Adapting to Climate Change in Coastal Dar es Salaam
This is a three year project co-funded by the European Commission.
Its aim is to contribute to the implementation of the National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) of the United Republic of Tanzania.
The impacts of climate change on key sectors of the Tanzanian economy and the people's well-being prompted preparation of the NAPA in 2007. Vulnerability analysis demonstrated that sea level rise will destroy coastal resources and infrastructure, and additional losses are expected in terms of the bleaching of coral reefs resulting from ocean temperature rise.
Given this scenario, the situation in Dar es Salaam raises major concerns as the city is the largest in Tanzania and the main engine of the national economy. In recent decades, the city has expanded tremendously due to both natural growth and immigration, and today the coastal plain is largely urbanized.
Residential neighborhoods lie beside tourism infrastructures and other economic activities along the coast.
Most of these neighborhoods are unplanned and underserviced, and their inhabitants are largely dependent on natural resources for their livelihoods.