Abstract
The impacts of climate change and variability have manifested themselves throughout the world, but considerable temporal and spatial variations exist across various places and countries. Given the variation in vulnerability, this study was undertaken in pastoral landscapes in northern Tanzania to assess the impacts of climate change, adaptation strategies and their implications to communities' livelihoods and ecosystem integrity. It examined: (i) climate trends and associated impacts on communities' livelihood options; (ii) climate change coping and adaptation strategies adopted by selected communities to reduce the severity of climate change impacts; and (iii) the challenges associated with climate change adaptation strategies in the pastoral landscape. Primary data were collected using household surveys, interviews with key informants, focus group discussions, direct field observation using transect walks and institutional analysis. Secondary data were obtained through documentary review and theme-content analysis. Results indicate that there are slight increases in temperature and wind speed as well as decreasing trends and erratic patterns of rainfall which cause drought and extended dry spells. Fluctuation in temperature and rainfall patterns affects livestock keeping through recurrent drought that has negative implications on pasture and water availability. Communities are responding to the changes through traditional response mechanisms and have embraced a few new adaptation strategies against these climate extremes, particularly drought. Generally, strategies for adaptation are likely to be successful in the near future, subject to review and harmonization of policies, institutional and legal frameworks to harness existing opportunities for management of natural resources for sustainable development and build the long-term balance between ecosystem integrity and human needs.
What Does Climate Change Mean to Us, the Maasai? How Climate-Change Discourse is Translated in Maasailand, Northern Tanzania