A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND LOCAL VULNERABILITY AROUND LAKE VICTORIA, TANZANIA

Abstract

Abstract: The Lake Victoria Basin in Tanzania faces rising threats from climate change whichendanger both its natural systems and human communities. The review examines currentliterature on climate change vulnerability through a systematic assessment that focuses on localsettings and socio-ecological systems and institutional reaction patterns. The flow Diagram forPreferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodologywas used. The study systematically reviewed studies up to July 2024 (N=28) published on theScopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar and JSTOR. The results show current state of literatureon climate vulnerability, how literature frame vulnerability concept, variables involved andfuture perspectives. The existing research fails to maintain consistent theoretical frameworkswhile neglecting essential intersectional and place-specific aspects of vulnerability. The reviewidentifies key climate change threats which combine declining water levels with erratic rainfalland increased food insecurity and vector-borne diseases and ecosystem degradation to createintensified human vulnerability. The review advocates for a vulnerability framework whichintegrates justice principles to understand local experiences while guiding policy developmentand adaptation planning. The Lake Victoria region needs future research to develop strongermethodologies and include marginalized perspectives for building resilience against growingclimate stress.