Table 12. Landscape 3 Climate Stressors, Risks, Impacts and Potential Adaptive Responses for Rwenzori Mountains National Park (RMNP) and – Surrounding Communities INDIRECT IMPACTS INDIRECT IMPACTS POTENTIAL TO LIVELIHOODS TO BIODIVERSITY CLIMATE DIRECT IMPACTS TO CLIMATE RISKS ADAPTIVE STRESSORS BIODIVERSITY FROM BIODIVERSITY FROM LIVELIHOOD RESPONSES IMPACTS IMPACTS Death and/or Decreased tourism Responses to As droughts biodiversity impacts: revenue, tourism dispersal of animal intensify, rainfall life. Animals that are livelihood options Integrate PA fire patterns change and unable to escape will and community management temperatures die. Relocation of support for RMNP. planning into increase, the needs of some wildlife With increased GMPs to address fire substantial and incidence and spread beyond the PA threats. increasing boundaries (perhaps of fires, tourism populations Train PA staff in fire infrastructure would only temporarily). surrounding the management/ be at risk; this would Degradation and conservation area controlled burning. affect possible destruction will compel these Develop and potential of vegetation, populations to implement a habitat of RMNP (UWA, including the fragile increase the cutting restoration plan with 2016) and of vegetation of the of trees within the a focus on surrounding Increased incidence and alpine zones and conservation area, Higher temperatures vegetating/restorin g spread of fires. communities, as well bogs, which provide accelerate draining of fragile areas. as community habitat for several wetlands surrounding Install automatic support for endemics and other the conservation area hydro-met Fire is a particular species of RMNP. for conversion to monitoring stations threat in the alpine zones biodiversity farmland and for flood and drought Reduction of and bogs due to drying Longer dry periods importance. These increase poaching early already limited conditions associated with require significant within the warning systems livelihood options. climate change (Fredric, recovery time. conservation area, Fewer PA 2014). Destruction of exacerbating resources for Responses to ground cover biodiversity impacts community use. Plant livelihoods impacts: resulting in increased noted in the “Direct resources used by Support tourism erosion and possibly Impacts to surrounding infrastructure landslides, which communities could Biodiversity” development at could result in be destroyed by column. alternative, less increased siltation fire, and this could vulnerable sites. decrease community Support alternative support tourism activities, such as cultural
Table 12. Landscape 3 – Climate Stressors, Risks, Impacts and Potential Adaptive Responses for Rwenzori Mountains National Park (RMNP) and Surrounding Communities CLIMATE STRESSORS CLIMATE RISKS DIRECT IMPACTS TO BIODIVERSITY INDIRECT IMPACTS TO LIVELIHOODS FROM BIODIVERSITY IMPACTS INDIRECT IMPACTS TO BIODIVERSITY FROM LIVELIHOOD IMPACTS POTENTIAL ADAPTIVE RESPONSES Higher temperatures Longer dry periods Increased incidence and spread of fires. Fire is a particular threat in the alpine zones and bogs due to drying conditions associated with climate change (Fredric, 2014). Death and/or dispersal of animal life. Animals that are unable to escape will die. Relocation of some wildlife beyond the PA boundaries (perhaps only temporarily). Degradation and possible destruction of vegetation, including the fragile vegetation of the alpine zones and bogs, which provide habitat for several endemics and other species of biodiversity importance. These require significant recovery time. Destruction of ground cover resulting in increased erosion and possibly landslides, which could result in increased siltation Decreased tourism revenue, tourism livelihood options and community support for RMNP. With increased incidence and spread of fires, tourism infrastructure would be at risk; this would affect potential of RMNP (UWA, 2016) and of surrounding communities, as well as community support for RMNP. Reduction of already limited livelihood options. Fewer PA resources for community use. Plant resources used by surrounding communities could be destroyed by fire, and this could decrease community support As droughts intensify, rainfall patterns change and temperatures increase, the needs of substantial and increasing populations surrounding the conservation area will compel these populations to increase the cutting of trees within the conservation area, accelerate draining of wetlands surrounding the conservation area for conversion to farmland and increase poaching within the conservation area, exacerbating biodiversity impacts noted in the “Direct Impacts to Biodiversity” column. Responses to biodiversity impacts: Integrate PA fire management planning into GMPs to address fire threats. Train PA staff in fire management/ controlled burning. Develop and implement a habitat restoration plan with a focus on vegetating/restorin g fragile areas. Install automatic hydro-met monitoring stations for flood and drought early warning systems Responses to livelihoods impacts: Support tourism infrastructure development at alternative, less vulnerable sites. Support alternative tourism activities, such as cultural
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