Understanding the relationship between fisheries livelihood vulnerability, species distributions, biodiversity, marine habitats, and climate change is essential for effective conservation management, particularly in implementing marine protected areas (MPAs) while addressing food security and the livelihoods of fish farmers. This research focuses on a broad latitudinal range of the Africa Large Marine Ecosystem and selected African countries for vulnerability assessment, encompassing seven large marine ecosystems: the Canary Current, Mediterranean Current, Guinea Current, Agulhas Current, Benguela Current, Somali Current, and Red Sea Current. The study first evaluates the vulnerability of African fisheries and aquaculture to climate change impacts using data from 27 African countries. It also examines widely available species occurrence records and environmental data to assess the vulnerability of fisheries and aquaculture, identify the consequences of rising water temperatures on marine and freshwater fish stocks, and analyze the effects of climate change on fish abundance, biodiversity, and catches. The vulnerability assessment of these 27 African countries utilized data from various sources and employed a comprehensive approach to evaluate the impact of climate change on their fisheries sector.
