Vulnerability of fisherfolks and their perceptions towards climate change and its impacts on their livelihoods in a peri-urban lake system in Zimbabwe

Beaven Utete (), Crispen Phiri, Sibonani S. Mlambo, Never Muboko and Bernadette T. Fregene
Additional contact information
Beaven Utete: Chinhoyi University of Technology
Crispen Phiri: Chinhoyi University of Technology
Sibonani S. Mlambo: Chinhoyi University of Technology
Never Muboko: Chinhoyi University of Technology
Bernadette T. Fregene: University of Ibadan

Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, 2019, vol. 21, issue 2, No 19, 917-934

Abstract: Abstract Peri-urban fisheries- and fishing-dependent livelihoods face multiscalar threats of climate change, water pollution, transforming land initiatives and volatile markets. The objectives of this study were to assess the livelihood strategies and assets as well as the vulnerability of peri-urban fisherfolks in Lakes Chivero and Manyame, Zimbabwe. Furthermore, the study investigated the perceptions of fisherfolks towards climate change and its effects on their livelihoods. We employed a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods based on the livelihood indicator approach to assess climate risks and the associated vulnerabilities of peri-urban fisherfolks for the period November 2015–January 2017. Results indicate that the livelihood of the majority of fisherfolks (92.3% in Lake Manyame and 97.1% in Lake Chivero) is predominantly based on fishing and farming. More than 60% of the fisherfolks have attained formal education with some even attaining university education. Most (87%) peri-urban fisherfolks in the Lake Chivero and Manyame are aware of climate change and attest to its negative effects on their fishing-dependent livelihoods. Synergistic and multiplier relations between climatic and non-climatic factors such as water quality and quantity deterioration, obsolete fishing equipment and low working capital are key drivers of vulnerability. Economic diversification is the main adaptive strategy adopted by fisherfolks to reduce vulnerability. Non-significant differences in livelihood strategies, fisherfolk responses and perceptions towards climate change are attributed to the contiguity of the two lakes. Application and implementation of similar climate mitigation and adaptive strategies is a potential solution to reduce current and future vulnerability of fisherfolks in contiguous peri-urban lakes.

Keywords: Climate change; Peri-urban fisheries; Vulnerability; Water security; Urbanisation; Zimbabwe (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10668-017-0067-x Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:endesu:v:21:y:2019:i:2:d:10.1007_s10668-017-0067-x

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/economics/journal/10668

DOI: 10.1007/s10668-017-0067-x

Access Statistics for this article

Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development is currently edited by Luc Hens

More articles in Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().