In Tshopo, a forested province in the north-eastern part of the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo), the regulation of water availability and quality is crucial for sustaining livelihoods and protecting communities from natural hazards. These ecosystem services are crucial for reducing water vulnerability and providing sufficient water for domestic use in places where the government’s capacity to manage water resources is insufficient. However, the forests of Tshopo are threatened by climate change and various anthropogenic activities. Its rural landscape is dominated by forests that are undergoing several transformations, exposing water bodies to contamination. Hence, water is one of the key resources vulnerable to climate change in the Tshopo Province. As few studies have focused on the understanding of water availability at the sub-national level in the DRC, in this work, we aim to review the current water situation and its relation to climate change and forest degradation in the Tshopo province. Our analysis shows the necessity to develop well-defined strategic plans that consider contextual specificities and to find a trade-off between forest and water management strategies to respond to water-vulnerability risks in the region.
Tag: Adaptation
In Tshopo, a forested province in the north-eastern part of the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo), the regulation of water availability and quality is crucial for sustaining livelihoods and protecting communities from natural hazards. These ecosystem services are crucial for reducing water vulnerability and providing sufficient water for domestic use in places where the government’s capacity to manage water resources is insufficient. However, the forests of Tshopo are threatened by climate change and various anthropogenic activities. Its rural landscape is dominated by forests that are undergoing several transformations, exposing water bodies to contamination. Hence, water is one of the key resources vulnerable to climate change in the Tshopo Province. As few studies have focused on the understanding of water availability at the sub-national level in the DRC, in this work, we aim to review the current water situation and its relation to climate change and forest degradation in the Tshopo province. Our analysis shows the necessity to develop well-defined strategic plans that consider contextual specificities and to find a trade-off between forest and water management strategies to respond to water-vulnerability risks in the region.
Environment suitability mapping of livestock: A case study of Ethiopian indigenous sheep and goats
Demand for livestock products is increasing as climate volatility threatens animal productivity and welfare. Therefore, novel technologies and approaches to meet these challenges are required. Geo-informatics and geo-visualization can address a critical question in this endeavor -where can improved indigenous, newly developed and composite breeds be introduced while retaining optimal productivity and resilience to climatic and environmental volatility? Here, a case study of four and two Ethiopian indigenous breeds of sheep (Atsbi, Doyogena, Horro, Menz) and goats (Abergelle, Yabello), and geo-informatics based spatial analytics generating, for each breed, a suitability index map is presented. The analysis reveals overlapping and breed-specific enviro-geographic and ecological suitability niches. More than 51% of Ethiopia is unsuitable for the optimal performance of the six breeds. The proportions of unsuitable land are 64.84% (Menz), 53.44% (Horro), 76.98% (Doyogena), 83.53% (Atsbi), 82.37% (Abergelle) and 63.89% (Yabello). The suitable production range for the four sheep breeds show a slight overlap, but that of the two goat breeds did not. The goats are best suited to the drylands, but the niche for Abergelle is in the north, and that of Yabello is in the south of Ethiopia. The heatmaps suggest that the mean annual temperature and precipitation have the largest contribution in the classification of geographic areas into suitability classes. Our results provide insights for targeting location specific species- and breed-interventions, and with climate change trajectories and natural resource base abundance, will be a major criterion for building resilient livestock production systems. Furthermore, ecological suitability mapping can allow practitioners to evaluate potential geographic ranges for newly-developed, experimental, and improved livestock breeds to design sustainable and innovative agro-ecological solutions.
Rehabilitasi Kawasan Pesisir untuk Pembangunan Rendah Karbon
Pesan Utama
- Tahun 2030 merupakan tahun penuh tantangan dan peluang bagi Indonesia untuk menunjukkan kepemimpinannya dalam percaturan dunia di bidang perubahan iklim. Beberapa agenda nasional dan global perlu dicapai pada periode yang kritis ini.
- Berbagai kebijakan nasional yang terkait dengan rehabilitasi kawasan pesisir, khususnya mangrove memerlukan sinkronisasi dan harmonisasi antar-lembaga, khususnya saat diimplementasikan di tingkat tapak. Konsensus perlu dicapai dalam dialog yang terbuka dan jujur untuk keberhasilan dan keberlanjutan rehabilitasi.
- Upaya rehabilitasi mangrove yang sangat ambisius perlu disesuaikan dengan kenyataan di lapangan terkait dengan status lahan, fungsi dan nilai sosial, ekonomi dan ekologi mangrove. Konservasi mangrove yang dalam kondisi baik juga memerlukan penanganan yang serius.
- Rehabiltasi mangrove untuk mitigasi dan adaptasi perubahan iklim perlu dilakukan secara simultan disertai sistem pemantauan, pelaporan dan verifikasi yang terpadu dalam jangka waktu paling sedikit 10 tahun setelah kegiatan rehabilitasi dilakukan.
