Climate change is currently one of the greatest environmental challenges facing humankind; where increased temperatures and changing rainfall patterns are predicted to impact upon livelihoods in Tanzania. This paper highlights the current use pattern of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) by forest-dependent communities as a strategy to cope with the impacts of climate change and variability around the New Dabaga-Ulongambi Forest Reserve (NDUFR) in Kilolo District. Specifically, the local peoples' perceptions of climate change and the change in use pattern of NTFPs as a response to perceived change were investigated. Participatory Research Approaches mainly focus group discussions and household questionnaires were the methods used to collect data. The Statistical Packages for Social Science (SPSS) and content analysis were tools used to analyse data. Further, the Community-based Risk Screening Tool for Adaptation and Livelihoods (CRiSTAL 3.0) was used to synthesize information on the link between climate change, NTFPs and livelihoods. The local people perceived changes in climate based on rainfall and temperature in line with the available climatic data records from 1980 to 2011. Temperature has increased for the past 30 years; while rainfall is characterized by large inter-annual variability, with the heaviest rains in 1997 and 2010. Communities living around NDUFR are increasingly relying on NTFPs for food, health and income security among the strategy to cope with change in climate compared to the situation 30 years ago. In conclusion, climate has been varying around forest communities in Kilolo affecting their livelihood. At the same time, NTFPs seem to play safety roles by assisting communities to cope in adverse situations. There is a need for training communities on climate change issues to enhance the adaptive capacity of communities and in turn improve their livelihood. Sustainable harvesting of NTFPs is crucial so as to reduce overexploitation of forest resources.

The baobab seed oil has been consumed by humans due to its medicinal and nutrient values for many years. However, the consumption of baobab seed oil has been perceived by different communities as a health risk caused by cyclopropenoid fatty acids (CPFAs), which are carcinogenic ingredients present in the oil. This study investigated the physicochemical properties and fatty acid profile of baobab crude seed oil collected from semiarid areas in Tanzania and determined the effects of heating on the reduction of CPFAs. The baobab seed crude oil was extracted by Soxhlet using n-hexane, and the fatty acid composition of the baobab seed crude oil was determined by gas-liquid chromatography (GLC). Since CPFAs are resistant to lower temperatures, the effect of heating on the CPFA content of baobab crude seed oil was studied at 150°C, 200°C, and 250°C. The A. digitata crude seed oil was found to contain mainly twelve essential fatty acids and two different CPFAs. The most abundant fatty acids were palmitic acid, oleic acid, and linoleic acid in all the baobab population hotspots occurring in Tanzania. There was no significant difference in most physicochemical properties and fatty acid composition across the different semiarid areas in Tanzania. The major breakdown of CPFAs occurs at 200°C, and that would be the optimal temperature recommended for the refining process of the baobab crude oil. The study recommended refining of the baobab oil at higher temperatures ranging from 200 - 250°C as the best way of reducing CPFAs.

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The impact of unsustainable land‐use conversions, changes in climate and anthropogenic activities on abundance and distribution of baobab populations was assessed in semi‐arid regions of Tanzania. Baobabs were sampled in plots of 1 km long and a 50 m wide, which were carried out in 337 grids located in different land‐use types. Transects for each land‐use type were located using a stratified random sampling technique to compare baobab population variations and occurrences in semi‐arid areas of Tanzania. Baobab density was found to be highest in strictly protected areas and the lowest density in unprotected areas, suggesting that anthropogenic activities coupled with local management practices within land‐uses may be influencing its viability in semi‐arid areas. In species like this, with less and slow recruitment rate, it takes a long time to bring the population to recovery when substantial disturbance and overutilisation have reduced the populations to certain levels. Thus, increased human and climate change pressures on land are likely to drive the species to extinction in these fragmented populations.