Impacts of climate change and vulnerability of African pastoralists

Abstract

This presentation attempts to assess the impacts of climate change on vulnerability of Nigerian pastoralists based on the results of a recently conducted questionnaire. The general situation of climate change impacts on African pastoralists will also be reviewed. Pastoralists in Africa face several challenges of climate change that constrain their livelihoods and stifle their ability to adapt to changes in their external environment. The challenges can be grouped into four categories: climate change, political and economic marginalization, inappropriate development policies, and increasing resource competition. Pastoralists have lived with challenges of climate change and variability for millennial, and they are known to be highly resilient to erratic weather and climate conditions. However, the unprecedented rate and scale of human-induced climate change, especially in Africa, is beginning to pose problems, especially where social, political and economic factors are inimical to their livelihoods. Vulnerability is most often represented by a suite of socio-economic, political and environmental factors that represent the sensitivity and exposure of a population to climate hazards. Climate change impacts on pastoral households are evident in livelihood outcomes of higher temperature, changing landscapes and ecology, increased risk of drought, fire and floods, heat related illness and diseases among others. Climate plays a significant role in the sustainability of livelihoods of pastoralists. Pastoralists in Africa particularly are nowadays facing bigger challenges of land accessibility and lack of integration into the socio-cultural life of home communities. Climate change will be an additional stressor that outstrips their current adjustments. A survey of climate change perception has been conducted in Nigeria on numerous pastoral groups. The results will be analyzed, and compared with the existing reports on other pastoral groups in Africa. The understanding of vulnerability of the pastoralists will help us understand the root causes of violence and insecurity that are concealed in the interaction between the environmental, socio-political, and economic factors.