Tropical forests and adaptation to climate change: in search of synergies
This book encompasses inputs from science, policy making and development cooperation with regard to the linkages between climate change, sustainable livelihoods and biological diversity. It presents experiences, challenges and alternatives to scientists and practitioners for commonly assessing the needs of poor livelihoods to successfully cope with climate change as well as for bridging the gap towards a meaningful implementation of adaptation measures. It is based on the recognition of the need to establish a bridge between science, policy making and development cooperation with regard to promoting adaptation to climate change and variability at the local level. Many of the articles included are based on the discussions that took place during the international workshop on “Adaptation to Climate Change, Sustainable Livelihoods and Biological Diversity”, held March 2004 in Turrialba, Costa Rica.
Building a framework towards climate-smart agriculture in the Yangambi landscape, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
This paper aims to produce a framework for climate-smart agriculture (CSA) in the Yangambi landscape, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This would enable the authors to identify agricultural practices, assess vulnerability to climate change, identify options for improving agricultural systems from a climate change mitigation and adaptation perspective and finally provide climate-smart agricultural options. The study used household survey methods of data collection. The data were collected using a structured questionnaire survey by interviewing 250 farm households, subdivided using three axes of the Yangambi landscape. Fisher’s exact test was used to determine relationships between two or more variables. Results of the survey revealed that the vast majority (98%) of respondents perceived changes in temperature, rainfall and weather patterns. Reduction of crop yields and the emergence of new weed species and new crop pests are the main impacts on agricultural activities. Although 87.6% of respondents have no means of adaptation and resilience, some of them use crops rotation, fallow practice, fertilizers and bio-pesticides. A framework for CSA is proposed for the Yangambi landscape. Policies and strategies to promote CSA in the study area should take into account local farmers’ perceptions of climate change and consider first the adequacy of CSA practices for the specific conditions of the target area before its promotion. This study is thus useful for many REDD+ initiatives that are currently being promoted in DRC and particularly in the Tshopo Province. This study is one of the first studies to focus on CSA in the Yangambi landscape, DRC. It assists the use of agriculture as a response to reducing deforestation while at the same time lowering agriculture’s carbon footprint and promoting a resilient and more productive farming system.
When the “Strong Arms” Leave the Farms—Migration, Gender Roles and Risk Reduction in Vietnam
For many family farms, migration is one strategy for reducing poverty and vulnerability to both natural hazards and economic risk. While more men typically migrate to work, the implications of this on the household are inconclusive, especially for the women who remain on the farms. This study employs a gender lens to examine the effects of economically driven migration on household decision-making, farm labor and disaster risk reduction, focusing on two disaster-prone regions with high poverty rates in Vietnam: Dien Bien (Northwest) and Ha Tinh (North Central Coast) provinces. Surveys of 228 households with at least one migrant worker showed a new generation of young male and female migrants, and that men over 30 years of age migrated for longer periods and more frequently than their spouses. Intrahousehold impacts differed according to risk strategies. In areas with a lower-risk coping strategy (Dien Bien), seasonal jobs coincided with periods of less intense farming activities. During the absence of male family members, women temporarily made more domestic decisions. In areas with a higher-risk adaptation strategy (Ha Tinh), farming was planned for longer absences; thus decisions remained largely unchanged. Remittances invested into agriculture contributed to shortening the recovery period after disasters and, in some cases, diversifying farming systems. The migrant’s absence was offset by relatives and neighbors as essential labor reserves. New resilient farming systems need to be disaster proof, gender-sensitive and free up labor
Effect of COVID-19 on rural community enterprises: Case of community forest enterprises in Cameroon
The COVID-19 outbreak has been a big shock to the entire world. The global economic slowdown and loss of human life have been highlighted as immediate impacts of the virus. Rural forest communities and their enterprises have also been affected in different ways. This study seeks to extend the current understanding of the impacts of COVID-19 by evaluating how it has affected rural community forest enterprises (CFEs) in Cameroon. A sample of 13 CFEs makes up the study. Focus-group discussions with a well-structured interview guide were used for data collection. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis. The results reveal that CFEs dealing in perishable products suffered more from the effects of restrictive government measures to contain the virus than enterprises dealing in non-perishable products. Transport costs for most activities doubled for all enterprises; labour supply was reduced by 72.5% for CFEs dealing in perishable products and 50% for enterprises dealing with non-perishable products. The commercialization of CFEs’ products was also adversely affected: market prospects reduced by 100%; sale prices of products reduced by 57% for perishable products and by 60% for non-perishable products; and global commercialization costs increased by 100%, for all CFEs. With the virus outbreak, CFEs also were challenged engaging with their partners, especially donors, technical support organizations and the private sector. The study recommends exploiting value-addition options through the processing of perishable products to improve enterprise resilience to such exogenous shocks.