Search

The present study aims to assess the socioecological vulnerability of smallholders through an index of Tehri Garhwal Himalaya. The index provides a realistic approach to recognize the contributions of social and ecological factors for household welfare vulnerability to climate change. The approach puts forward various indices for each component of vulnerability to climate change - exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity including two more indices: one for overall impact under the exposure of climate change and another for overall vulnerability. The five indices were proposed to assess the vulnerability status of with and without agroforestry practicing households in Himalayan region. These indices are based on 35 indicators (8 for exposure; 12 for sensitivity, 15 for adaptive capacity), selected through inductive approaches. A questionnaire for households was designed for the above aim and was administered to 121 heads of households through face-toface interviews with 77 households practicing agroforestry and 44 without agroforestry. The questionnaire dealt the general household information, and indicators of the vulnerability including the issues related to agroforestry. The results highlight slightly higher adaptive capacity of agroforestry practicing households due to specific contribution of agroforestry. The low contribution of agroforestry among smallholders was due to small land holding. The study also results that remoteness, specific issues of smallholders’ such as poverty, education and employment are responsible for the present condition. In particular this study clearly shows that poverty is the key driver for vulnerability. All of these issues can be addressed if future programs and policies, include and implement regulations to remedy attributive factors. This paper may be applicable to other mountainous regions providing insights for effective adaptation strategies to climate change.

Forests are under stress due to variety of climatic and non-climatic factors. Therefore for suitably managing the forests, vulnerability of the forests needs to be understood. The present paper attempts to estimate the vulnerability of various temperate forests of Western Himalaya due to climate change by analyzing the patterns of different taxonomical indices, based on primary data i.e., vegetation data. The paper presents a novel approach for climate change vulnerability assessment based on field data through a bottom-up approach. The vulnerability of the forests was assessed through the IPCC framework by suitably selecting indicators (taxonomy indices and climatic parameters) for the three dimensions of vulnerability i.e., exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity. The field data were collected from 17 different temperate forests distributed at the elevation "1600 to 3500 m" in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, India. Abundance and richness for each forest were collected by randomly laying ten quadrats of size 0.1 ha each. The analysis resulted into identifying the most and the least vulnerable temperate forests of the western Himalaya to climate change. The analysis showed that the Neoza Pine; Moist Deodar; Ban Oak and Dry Broadleaved and Coniferous forest were the most vulnerable forests in the Himalayan temperate forests due to climate change. Moreover, the variation in the levels of the vulnerability status of the selected forests was insignificant with elevational range as well as exposure to climate. The proposed method will serve for vulnerability estimation of forests due to climate change based on the actual realization of the species in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tribal peoples globally are among the most vulnerable groups to climate change and variability. This is due to a combination of their relative poverty and their dependence on agriculture and natural support systems (NSS). Hence programmes that simultaneously help to reduce poverty and vulnerability to climate change are needed. The Indian Government has launched the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), an incentive-based programme addressing vulnerability to poverty, climate change and NSS by integrating natural systems (water, land, soil) and human systems (employment opportunities). Here we show that the vulnerability related to climate variability, agriculture, water and household economic conditions has decreased significantly due to MGNREGA interventions. Specifically, water availability, diversification of agriculture, crop yield and income have all increased. Besides the decreased vulnerability to climate change due to better access to water, the intervention has also increased employment opportunities and daily wage levels have almost doubled, thus improving the economic status of tribal peoples. These changes have led to improved living conditions, facilitating better adaptation to both natural and economic stresses. This case study illustrates the potential of well-designed government programmes to contribute to sustainable development through improving adaptive capacity and by combating poverty and vulnerability to climate change among marginalised people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years the population of the Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH) has been confronted with rapid social, economic, demographic, and political changes. In addition, the region is particularly vulnerable to climate change. However, there is a scarcity of cohesive information on the state of the environment and on the socio-economic situation of the approximately 210 million people who reside in the HKH. Specifically, data on livelihood vulnerability are lacking. As part of the Himalaya Climate Change Adaptation Programme, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, in consultation with regional and international partners, has developed the Multidimensional Livelihood Vulnerability Index (MLVI), a measure to explore and describe livelihood vulnerability to climatic, environmental, and socio-economic change in the HKH region. This paper documents how the MLVI was developed and demonstrates the utility of this approach by using primary household survey data of 16 selected districts of three sub-basins in the HKH region. The analysis gives important clues about differences in the intensity and composition of multidimensional livelihood vulnerability across these locations that should be useful to decision makers to identify areas of intervention and guide their measures to reduce vulnerability. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

