Abstract:
The Sudd in South Sudan, formed by the White Nile\'s Baḥr al-Jabal section, is one of the largest and most important wetlands in the world. Communities in the region almost exclusively depend on fisheries for food and livelihoods. Although threatened by over-exploitation and habitat changes, fish populations are also affected by climate change. Using semi-structured questionnaires, we assessed fisherfolk\'s opinions of how recent variation in climate affected their livelihoods and the environment. Fisherfolk perceived that climate had changed in the past decade and were negatively impacted by this. Interviewees reported average higher temperatures, a greater frequency of floods and droughts, unpredictable timing of seasons, and erratic rainfall. Destruction of fishing villages/camps, loss and damage of fishing equipment, shifts in the fishing calendar, reduction of fish trade, and fish catch declines as well as psycho-social problems were given as the major consequences of climate change. Causes of climate change and variability were perceived to be linked to uncontrolled harvest of forest resources, anger of God and ancestors, and natural variability in climate. Most respondents expressed a desire to adopt more responsible behavior such as planting trees and establishing community nurseries, being educated on climate change risks, and sustainable fisheries management. Our results show that fisherfolk in the Sudd are troubled by climate change impacts on their livelihoods and on fish populations. In South Sudan, climate change has been reported from hydroclimatological data but concrete impacts on people remain largely unknown and of little concern because of recent wars and the poor economy. Our study provides an example of how fisherfolks\' local ecological knowledge (LEK) can be used as an early warning system of the negative impacts on livelihoods and fish populations and support adaptation to the changing climate.
UNASSIGNED: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10113-022-01928-w.
摘要:
南苏丹的Sudd,由白尼罗河的巴·阿尔·贾巴尔部分组成,是世界上最大和最重要的湿地之一。该地区的社区几乎完全依靠渔业来获取食物和生计。尽管受到过度开发和栖息地变化的威胁,鱼类种群也受到气候变化的影响。使用半结构化问卷,我们评估了渔民对近期气候变化如何影响其生计和环境的看法。渔民认为气候在过去十年中发生了变化,并受到了负面影响。受访者报告平均气温较高,洪水和干旱的频率更高,季节不可预测的时机,和不稳定的降雨。破坏渔村/营地,捕鱼设备的损失和损坏,钓鱼日历的变化,减少鱼类贸易,渔获量下降以及心理社会问题被认为是气候变化的主要后果。人们认为气候变化和多变性的原因与森林资源的无节制采伐有关,上帝和祖先的愤怒,和气候的自然变化。大多数受访者表示希望采取更负责任的行为,例如植树和建立社区苗圃,接受气候变化风险的教育,可持续渔业管理。我们的结果表明,Sudd的渔民受到气候变化对其生计和鱼类种群的影响的困扰。在南苏丹,根据水文气候数据报告了气候变化,但由于最近的战争和经济不景气,对人们的具体影响在很大程度上仍然未知,也很少受到关注。我们的研究提供了一个例子,说明渔民如何将当地生态知识(LEK)用作对生计和鱼类种群的负面影响的预警系统,并支持适应不断变化的气候。
■在线版本包含补充材料,可在10.1007/s10113-022-01928-w获得。