The second African Regional Workshop Peer-to-peer-exchange on BURs took place on October 15-17 in Berlin, Germany, with participants from Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. This report summarizes the information presented and discussed during the workshop.

In southern Africa, the predicted 2°C rise in temperature will destabilise farming systems. Coping mechanisms, livelihood strategies and the cost of adaptation options for smallholder farmers are not sufficiently understood in the region because the majority of research is focused on ecological assessment and identifying the vulnerability of households. In addition, most research is conducted at national and regional levels, with a gap in scientific evidence at a local level to inform policy decisions for effective smallholder adaptation.

This article looks at the impacts of climate change on African forest ecosystems and forest-related sectors and the implications for rural livelihoods. The review looks at case studies from Botswana, the Gambia, Ethiopia, Republic of Congo, Malawi and Uganda for impacts, underlying causes of vulnerability, and coping and adaptation strategies. It is concluded that climate change is likely to cause additional inequalities, thus disproportionately affecting the poor.