Pathways to Enhance the Adaptive Capacity and Resilience to Climate Change in Southern Africa

Resource depletion and environmental degradation are some of the major challenges facing Southern Africa, affecting mainly the most vulnerable communities living in marginalised areas and relying on natural systems for their livelihoods. The challenges are compounded by poor resource management and climate change, affecting the ecological and socio-economic systems in both space and time. This chapter uses a mixed research method to illustrate the need to enhance climate change resilience through integrated resource management to achieve transformational change without leaving anyone behind. The chapter highlights the interlinkages between distinct but interconnected ecological and socio-economic systems at different spatial scales, providing examples of the impact of unsustainable and sector-based management of resources that include soil, water and land. The impacts of poor resource management negatively affect livelihoods and human and environmental health. The interrelations between resources manifest when developments in one sector affect the efficiency of other related sectors. For example, poor agricultural practices lead to erosion, which in turn degrades agricultural land. In turn, land degradation results in reduced storage capacity of surface water sources, leading to water and food insecurity. Initiatives that have demonstrated improved adaptive capacity and resilience of vulnerable communities are highlighted.