Climate Change Impacts on Wildlife Protected Areas in Southern Africa: a Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

The article examines how climate change has impacted wildlife-protected areas in Southern Africa in the context of tourism development. Protected areas are known as preferred destinations for nature-loving tourists. Using a systematic review and bibliometric analysis the authors identify symptoms of climate change in Southern Africa’s wildlife-protected areas and adaptation strategies for resilient destinations. Some of the key effects of climate change identified in the analysis include species reduction, human-wildlife conflicts, habitat quality and infrastructure modification and social impacts. The authors establish at what levels changing climatic conditions in protected areas affect conservation and tourism processes in protected areas thus contributing to the body of knowledge on wildlife-human interactions, survival strategies of community members and interactions between community members and conservation organizations. The synthesized data can be used in future studies to focus on climate-proofing protected areas and surrounding communities, can help social enterprises and conservation groups to improve community resilience against climate change and inform conservation ecosystem-based adaptation strategies.