Village Vulnerability Assessment and Climate Change Adaptation Planning (V&A) Mlingotini and Kitonga, Bagamoyo District, Tanzania

Predictions from experts indicate that the problems caused by climate change will increase, making management of coastal ecosystems and improvements to community resilience even more difficult. The following threats are predicted to cause major problems for coastal resources and the well-being, safety, and food security of coastal communities: more unpredictable precipitation, increases in strong storms, sea level rise, increased sea surface and ambient air temperatures, and increased ocean acidification. These climate and chemical threats and the problems they create are on top of and in addition to existing local stresses. In most of coastal Tanzania, these include deforestation, overfishing, deterioration in water supply and quality, and development pressures. The Pwani Project, in partnership with the government of Tanzania and the United States Agency for International Development, initiated an effort to help local leaders and government assess climate change impacts and find ways to adapt to current and future climate change impacts in a strategic way using their own resources and knowledge. The initial work on climate change targeted two coastal, rural villages in Bagamoyo District – Mlingotini and Kitonga. Mlingotini village is located directly on the Indian Ocean, sheltered by the nearly pristine "Lazy Lagoon" embayment. Livelihoods are predominantly resource-based: traditional fishing, seaweed farming, small-scale agriculture, and more recently the beginnings of small-scale ecotourism. Kitonga is not directly on the coast, but is in the flood plain of the Ruvu River. Here, people are also very dependent on the natural resource base for agriculture, especially rain-fed rice farming, vegetables, and fruits. A 12-person Climate Change Committee, with an equal number of men and women, was formed in each village. The specific objectives of village-level climate change vulnerability assessments and adaptation planning (V&A) include developing awareness and understanding of climate change impacts, vulnerability, and adaptation options, finding local champions for climate change adaptation actions, demonstrating low-cost, low-technology methods for vulnerability assessment and adaptation planning, and sharing experience and best practices across villages and with District government. Vulnerability is defined as the degree to which a human or natural system is susceptible to, or unable to cope with, adverse effects of climate change. Vulnerability is a function of the character, magnitude, and rate of climate variation to which a system is exposed, its sensitivity, and its adaptive capacity. Following the guidance of the USAID report "Adapting to Coastal Climate Change: A Guidebook for Development Planners," this V&A exercise sought to understand the potential impact of climate change and climate variability and develop an initial list of response options (planned adaptation measures). Mlingotini and Kitonga were selected because of their vulnerability to climate change threats and locally expressed interest in assessing climate change and finding ways to limit harmful impacts. Mlingotini village is located directly on the shoreline of the Indian Ocean and is dependent on and influenced by the sea, whereas Kitonga village is located close to the Ruvu River and is influenced by river flooding events. Both Mlingotini and Kitonga have relatively small population sizes, in the order of 2,000 residents each, and are comprised of several sub-villages. The Pwani Project aims to transfer and build on the lessons learned from this experience in V&A to other coastal villages in the Pwani Project area. The overall goal is to maintain healthy coastal ecosystems and reduce the harmful effects of climate change impacts on coastal communities.