Sustainable mountain development in East Africa in a changing climate

East Africa’s Mountains and Climate Change: The case of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

Mount Kilimanjaro is located in north-eastern Tanzania, near the border with Kenya. It derives its name from the Swahili words Kilima Njaro meaning ‘shining mountain’, a reference to its legendary ice cap. Mount Kilimanjaro is Africa’s highest mountain, standing at 5,895 m (UNEP, 2014) and has three main peaks: Shira, Mawenzi and the tallest, Kibo. Mount Kilimanjaro is also a Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage site. High rainfall and extensive forests make Mount Kilimanjaro a critical water catchment for both Kenya and Tanzania. Water fromMount Kilimanjaro feeds into the Pangani River, one of Tanzania’s largest rivers. The water supports smallholder irrigation and the provision of food, fuel and building materials for the people of north-central Tanzania and East Africa in general. The mountain attracts more than 35,000 climbers a year, and 5,000 day-visitors from around the world. It is a major source of foreign exchange earnings for Tanzania. The surrounding area is also home to 1.5 million people, three-quarters of whom depend on its rich natural resources: water, food and medicinal herbs. Key challenges Mount Kilimanjaro is threatened by warming climate which has consequently led to the melting of its icecaps. The ice fields atop Mt. Kilimanjaro have lost 80 per cent of their area during the last 100 years and, despite persisting for over 10,000 years, the ice caps are likely to disappear in the coming decades (Combes et. al., undated). Since 1976, fires instigated by a warming climate have degraded 13,000 ha of forest (mainly Erica forest in the upper parts of Mount Kilimanjaro),

Shrinking ice caps of Mt. Kilimanjaro from 1993 to 2000 (50–80% decrease (TMA, 2005). (Source: VPO NAPA, Tanzania, 2007)

Policy Responses Mount Kilimanjaro is a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site, and a biodiversity hotspot. As such, the Tanzanian Government pays special attention to this mountain region and established several protected areas, including the Kilimanjaro National Park (1,668 km²) in 1973, currently under the administration of the Tanzania National Parks Authority. The Kilimanjaro Forest Reserve (107,828 ha) was also gazetted in 1921. In an attempt to reduce the risk of forest fires, the Tanzanian Government implemented a policy to ban campfires. Unfortunately, this did not have the desired effect because most of the fires were being lit by honey collectors and not by mountaineers.

which in turn has severely disturbed the water balance. This is particularly significant given the fact that the forest belt functions as the main water catchment for the surrounding area. As a result of the receding ice cap and deforestation, several rivers are drying up, affecting the forests and farmland below. A stark example of this is the serious water shortage in the town of Moshi, located on the foothills of the mountain. It is also threatening the livelihoods of the Chagga people, who are highly dependent on a steady river discharge for their irrigation systems. During the dry seasons, water shortages are becoming increasingly common, especially on the lower foothills. Women and children bear most of the burden as they have to spend a large part of the day fetching water.

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