Integrated development, risk management and community-based climate change adaptation in a mountain-plains system in Northern Tanzania

• Main Authors: Elisabeth Edna Wangui, Thomas A. Smucker, Ben Wisner, Eric Lovell, Adolfo Mascarenhas, Maingi Solomon, Daniel Weiner, Abubakari Munna, Gaurav Sinha, Charles Bwenge, Hubert Meena, Pantaleo Munishi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Institut de Géographie Alpine 2012-04-01
• Series: Revue de Géographie Alpine
• Subjects: climate change; complexity; governance; interdependence; livelihood
• Online Access: http://journals.openedition.org/rga/1701
• ISSN: 0035-1121; 1760-7426

This paper presents a preliminary analysis of work conducted along altitudinal gradients in the mountains and plains of northern Tanzania. We find evidence of a high degree of interdependence among groups of people of different language/cultural groups and socio-economic status interacting along environmental gradients from high to low altitude. We call this “socio-geographical adaptation” to climate change. However, our analysis and discussion adds complexity to any simple notion of “adaptation to climate change” since changes are multiple and adaptation is complex.