With a fragile mountain ecosystem and being a least developed country, Bhutan is the most vulnerable to climate change with a serious impact on the environment and people, especially to poor informal settlers in urban areas. Therefore, the present study intends to evaluate the vulnerability and adaptation strategies of the urban poor of Thimphu, Bhutan by collecting primary data using a pre-tested questionnaire from 299 households of the slum dwellers distributed in three gewogs, namely Kawang, Mewang and Chang. The questionnaire contained questions on general household information, climate change, and associated adaptation strategies as per the framing of the crisis among the dwellers. The result revealed that the meteorological observation of climatic parameters matched the perception of the informal dwellers. Moreover, dwellers of informal settlements had higher climate risk with low adaptive capacity. Current adaptation strategies such as assistance provided and received, credit support obtained, economizing water usage during scarcity, and allowing extraction of resources from the forest were extended during crises. The logit model resulted that household characteristics, such as family size, family education, and age of the head of household were major demographic characteristics along with assets propelling adaptation measures. Therefore, urban planning should orient for better education and income generating programs for the dwellers besides making them aware of the economizing of resources. Improvement in public services will further strengthen the dwellers with enhanced adaptive capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban poor with limited resources and residing in precarious informal settlements are often one of the most vulnerable populations to climate variability and change. The present study seeks to assess the vulnerability of informal settlers to climate variability and change. Drawing from natural hazards, politico-economic, and ecological resilience strands of vulnerability literature we developed an integrated set of indicators for vulnerability assessment. The vulnerability of informal settlement dwellers was assessed in the hilly district of Kathmandu and the plain regions of the Nawalpur district of Nepal by collecting primary data from 300 randomly selected households, 150 from each district. Communities living in informal settlements experienced higher exposure to climate risk with lower adaptive capacity. Informal settlements with scarce resources, depilated infrastructure, fewer livelihood opportunities and knowledge gaps pose considerable vulnerability to climate variability and change. Our findings reveal that the inhabitants of informal settlements in the plain region are more vulnerable than that of the informal settlements of the hilly region due to higher exposure and sensitivity and lower adaptive capacities of the informal settlers of the plains. Enabling factors such as livelihood diversification, improved infrastructure, health facilities, social capitals, and support from local government with contextual policies and interventions, can facilitate better adaptation among the informal settlers and make them resilient to climate variability and change. • Urban informal settlers are extremely vulnerable to climate variability and change. • Informal settlers have higher exposure and sensitivity and lower adaptive capacities. • The informal settlers of the plains are more vulnerable than that of the hills. • Livelihood diversification, better physical and social capitals could make them resilient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Livelihood vulnerability index has been proposed for char lands of riparian region. • Differential vulnerabilities of char dwellers govern by distance from river bank. • Social and biophysical factors determine differential vulnerabilities in char lands. • Using clustering and hot spot analysis, high-, high-low-, low vulnerable areas in the char lands were identified. Indian Gangatic Plain is food basket of the country and vulnerable to variety of factors. The western region of the Gangatic plain is worst affected due to river bank erosion, frequent floods and climate change. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the livelihood vulnerability of the communities of riparian region of Manikchak block of the Gangatic plain by classifying the region into three zones based on the distance from the river. Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) was applied by selecting suitable social and biophysical indicators through inductive and deductive approaches. The data for the estimation of LVI was collected by randomly selecting a total of 240 households from the villages of the three zones. The spatial modeling of LVI was achieved by applying spatial cluster and outlier analysis using local Moran's I Index and by hotspot analysis using Getis-Org-G* statistics. Differential vulnerabilities across the three zones was observed with nearer to river zone was highly vulnerable. The villages nearer to river was more vulnerable due to greater exposure to river bank erosion and flood; higher sensitivity to insufficient access to basic amenities and poor adaptive capacity due to low socio-economic status and poor livelihood security. Moreover, the spatial pattern of hotspot was also identified as high vulnerable, high-low vulnerable and low vulnerable areas in the region. The results signified that the social and biophysical parameters were the main contributors for the differential vulnerabilities in the region. Therefore, the study concludes that the vulnerability of the communities varies with respect to their location to river and the differential approaches based on the social attributes of the communities and spatial characteristics of the location may be useful for addressing the livelihood vulnerability of the communities residing along the bank of the river. