Using climate information to support adaptation planning and policy-making: A practical case study in Bagamoyo District, coastal Tanzania

The case study focuses on the Bagamoyo district in coastal Tanzania, north of Dar es Salaam, and builds on work done through by the Pwani Project, an ecosystems-based coastal management initiative that conducted a vulnerability assessment in two coastal rural villages, Mlingotini and Kitonga.

Local livelihoods are mostly based on natural resources, including small-scale agriculture (vegetables and fruits, plus rain-fed rice farming in Kitonga), seaweed farming, traditional fishing and small-scale eco-tourism. People live close to the sea and are very aware of the tides, seasonality of rain and direction of the wind. They also report that climate variability and climate change are affecting their lives. Specifically, they report changing rainfall patterns, droughts and floods, coastal erosion, and saltwater intrusion that is affecting local water supplies.

The case study uses the Climate Information Portal (CIP), which has been integrated with weADAPT, as well as other data sources to examine climate information relevant to the conditions reported in Bagamoyo. The research question is defined thus: What do current trends in temperatures, rainfall and mean sea level, and medium- and long-term projections, suggest are the most serious climate risks that government officials in Bagamoyo district need to address?

Download the case study (PDF, 1.95MB)

Note: The same methodology has also been applied in a case study in Cape Town, South Africa.