Climate change is already impacting on the daily lives of people in rural and urban Africa and it is a massive issue for conservation. Climate Change is affecting the livelihoods and well being of people, is having an impact on ecosystems and on wildlife – impacts which are inextricably linked, and exacerbate each other.
It has not gone unnoticed at PACE that the number of requests from wildlife rangers for ideas and materials to resolve conflict between local communities and elephant in certain areas has increased. Extracts from the PACE Climate Change module explain :
“Southern Africa is becoming drier and hotter under climate change. As a result, grazing and browsing wildlife has to move larger distances, and at different times than is normal in order to find the food and water it needs. As they search for food, water and conditions that meet their needs, more animals are moving outside of National Parks, conservancies and other protected areas – the result is human: wildlife conflict. In Botswana increasing numbers of elephants are moving southwards. In the West African Sahel region elephants are moving south because severe droughts and the drying up of Lake Chad mean there is no water in the areas where they used to find a home. In the Sahel people are also moving away from areas that have become desert, they move along with their herds of livestock. This creates more competition for land.”
PACE is about sharing solutions, and we’re proud to have success stories to pass on. The PACE Climate change module explains what climate change is and why it is happening. It discusses the effects and what people can do to reduce climate change, and how to adapt, to manage and reduce the negative impacts. There are examples and case studies from across Africa, with links to action sheets and films that show practically, how to put techniques into practice.