Community response and adaptation to climate change in Central Himalaya, Uttarakhand, India

Abstract

Mountains across the globe are unique areas for assessing climate change impacts on biodiversity, glaciers and fresh water supply, food production and overall human well-being. The livelihood and food security of the people inhabiting the mountainous parts of the state of Uttarakhand falling in the central Himalayan region of India largely depend on closely interlinked and climate-sensitive sectors, viz. agriculture, livestock and forestry. Understanding peoples’ perceptions of climate change impacts could help designing and implementation of adaptation strategies at the local level. Traditional knowledge of the farming communities for sustainable use of natural resources is gaining credence in recent times. Here we present an analysis of farmers’ perceptions and traditional knowledge in adapting to climate change impacts on agroecosystems in central Himalaya and suggest mechanism for integration of these in developing appropriate locally nuanced adaptation strategies.