Jasper Doest (the Netherlands) provides a portrait of Lubinda Lubinda, showing the impact of climate change on housing.
Jasper captured Lubinda Lubinda, Station Manager for the Zambezi River Authority, outside his newly built house. In other regions, rising sea levels or extreme rainfall events related to a changing climate are causing flooding. But here in the Barotse Floodplain of western Zambia water levels are falling and droughts are more frequent. As a result Lubinda Lubinda didn't need to build his new home, seen on the right, as high.
Deforestation in the river catchments has resulted in reduced rainfall. This, together with climate change, is drying out the floodplain, depleting the soil of its fertility and changing its fragile and complex ecology.
The Barotse people's way of life is dependent on regular floods as is a huge diversity of wildlife. The wetland provides people with fish, pasture for livestock, fertile soil and vegetation for thatching and making household items.
The Netherlands
Jasper is a photographer who creates stories that explore the relationship between humans and nature. He’s a contributing photographer for National Geographic Magazine, a Senior Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers and a WWF Netherlands Ambassador.
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