26 AUG 2026 (WED) 11:00-12:30

Global South Seminar Series

Wildfires, Climate, and Rangeland Livelihoods in Southern Africa: A Tale of Two Hemispheres

Date: 26 AUG 2026 (Wednesday)

Time: 11:00-12:30 (HKT)

Venue: Chamber, Faculty of Social Sciences, 11/F, The Jockey Club Tower, Centennial Campus, HKU

Registration Link: https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_hdetail.aspx?guest=Y&ueid=108980

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Abstract:

Southern Africa's rangelands support millions of smallholder and subsistence farmers whose livelihoods depend on livestock and grazing. These fire-dependent ecosystems are undergoing fundamental transformation due to climate change and human activity. This presentation examines 25 years of satellite data (2001–2025) to analyse how fire regimes are changing across Sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on Southern Africa, drawing on case studies from Botswana and South Africa. We find that burnt area is declining significantly in both hemispheres, Northern Hemisphere Africa by 22% and Southern Hemisphere Africa by 7%, but fires are fragmenting into smaller patches, increasing human exposure to fire risk. Critically, the climate-fire relationship differs fundamentally between hemispheres: in the Southern Hemisphere, climate drives fire activity, making it more vulnerable to climate change. This vulnerability cascades into devastating livelihood impacts, livestock losses, grazing destruction, food insecurity, and psychological trauma, disproportionately affecting smallholder farmers. Drawing on case studies from Botswana's communal grazing areas and South Africa's Eastern Cape, this presentation explores the policy paradoxes that exacerbate fire risk and highlights community-based fire management as a pathway towards more resilient livelihoods. Bridging physical and social science, this research demonstrates that sustainable solutions require interdisciplinary collaboration.

Professor Kebonyethata Dintwe

Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Science , University of Botswana

Prof. Kebonyethata Dintwe is an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Botswana, whose research sits at the critical intersection of physical ecology and human-environment systems across sub-Saharan Africa. Combining isotope analysis, remote sensing, GIS, and ecosystem modelling, he investigates how climate change, fire regimes, and land-use decisions shape the carbon dynamics of savanna ecosystems - from the Kalahari to drylands across the continent. His work evaluates soil organic carbon turnover, wildfire patterns, and biogeochemical feedbacks that govern both ecological resilience and pastoral livelihoods. As a co-author of the global State of Wildfires reports, Dr. Dintwe bridges empirical physical science with governance arrangements, institutional structures, and carbon market implementation. Through multi-country research and active engagement in international fire science networks, his interdisciplinary approach demonstrates how integrating physical and social sciences yields academically rigorous, actionable solutions for climate mitigation, sustainable resource management, and community resilience throughout Southern Africa.

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