Download WP4 Comm Plan Key Messages 4May2015_RAM

Target Audience
WP4 Key Messages
Communities, farmers, extension
agents and government officers
General
Future climate change is highly uncertain at local scales, although it will certainly be warmer (2-4
degrees by the end of the century) and rains could be less predictable. The priority is to develop flexible,
diverse livelihood strategies, and to appreciate that land use – as well as climate change – can impact
water flows, soil health and local climate.
Extension agents and government officers should sensitize local communities on the evidence of climate
change, possible impacts (such as droughts, floods, pest incidence, highland malaria) and how to adapt
and assist to mitigate those impacts.
Jimma
Semi-managed coffee farming integrates local livelihoods with the conservation of plant and animal
diversity, and with ecosystem services such as soil and water protection, pollination services and carbon
storage. Due to carbon retained compared with other land use types (crop, pasture) traditional coffee
management systems play an important role in climate change mitigation, raising their importance at the
national and international level. Unmanaged natural forests remain important for some specialist
species, but these systems are typically over-exploited for fuelwood collection and general forest
products
Retaining canopy cover improves soil condition and lowers temperatures and evaporative potential in
the forest understory, which will become increasingly important in a warmer world. Climate projections
suggest little change in the amount or seasonal distribution of rain at Jimma, although higher
temperatures could increase aridity. Timing of the rains, and climatic variability across years, may
become less predictable.
Taita
The Taita Hills are globally renowned for their rare biodiversity: they harbour some of the oldest forests
on the planet – local communities should be proud of this fact, and recognise that forest conservation
provides direct benefits to people in terms of hydrological flow regulation, soil conservation and fire
control, tourist revenue, an important store of Carbon and hence potential payments from a Reduced
Emission from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) as this becomes implemented
Climate projections suggest temperatures will be higher throughout the year, with more rain during
already wet months and slightly less rain during May-Oct. Timing of the rainsacross years, may become
less predictable. Local stakeholders see opportunities in the potentially higher annual rainfall, but this
would need to be captured and managed effectively over the year. Stakeholders are worried by the
potential of increased variability / uncertainty of rainfall, for which solutions are more difficult to plan
Kilimanjaro
Soil fertility has been declining, affecting crop productivity. An increase in tree cover (e.g. for fruit or
timber, but beware rooting patterns and water requirements of non-native species) will help in the
supply of organic matter and uplift of soil nutrients, as well reducing surface runoff (the main cause of
soil erosion). Other inputs, such as manure, are advocated to address specific nutrient deficiencies.
Coffee shrubs provide a basis for sustaining indigenous trees such as Albizia and Ocotea on farms. Since
the economic performance of coffee has declined, there has been a switch to crops that do not require
shading, contributing to woodland clearance of the slopes and associated decline in soil health. Local
farmers should be assisted to strategize in marketing coffee, to improve profitability. Fodder-based
agroforestry could also be improved in both Taita and Kilimanjaro.
There has been a general decline in Kilimanjaro rainfall since the 1980s, but this trend has not continued
in recent years. Deforestation upslope of communities could have impacted local climate and stream flow
as much as broader scale climatic factors. Climate projections suggest little change in mean annual
rainfall, although higher temperatures mean that aridity, especially during the dry season, could
increase. Timing of the rains, and climatic variability across years, may become less predictable.
Teachers and the pupils
School children should be equipped with knowledge on the impacts of climate change on ecosystems, the
services they provide to people, and the mitigation and adaptation options available to tackle the
problem, locally, regionally, nationally and globally.
Human intervention at local scales can positively or negatively impact the status of biodiversity and
wider provision of ecosystem services: broader scale changes must be understood, but local actions can
and do make a big difference. For example, efforts to restore soil fertility and tree cover can be
implemented at farm-level, but cumulatively provide benefits for surrounding shambas’ by enhancing
regulation of water flow, soil nutrients and pollinator services, amongst other ecosystem services.
Mass media and general public
Climate change affects all facets of the society: there is a need to raise awareness on climate change, its
impacts and mitigation/adaptation options.
Kenya has extremely rich and varied landscapes, with many species found nowhere else on Earth. This
diversity is not at odds with economic development, and indeed contributes substantially to local and
national prosperity through nature-based tourism, foods, fuels and fibres, as well as regulatory functions
acting on soils, water flows and climate that can have social-economic impacts at the local, regional,
national and international scales.
