ABSTRACT
Adaptation to climate variability is not new; but climate change is expected to present heightened risk, new combinations of risks and, in some instances, to inundate coping mechanisms. This is particularly true in Africa where direct dependence upon the natural environment for livelihood support exists alongside a lack of infrastructure and high levels of poverty to create vulnerability in the face of all types of environmental change. In response to climate change there is a growing focus on the need for ‘anticipatory adaptation’ (UNDP, 2007) involving the proactive rather than the reactive management of climate change risk. Anticipatory adaptation relies on the best available information concerning the nature and timing of future climate risks.
