Assessing local community perspectives on climate change and variability: Implications for unpaved secondary roads in Sierra Leone

Climate change presents significant challenges to infrastructure and livelihoods, particularly in highly climate-sensitive regions such as Sierra Leone. Although Sierra Leone is widely recognized as vulnerable, limited research has examined local community perceptions of climate variability and its effects on infrastructure. This study explored community perspectives on climate change and its impacts on unpaved roads in Sierra Leone. It examined how communities perceive and experience climate change, how these changes affect unpaved roads that connect livelihood hubs, and which local anthropogenic activities exacerbate these effects. Using a cross-sectional design, data were collected from 430 participants across four districts in Sierra Leone through questionnaires, group discussions, and informant interviews. This mixed-methods approach enabled triangulation of findings and facilitated comprehensive documentation of community experiences, although the cross-sectional nature limited temporal analysis and causal inference. Communities reported increasingly frequent and intense weather events, including heavy rainfall, rising temperatures, windstorms, and droughts, as significantly affecting daily life. Climate change and variability were reported to degrade unpaved roads, cause erosion, washouts, and potholes, and disrupt access to markets, healthcare, schools, etc.,. In addition, local activities such as inadequate drainage management, deforestation, and inappropriate land use were perceived to intensify soil erosion and sedimentation. These findings provide new insight into community perceptions of climate-related impacts on unpaved roads in Sierra Leone and support climate-resilient infrastructure planning and adaptation through community engagement and policy interventions aligned with SDGs 9 and 13, promoting sustainable and inclusive development.