Understanding the relationship between the vulnerability of fisheries livelihoods, species distribution, biodiversity, marine habitats and climate change is necessary for the design of effective conservation management, such as the implementation of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), while addressing food security and livelihoods of fish farmers.
The study area of this research covers a wide latitudinal range of the African Large Marine Ecosystem and selected African countries for vulnerability assessment. This area lies within seven major marine ecosystems: Canary Current, Mediterranean Current, Guinea Current, Agulhas Current, Benguela Current, Somali Current and Red Sea Current.
The study assessed the vulnerability of African fisheries and aquaculture to the impacts of climate change using data generated from 27 African countries, and secondly, examined the largely available species occurrence records and environmental data, with the main objectives of assessing the vulnerability of fisheries and aquaculture to the impacts of climate change in Africa, identifying the consequences of rising water temperatures on marine and freshwater fish stocks in Africa, and analysing the impacts of climate change on fish abundance, biodiversity and fish catches in Africa.
The vulnerability assessment of 27 African countries to the impacts of climate change on their fisheries sector was carried out using data from different sources and applying a comprehensive vulnerability assessment approach.