Editing IPCC:AR6/WGII/Chapter-9 (section)

==== 9.6.4.2 Freshwater Ecosystems ====

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EbA can mitigate flooding and increase the resilience of freshwater ecosystems (Table 9.6). Adaptation in African freshwater ecosystems is heavily influenced by non-climate anthropogenic factors, including land use change, water abstraction and diversion, damming and overfishing ( [[#Dodds--2013|Dodds et al., 2013]] ; [[#Kimirei--2020|Kimirei et al., 2020]] ; [[#UNESCO%20and%20UN-Water--2020|UNESCO and UN-Water, 2020]] ). Wetlands and riparian areas support biodiversity, act as natural filtration systems and serve as buffers to changes in the hydrological cycle, thereby increasing the resilience of freshwater ecosystems and the people that rely on them ( [[#Ndebele-Murisa--2014|Ndebele-Murisa, 2014]] ; [[#Musinguzi--2015|Musinguzi et al., 2015]] ; [[#Lowe--2019|Lowe et al., 2019]] ). However, national adaptation programmes of action, NAPs and national communications rarely consider the ecological stability of ecosystems safeguarding the very water resources they seek to preserve ( [[#Kolding--2016|Kolding et al., 2016]] ). Some countries have mandated the protection of riparian zones, but implementation is low ( [[#Musinguzi--2015|Musinguzi et al., 2015]] ; [[#Muchuru--2018|Muchuru and Nhamo, 2018]] ). Protecting terrestrial areas surrounding Lake Tanganyika benefited fish diversity ( [[#Britton--2017|Britton et al., 2017]] ). Afforestation reduces water availability but forest restoration and removing invasive plant species can increase water flows in regions facing water insecurity from climate change ( [[#Chausson--2020|Chausson et al., 2020]] ; [[#Le%20Maitre--2020|Le Maitre et al., 2020]] ). Regular, long-term monitoring of African freshwaters would improve understanding of responses to climate change. General principles for this type of monitoring were developed for Lake Tanganyika ( [[#Plisnier--2018|Plisnier et al., 2018]] ) and could be applied to develop harmonised, regional monitoring of African lakes, rivers and wetlands ( [[#Tamatamah--2020|Tamatamah and Mwedzi, 2020]] )

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