Adapting to climate change

The Arabuko-Sokoke Forest

So far most approaches to tackling climate change have focused on trying to prevent it from happening by lowering carbon emissions, i.e. mitigation activities. However, although this is extremely important, even if we drastically reduce our carbon emissions today a certain level of climate change is already inevitable and we also need to be ready to adapt to any unavoidable impacts.

Adaptation is particularly important for poor rural communities, as they often depend directly on local natural resources for their livelihoods. They are often the people who are most strongly impacted by the affects of climate change and environmental degradation but with the least resources available to adapt. Improving the natural environment helps both climate change mitigation and adaptation as many ecosystems (especially peatlands and forests) absorb and store carbon as well as help to buffer people from negative climate change impacts, especially for poor communities where technical solutions are rarely available or affordable.

It is also important to help species and habitats adapt to a changing climate. The healthier the natural environment is and the larger and more connected areas of habitat are, the easier it will be for species to shift as climatic conditions change.

Climate stewards Ghana Kwame Nkrumah Uni tree planting

Tree planting for carbon sequestration in Ghana

Some ways in which the natural environment helps in climate change adaptation include:

natural floodplains absorb floodwater and minimise flood damage
native trees tend to be more resistant to unusual pests and forest fires than fast-growing exotic species
high genetic diversity of agricultural crops and fish stocks increases food security
vegetated or forested areas decrease soil erosion, reduce the risk of landslides and prevent desertification
coastal ecosystems such as dunes, mangroves and salt-marshes absorb water from rising sea levels and reduce the strength of cyclone-induced tidal waves
healthy ecosystems are also less vulnerable to climate change impacts themselves, and help to decrease biodiversity loss and species extinctions

Several of A Rocha’s community based conservation projects are helping to restore ecosystems on which people depend, such as the Arabuko Sokoke Forest in Kenya. Communities living in these areas have few economic resources and are increasingly vulnerable as the ecosystems and natural resources on which they depend are further affected by climate change. A Rocha is aiming to respond by:

Providing communities with incentives and resources to sustainably manage forests and other ecosystems that sequester carbon and support biodiversity, such as marshlands
Undertaking reforestation and wetland regeneration activities
Ensuring that such conservation activities also generate income for local communities