UNDERSTANDING THE NEXUS OF CLIMATE CRISIS AND NATURAL ASSET CAPITAL: AN EVIDENCE FROM NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN AGROECOLOGICAL ZONES OF KATSINA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of the climate crisis on natural assets capital between the northern and
southern agro-ecological zones of Katsina State. The specific objectives of the study are to find out the
effect climate crisis on natural capital asset and the climate shocks and pressures affecting natural capital
asset governance. Data for this study were generated by administering structured questionnaires, and the
data analysis was achieved using descriptive statistics. The significant findings of this study revealed that
30.1% of the respondents reported a very severe effect of climate crisis on natural asset capital across the
two distinct ecological zones of the State. Furthermore, the results also show that increase in temperature
regime and decline in the availability of water or water scarcity were the climatic shocks affecting the
sustainability of the natural assets capital in the study area with 33.3% and 28.1% respectively. The result
also identified reduction in pastoral land, increased water scarcity and stressed, loss of natural livelihood
assets, increased competition for arable land and loss of biological diversity as the major problems
arising the climate crisis in the study area. The study concluded that communities were becoming more
vulnerable to the climate crisis, and the possibility of natural resources asset and capital to continue
degrading is very enormous and high. The study therefore, recommended for a community-based resource
management and climate governance ensuring that both northern and southern perspectives inform a
shared pathway toward sustainable resource use in the face of the climate crisis and also call for
strengthening the capacity of institutions and communities to prepare for, respond to, and recover from
climate-related shocks while maintaining sustainable development.