State and local government institutions
General
Climate change impacts on local communities could either exacerbate existing issues and conflicts or to
some extent benefit the communities if appropriate practices are put in place. Policies should be able to
deal with increased climate variability and unpredictability, and so different kinds of interventions
should be planned. Building capacity and flexibility of local stakeholders should be part of any adaptation
strategy.
Community perceptions are sometimes different than scientific outputs. This could be due to confusion
between the drivers of the experienced impacts (e.g. between attributing change to climate shifts rather
than more localised land use factors), or to an overestimation of localised impacts. Increasing
stakeholders’ participation contributes to their better understanding of on-going processes, and so may
enhance successful responses to environmental changes.
Mitigation measures, policies and institutional frameworks on climate change should be strengthened.
Awareness must be raised on the need to consider elevational interdependencies across mountain
communities, particularly as concerns land use planning and water usage.
Climate projections for Eastern Africa are uncertain, especially near the equator, coastal and mountain
regions. A warmer and wetter climate is, on average, projected, although this varies from place to place
and from model to model. In many cases, a wetter and more variable climate may not improve yields, if
the extra rains fall unpredictably and/or during already wet months, risking flooding and/or soil
erosion. Of particular importance in mountain regions is the protection of catchment forests, to foremost
regulate the flow of water downslope, but also regulate the nutrient fluxes, local climatic regime and
provide wider forest ecosystem services. In addition to providing these regulatory roles, vital to uses
across the landscape, catchment forests are crucial in generating local hydrology through fog/mist
capture.
In an African context, the Eastern Afromontane Biodiversity Hotspot is likely to become increasingly
important as a refuge for biodiversity, with these sites projected to experience lower rates of warming
than the continental average. However range-shifts will be necessary for many species to survive the
changing conditions, which will be subject to available habitat/connectivity and thus decisions in landuse planning.
Ethiopia
Traditional coffee farming, further to supporting local livelihoods, retains a high degree of forest canopy
cover and associated carbon storage. Biodiversity and local services such as soil conservation, fog/mist
capture, pollination and natural pest control are also high compared with other land use types. The
forests could be eligible for carbon-based conservation schemes such as REDD+, which could potentially
guard against conversion to more intensive land use types should traditional coffee farming cease to be
profitable. Elsewhere, natural forests should be managed to ensure sustainable offtake of biomass, and to
minimise impacts on habitat specialist species which do not persist in disturbed systems.
Tanzania and Kenya
It is important to retain trees in the agricultural landscapes, for the benefit of soil fertility, carbon storage
and hydrological flow regulation.
Declines in soil fertility on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro are due to inappropriate land management
activities. Measures to ensure the restoration and conservation of soil fertility are vital. Tree planting
and farming inputs such as fertilizers, quality germplasm and extension services will help to address the
challenges of low productivity facing the farmers.
National agricultural research and
extension services
AFRICLM climate ensembles provide free, user-friendly access to the latest climate projections at high
spatial resolutions. More detailed data are archived at Kenya MET and on the CORDEX website.
Researchers should be aware of the uncertainties in these data, and interpret impact assessments
accordingly with the flexibility in the interventions reflecting the uncertainties in our predictive ability.
Biodiversity and carbon data have been collected and archived at national institutions (Addis herbarium,
National Museums of Kenya herbarium). Dozens of agricultural research institution staff, spanning all
East Africa countries, have been trained in GIS and statistical analysis, remote sensing, vegetation and
carbon monitoring. These staff should be proactive in sharing their new skills with colleagues, and in
maintaining scientific collaborations with the CHIESA partners, including the Universities in the UK and
Finland.
Jimma
There are notable differences among the different land use types in terms of carbon, plant and butterfly
diversity, with species richness and carbon storage generally declining as we move from uncultivated to
cultivated land. Some habitat specialists persist only in undisturbed forests; otherwise biodiversity is
high in the traditional coffee systems. More research is required to quantify the important role of these
forests as a source of pollinators and natural pest management serving adjacent cropland.
Taita and Kilimanjaro
Biodiversity (plants, birds, butterflies) in the cropland systems is notably higher compared with
cropland elsewhere in the world, due to the low-intensity, varied landscapes, and proximity to natural
vegetation. Further research is needed to understand the optimal landscape strategy for reconciling
biodiversity conservation, agricultural yields, and ecosystem services essential to livelihoods.
Private sector
The participation of the private sector in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and climate friendly
practices is encouraged, particular as working with the information provide by CHIESA can produce
economic and social benefits.