**1. Introduction**

Tropical savanna landscapes in Sub-Saharan Africa are endowed with enormous biological and cultural diversity, however, this endowment is under increasing ecological and social challenges as exemplified by the case of the Mahenye community ecotourism project, southeast Zimbabwe [1]. The Mahenye community

ecotourism project is facing innumerable challenges ranging from climate change, increasing resource demands, gender imbalances, cultural changes, socio-economic decay, global uncertainties, and health shocks such as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic [1–5]. Community ecotourism is a subtype of Community Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) and involves having fun while supporting the protection of natural and cultural resources. It also involves maintaining a low visitor impact and providing the local community with socio-economic benefits [6]. The community ecotourism industry in Sub-Saharan Africa tropical savanna landscapes is mostly nature-based, with wildlife and other natural and cultural attractions being fundamental to its development. Community ecotourism is embedded in the Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE) in Zimbabwe and has the potential to significantly contribute to local community development and environmental sustainability [7].

Global climate change presents an extensive existential shock to the resources upon which community ecotourism relies on to thrive in tropical savanna landscapes [8–11]. Global climate change is epitomized by increasing incidences of droughts, heatwaves, tropical cyclones, and floods as well as changing weather patterns. Some of these extreme weather events that are characteristic of climate change have a negative effect on the bioclimatic comfort of ecotourists. Further, climate variability and change pose significant threats to the biophysical environment, which in turn undermines the ecological capability to ensure sustainable wildlife survival in the form of flora and fauna [12]). This is fundamental as wildlife is the drawcard of the ecotourism economy in the African tropical savannas. Climate change also leads to socio-economic deprivation as agricultural yields fall leading to increasing overexploitation of natural resources upon which ecotourism relies [5].

Lindsey et al. [13] highlighted systemic flaws in current conservation models in Africa in the face of COVID-19 pandemic and socio-economic shocks and suggested opportunities to restructure for greater resilience. It is therefore imperative to adopt community-based conservation models to make them more robust and resilient in the face of global climate change. A research gap also exists as few research has been done on the shocks emanating from climate change and possible adaptations to the stresses at CAMPFIRE projects across Zimbabwe. The specific objectives of the research were to: (i) identify shocks emanating from climate change at the Mahenye community ecotourism project, (ii) indicate adaptations to make the ecotourism model at Mahenye more resilient in the face of shocks emanating from climate change, and (iii) develop a management intervention framework for communitybased ecotourism ventures in a changing global climate.
