SCAPES FY10 Semi-annual Report Ruvuma Landscape, Coastal East Africa

The report outlines progress and successes in achieving the program's objectives. A rapid vulnerability assessment for the Ruvuma Landscape is being planned for mid-June in Pemba, Mozambique, in collaboration with CARE, WWF, and government participants from Tanzania and Mozambique. This workshop aims to identify climate change risks and vulnerabilities in the region. Additionally, a climate change risk and vulnerability assessment in affected communities was conducted in Nampula, Mozambique, from November 9-13, 2009, using CARE's Climate Vulnerability and Capacity Analysis (CVCA) and Community-based Risk Screening – Adaptation and Livelihoods (CRiSTAL) tools. The recruitment of a Field Officer for the Niassa Reserve-Lake Niassa Corridor is underway, with 12 CVs submitted and evaluated for shortlisting. Armindo Araman, WWF's elephant specialist in northern Mozambique, has been chosen to lead the implementation of the SCAPES Program in northern Mozambique, providing technical assistance to the Niassa Corridor officer. A joint planning meeting was held in Pemba on February 12, 2010, with representatives from WWF, CARE, and the Directorate of Conservation Areas (DNAC) to discuss the implementation of the SCAPES Program. The meeting resulted in several key decisions, including the selection of local NGOs to implement activities in the Quirimbas area and the development of a selection matrix to determine which villages will be selected for Year 1 activities. The matrix will be used to ensure that the communities involved in the first phase of the project are vulnerable to climate change. Four communities have been selected for the first year using the following criteria: proximity to biologically sensitive areas, relatively large-sized communities, relative dependence on subsistence livelihoods, high frequency of Human Wildlife Conflict (HWC), and changes observed from satellite imagery concerning forest cover, water availability, and land conversion. The SCAPES Program is making progress in laying the groundwork for a successful program start-up, with the work plan approval, Araman on board, and the Niassa Corridor officer soon to be hired. The program has also received positive feedback from WWF and CARE SCAPES Ruvuma landscape teams, indicating excitement and commitment from the teams involved.