Assessing smallholders livelihood vulnerability to climate change in the Konso cultural landscape world heritage site

Climate change is affecting smallholders’ livelihoods and cultural landscapes in Konso, Ethiopia. The objective of this paper is therefore to identify the changes that have occurred in the livelihoods of smallholder farmers as a result of climate change and to assess the implications for the cultural landscape, recognizing that livelihood vulnerability and heritage sustainability are analytically distinguishable but empirically interlinked. We acknowledge that the cross-sectional design limits causal attribution of "changes over time," and findings primarily reflect associations and perceived trends rather than definitive causal pathways. We gathered data using a cross-sectional survey design together with interviews and focus group discussions. Quantitative data were empirically collected from 371 smallholders in three districts delineated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Vulnerability indices were generated using the Livelihood Vulnerability Index approach of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change. Principal component analysis was used to assign weights and create index for vulnerability-contributing indicators. The study revealed that high exposure indices were observed across the study districts which indicates that rainfall and temperature are extremely changing. Prolonged drought and erratic rainfall massively affect smallholders’ livelihoods as well as cultural heritages. The ecosystems across the study districts exhibited high sensitivity to climate change. The study also indicates that smallholder’s adaptive capacities were weakening due to the increasing effects of climate change and they are forced to focus on individual and short-term survival needs instead of collective and long-term heritage management. The high scores of the three major vulnerability contributing factors indicate that smallholders’ livelihood is vulnerability to climate change. This has serious implications for sustainable management of the UNESCO World Heritage site, especially in culturally rich but economically fragile areas such as Konso. This demands to take into account the changing needs and interests of smallholders living in the cultural landscapes and their need for better livelihoods. The findings underscore the need for tailored adaptation strategies to improve the livelihoods of smallholders in the Konso and the perpetuation of the unique cultural landscape registered as UNESCO World Heritage site. We recommend continuous environmental and cultural capacity-building programs particularly targeting the youth to encourage their active participation in the conservation of the Konso cultural landscape.