Climate Change Impacts on East Africa

Africa contains about one-fifth of all known species of plants, mammals, and birds, as well as one-sixth of amphibians and reptiles. These species make up some of the world’s most diverse and biologically important ecosystems, such as savannahs, tropical forests, coral reef marines and freshwater habitats, wetlands, and montane ecosystems. These globally important ecosystems provide the economic foundation that many Africa countries rely on, by providing water, food, and shelter. However, because of climate change, these ecosystems and the livelihoods that depend on them are threatened. The aim of this paper is to highlight some of the major impacts of climate change on conservation for East African countries including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda. As this paper illustrates, climate change in Africa is not only a conservation problem, but a socio-economic issue that must be dealt with on a global scale.