation, and Mitigation Measures

Sub-Saharan Africa’s freshwater fisheries contribute significantly to the livelihoods and food security of millions of people within the region. However, freshwater fisheries are experiencing multiple anthropogenic stressors such as overfishing, illegal fishing, pollution, and climate change. There is a substantial body of literature on the effects of climate change on freshwater fisheries in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study reviews the existing literature and highlights the effects of climate change on freshwater fisheries, the adaptation strategies of fishery-dependent households in response to the effects, and fisheries’ management and mitigation efforts in the face of climate change. The general effects of climate change on freshwater environments include warming water temperatures, increased stratification, modified hydrological processes, and increased pollutants. These effects adversely affect the physiological processes of fish and the overall wellbeing of fishery-dependent people. To cope with the effects of fluctuating fishery resources due to climate change, fishery-dependent people have adopted several adaptation strategies including livelihood diversification, changing their fishing gear, increasing their fishing efforts, and targeting new species. Several management attempts have been made to enhance the sustainability of fishery resources, from local to regional levels. This study recommends the participation of the resource users in the formulation of policies aimed at promoting climate change adaptation and the resilience of freshwater fisheries for sustainable development.

Climate Change Perceptions, Impacts and Adaptation Strategies: Insights of Fishers in Zambezi River Basin, Zimbabwe

The Zambezi River Basin is considered to be highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and adverse weather events, which might cause serious environmental, economic, and social consequences for millions of people. Therefore, it is crucial to understand how natural resource-dependent people perceive climate change, and how they adapt to the changes, as it is very important for climate change adaptation policy formulation and its implementation. Therefore, this study seeks to assess fishers perceptions of climate change, its impacts on fishery resources and livelihoods, and their adaptation strategies. Data were collected from 120 fishers in two basins (Binga and Kariba) along the shores of Lake Kariba using a mixed-method research approach. Meteorological data were obtained from the Meteorological Department Services of Zimbabwe (MSDZ). The findings show that fishers of Lake Kariba have observed changes in temperature and rainfall trends. Fishers believe that the perceived changes of the climatic variables have led to a decline in fish productivity and fish catches. To cope with declining fish stocks and catches, fishers have adopted several adaptation strategies, including changing fishing gear, targeting new fish species, and increasing fishing efforts. These study findings help to set a path towards local specific climate change adaptation strategies for small-scale fishers. This study provided relevant information for policy makers and fisheries stewards to formulate appropriate policies and programmes aimed at enhancing fishers adaptation to climate change and promote sustainable fisheries.

The interactive effects of rainfall, temperature and water level on fish yield in Lake Bangweulu fishery, Zambia

Climate variability and climate change have negative impacts on fisheries ecosystems and people who derive livelihoods from them. Zambian climate is projected to increase 2 °C in mean temperature by 2070, and further reports suggest that rainfall will drop by 8-30% of the normal average. This study was undertaken to determine the effects of rainfall, temperature and water level on fish yield. The study used both primary and secondary data sources. The major statistical techniques employed in this research include estimation of mean frequencies and correlation coefficients, as well as multivariate regression analyses, to determine the relationships among climate (temperature, rainfall), water level, and fish yield, using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. The results showed an increase in temperature of 0.3 °C, a decrease in rainfall of 3% and a water-level loss of 1.7 m since 1974. During the same period, fish yield increased by 53%, compared to increases in fishers and boats of 57% and 55%, respectively. The resultant Catch per Unit of Effort (CpUE) decreased from 12 kg/net/night to 1.5 kg/net/night. Findings indicate that there are significant correlations between temperature, rainfall (one-year lag), water level and fish yield. Based on the results, there is strong recommendation to incorporate climate variability and change in the modelling of fisheries management to reduce the impacts of climate variability and change on fisheries-based livelihoods.