Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 5, 2025
06:27
Simulating Impacts of Ice Storms on Forest Ecosystems
Published on: June 30, 2020
6.9K
Climate change and hunter-gatherers in montane eastern DR Congo
Batumike Rodrigue1, Franklin Bulonvu2, Gerard Imani3
1Université du Cinquantenaire Lwiro, Département de sciences de l'environnement, Kabare, Suk-Kivu, DR Congo.
Climate and Development
|December 9, 2024
Summary
African hunter-gatherers perceive significant climate change impacts, including temperature increases and altered rainfall. Their socioeconomic status limits adaptation, highlighting the need for community-centered approaches to build resilience.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Climate Change Studies
- Social Anthropology
Background:
- Mountain ecosystems exhibit accelerated temperature shifts compared to lower altitudes.
- Limited understanding exists regarding observed climatic changes in African mountains and associated hunter-gatherer adaptation strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate climate change perceptions and adaptation strategies among Twa hunter-gatherers in the Mt Kahuzi region of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- To compare Twa perceptions with those of neighboring Tembo farmers and available meteorological data.
Main Methods:
- Conducted 100 semi-structured interviews with Twa hunter-gatherers.
- Organized 10 focus-group discussions with Tembo farmers.
- Collected historical meteorological data from Kamembe meteorological station.
Main Results:
- Twa respondents reported decreased rainfall and fog, alongside increased temperatures, impacting crop yields and forest product availability.
- Tembo farmers' perceptions aligned with Twa observations; meteorological data confirmed reduced rainfall and increased temperatures, but lacked fog data.
- Twa, unlike Tembo farmers, employed no adaptation strategies due to socioeconomic constraints, despite awareness of climate change impacts.
Conclusions:
- Socioeconomic conditions significantly heighten Twa vulnerability and limit their adaptive capacity to climate change.
- A "science with society" (SWS) participatory approach is recommended to support the Twa in developing effective adaptation strategies.
Related Concept Videos
01:16What is Climate?
18.4K
Climate refers to the prevailing weather conditions in a specific area over an extended period. As the saying goes, “Climate is what you expect. Weather is what you get.” Climate is influenced by geographic factors, such as latitude, terrain, and proximity to bodies of water.
18.4K
01:50Threats to Biodiversity
22.1K
There have been five major extinction events throughout geological history, resulting in the elimination of biodiversity, followed by a rebound of species that adapted to the new conditions. In the current geological epoch, the Holocene, there is a sixth extinction event in progress. This mass extinction has been attributed to human activities and is thus provisionally called the Anthropocene. In 2019 the human population reached 7.7 billion people and is projected to comprise 10 billion by...
22.1K
01:50Global Climate Change
24.2K
Throughout its ~4.5 billion year history, the Earth has experienced periods of warming and cooling. However, the current drastic increase in global temperatures is well outside of the Earth’s cyclic norms, and evidence for human-caused global climate change is compelling. Paleoclimatology, the study of ancient climate conditions, provides ample evidence for human-caused global climate change by comparing recent conditions with those in the past.
24.2K
02:31Habitat Fragmentation
17.4K
Habitat fragmentation describes the division of a more extensive, continuous habitat into smaller, discontinuous areas. Human activities such as land conversion, as well as slower geological processes leading to changes in the physical environment, are the two leading causes of habitat fragmentation. The fragmentation process typically follows the same steps: perforation, dissection, fragmentation, shrinkage, and attrition.
17.4K
00:53Migration
7.9K
Migration is long-range, seasonal movement from one region or habitat to another. This common strategy, carried out by many different organisms around the world, is an adaptive response that typically corresponds to changes in an organism’s environment, like resource availability or climate. Migrations can involve huge groups of thousands of animals as well as single individuals traveling alone and can range from thousands of kilometers to just a few hundred meters.
7.9K
02:41Responses to Drought and Flooding
10.6K
Water plays a significant role in the life cycle of plants. However, insufficient or excess of water can be detrimental and pose a serious threat to plants.
10.6K