Catchment Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (CRVA) for Lesotho roads: Development of Vulnerability Assessment Tool for Lesotho Roads and Vulnerability Assessment of Selected Catchment Areas

Abstract

The Kingdom of Lesotho is a landlocked country in southern Africa. Large pockets of the population reside along the Senqu River Valley in the south-eastern reaches of the country, and some of the roads traverse this river to connect to the mountainous areas. Increasing temperatures and changing rainfall patterns due to climate change negatively impacts Lesotho’s road network. Sustained land degradation, soil erosion, and increased demand on ecosystem services threatens infrastructure and the health of Lesotho’s natural ecosystems, including wetlands. Climate change risk studies are often addressed through top-down approaches using climate projections and modelled impacts. However, a bottom-up approach is also required to focus on the recent past and present vulnerability. Whilst top-down and bottom-up approaches generate complementary insights into who and what is at risk, integrating their results is a much-needed step towards developing relevant information to address the needs of immediate adaptation decisions. The local-level risk assessment presented in this report is an example of a bottom-up approach to climate risk analysis that helps identify specific risks and opportunities for adaptation. The national level climate risk and vulnerability assessment presented in the national level risk assessment report complements the local-level climate risk and vulnerability assessment.