24 / 100
24
Mount Kilimanjaro is located in north-eastern
Tanzania, near the border with Kenya. It derives its
name from the Swahili words Kilima Njaro meaning
‘shining mountain’, a reference to its legendary ice
cap. Mount Kilimanjaro is Africa’s highest mountain,
standing at 5,895 m (UNEP, 2014) and has three
main peaks: Shira, Mawenzi and the tallest, Kibo.
Mount Kilimanjaro is also a Biosphere Reserve and
a World Heritage site.
High rainfall and extensive forests make Mount
Kilimanjaro a critical water catchment for both
Kenya and Tanzania. Water fromMount Kilimanjaro
feeds into the Pangani River, one of Tanzania’s largest
rivers. The water supports smallholder irrigation and
the provision of food, fuel and building materials for
the people of north-central Tanzania and East Africa
in general.
The mountain attracts more than 35,000 climbers a
year, and 5,000 day-visitors from around the world.
It is a major source of foreign exchange earnings for
Tanzania. The surrounding area is also home to 1.5
million people, three-quarters of whom depend on its
rich natural resources: water, food and medicinal herbs.
Key challenges
Mount Kilimanjaro is threatened by warming climate
which has consequently led to the melting of its
icecaps. The ice fields atop Mt. Kilimanjaro have lost
80 per cent of their area during the last 100 years
and, despite persisting for over 10,000 years, the ice
caps are likely to disappear in the coming decades
(Combes et. al., undated).
Since 1976, fires instigated by a warming climate
have degraded 13,000 ha of forest (mainly Erica
forest in the upper parts of Mount Kilimanjaro),
which in turn has severely disturbed the water
balance. This is particularly significant given the
fact that the forest belt functions as the main water
catchment for the surrounding area. As a result of the
receding ice cap and deforestation, several rivers are
drying up, affecting the forests and farmland below.
A stark example of this is the serious water shortage
in the town of Moshi, located on the foothills of
the mountain. It is also threatening the livelihoods
of the Chagga people, who are highly dependent
on a steady river discharge for their irrigation
systems. During the dry seasons, water shortages are
becoming increasingly common, especially on the
lower foothills. Women and children bear most of
the burden as they have to spend a large part of the
day fetching water.
Policy Responses
Mount Kilimanjaro is a UNESCO World Natural
Heritage Site, and a biodiversity hotspot. As such, the
Tanzanian Government pays special attention to this
mountain region and established several protected
areas, including the Kilimanjaro National Park (1,668
km²) in 1973, currently under the administration
of the Tanzania National Parks Authority. The
Kilimanjaro Forest Reserve (107,828 ha) was also
gazetted in 1921.
In an attempt to reduce the risk of forest fires, the
Tanzanian Government implemented a policy to
ban campfires. Unfortunately, this did not have the
desired effect because most of the fires were being lit
by honey collectors and not by mountaineers.
East Africa’s Mountains and Climate Change: The case of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
Shrinking ice caps of Mt. Kilimanjaro from 1993 to 2000 (50–80% decrease (TMA, 2005).
(Source: VPO NAPA, Tanzania, 2007)