ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Hum. Dyn.
Sec. Population, Environment and Development
Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fhumd.2025.1583234
This article is part of the Research TopicAdaptive Frontiers in the Anthropocene: Human-Environment Dynamics in the Face of Climate ChangeView all 3 articles
Assessing climate change effects, conservation areas and food systems: A case study of Seven Fountains and Alicedale, Eastern Cape, South Africa
Provisionally accepted
- Faculty of Social science and Humanites , university of Fort Hare , East London, South Africa, East London, South Africa
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Biodiversity conservation through protected areas has expanded across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and South Africa is no exception. However, the interplay between conservation governance, climate change, and food systems remains understudied in rural contexts. This study examined the interconnections among biodiversity conservation, climate variability, and food systems resilience in Alicedale and Seven Fountains in South Africa's Eastern Cape province. Using qualitative methods, the research highlighted key challenges such as limited land access, unequal water availability, high unemployment, and climate induced agricultural disruption. Findings revealed that conservation-related restrictions, coupled with unpredictable weather patterns, undermine local food production and access. Participants proposed adaptive strategies, including shared land access, community boreholes, and small-scale farming initiatives. The study concludes that integrating food security concerns into conservation planning, especially in privately owned reserves, require participatory governance models and attention to historical and institutional inequalities. By contributing empirical insights to debates on environmental justice and climate adaptation, this study highlights the need for inclusive, locally responsive natural resource management in marginalised rural areas.
Keywords: Climate Change, food systems, biodiversity conservation, environmental justice, resilience, Eastern cape, South Africa
Received: 25 Feb 2025; Accepted: 05 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 EFFOSSOU, Maphosa and Moyo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: KABLAN Antoine EFFOSSOU, Faculty of Social science and Humanites , university of Fort Hare , East London, South Africa, East London, South Africa
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