Freshwater management and climate change adaptation: Experiences from the Great Ruaha River catchment in Tanzania
- 1 November 2009
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis in Climate and Development
- Vol. 1 (3), 220-228
- https://doi.org/10.3763/cdev.2009.0025
Abstract
Adaptation to anthropogenic climate change is becoming vital to freshwater ecosystems and resource management, but climate adaptation can be purposeful or unintentional. This paper presents lessons from an assessment of an autonomous adaptation in the Great Ruaha River catchment in Tanzania following WWF intervention. The project was designed to address challenges resulting from natural resource use and existing levels of climate variability by changing water resource management. The study applied participatory methods and an open-ended questionnaire to collect data. The study found key adaptation benefits, including reduced vulnerability to drought and strengthened local water user associations and other regional institutions. As a result of the project interventions from 2003 to 2009, rural livelihoods became more profitable and water-sustainable, and local livelihood strategies were diversified. Regional ecosystems improved as a result of restoring river flows in some rivers, conservation of riparian v...Keywords
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