AUTHOR=de la Torre-Castro Maricela , Lindström Lars , Jiddawi Narriman S. , Pike Felicity , Max Astrid 

TITLE=Women and adaptive capacity to climate change in East African seascapes – Zanzibar as an example

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Marine Science

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.931883

DOI=10.3389/fmars.2022.931883

ISSN=2296-7745

ABSTRACT=As the climate crisis remains, there is a crucial need to increase our knowledge on adaptive capacity and the underlying factors building it, particularly for disadvantaged groups such as coastal women in East Africa. Women’s livelihoods in these seascapes are and will be more severely affected by climate change and the capacity of East African states to deal with these challenges is limited in terms of financial and human capital.  In this research, we investigated the underlying factors building the adaptive capacity of coastal women in Zanzibar (Unguja Island), Tanzania. Coastal women (N=117) were interviewed in villages around the island to gather information about potential factors supporting adaptive capacity. This was further discussed applying Cinner’s et al. (2018) five domains typology for adaptive capacity, i.e. assets, flexibility, organizations, learning and agency. The results show that women had relatively low adaptive capacity, extended poverty and high dependence on seaweed farming, a livelihood providing low income and already being seriously affected by climate change. Women’s observations of key variables related to environmental changes corresponded to most scientific findings. It was, however, unclear how that knowledge is useful and enhances adaptive capacity. Adaptive capacity was generally low but individual differences were found in which ten women had high income. The results show that the factors underlying adaptive capacity are complex and interact with each other, being positive, negative and unclear. This study adds to the pool of knowledge by addressing women (as opposed to men); coastal ecosystems (as opposed to land and freshwater systems) and the individual level (as oppose to national and community levels). The study illustrates that institutional renewal, bridging and cooperation is fully possible in Zanzibar bringing good news to the region.