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Climate adaptations by small-holders in Afghanistan are governed by household characteristics. • Assets, profession and male population determine the adoption of the adaptation strategies. • Government must provide alternate livelihood and reinforce farming for improved adaptation. The South Asian countries are amongst the most affected countries by climate change mainly due to poverty and complex socio-economic-demographic challenges. Afghanistan, a South Asian country, is affected by climate change, extreme weather events and losses accompanying its poor adaptation status. Therefore, the present study intends to evaluate the adaptation strategies of smallholder farmers based on primary data collected through pre-tested questionnaire from 260 households distributed in 26 villages across both plain and mountain regions of Yangi Qala district, Afghanistan. The questionnaire contained questions about the general household information and farm-level adaptation strategies by smallholders. Logistic regression models were applied to four major adaptation strategies practiced by the farmers in form of scientific techniques applied during crop cultivation; cultivation of drought-resistant varieties; cultivation of new crop and migration of family members with household characteristics for each region considered separately as well as jointly. The results confirmed that household characteristics like house type, LPG usage, livestock population, irrigated land area, education, secondary profession and male population determined the strategies to abate climate risks by the peasant smallholders of the region. The study highlights the need to identify the in-situ barriers and enablers of adaptation to facilitate an expanded uptake of adaptation practices by smallholders. Therefore, the government must employ policies addressing the challenges by applying a community-inclusive approach for climate adaptation in agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Smallholder farmers in Afghanistan are at risk due to changing climate. • Smallholder farmers of hilly region were highly vulnerable as compared to the farmers of the plain region. • Adaptive capacity of the farmers' of both the region were poor. Smallholder farmers in Afghanistan are already facing various risks in agricultural production due to past continuous insurgencies. Climate change is likely to amplify the risk and make them even more vulnerable. The present study attempted to evaluate the vulnerability profiles of smallholder farmers due to climate change using the IPCC Framework. Primary data on relevant parameters for assessing climate change-led social vulnerability in the region were collected by classifying study region into two zones: the plain and the hills of Yangi Qala District in Takhar province, Afghanistan. Thirteen villages from each zone were selected at random, and face-to-face interviews were conducted with ten randomly selected households in each of the selected villages in both zones based on a pre-tested questionnaire. The questionnaire contained indicators for all three dimensions of vulnerability: exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity. The collected data were subjected to a proposed vulnerability index, after estimating the indices of the three dimensions of vulnerability. The Iyenger and Sudershan weighting method was used to assess the contribution of each vulnerability dimension. Vulnerability was classified according to different categories based on beta distribution to evaluate the villages' vulnerability status. The results showed that about 23% of all 26 sampled villages in both zones had low exposure, 26% moderate exposure and 51% high exposure to climate-change hazards and extreme weather events. High sensitivity was observed in 51%, moderate sensitivity in 7%, and low sensitivity in 42% of villages. High adaptive capacity to climate change was observed in 38% of villages, 19% were moderately adaptive and 42% showed a low adaptive capacity. High vulnerability was observed in 50% of villages, 4% were moderately vulnerable, and 46% had low vulnerability. A high proportion of smallholder farmers in the hilly zone in the sampled district were highly vulnerable, exposed and sensitive with a low adaptive capacity to climate change compared to the plain zone. The high vulnerability in the hilly zone was attributed to limited resources with a low adjustment capability to counter the disturbances, especially in crop cultivation, in response to climate change. A handful of low-cost and local approaches such as improving farmer extension services, introducing small-scale local infrastructure projects, reinforcing informal safety nets and protecting natural ecosystems could be viable cost-effective options that would also be sustainable given their low recurring costs and the limited maintenance required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Mountain specific socio-environmental indicators were identified through Principal Component method. • Spatial socio-environmental vulnerability map along altitude was generated for Garhwal Himalaya. • Middle altitude zone was most vulnerable. • Study suggests altitudinal adaptation strategies for addressing climate change. Socio-environmental vulnerability to climate change in mountain landscapes depends upon multiple factors that can vary across altitude zones. However, there is limited knowledge on specific indicators suitable for assessing socio-environmental vulnerability that address altitude-related variations. This study systematically analysed important components of vulnerability and mapped them by weight for four altitude zones in the Indian Himalayas. Indices focusing on components of the three different dimensions of vulnerability (adaptive capacity, exposure, sensitivity) were identified based on the literature. Data on these different indices were then collected through a pre-tested questionnaire-based survey of 403 randomly selected households in the four altitude zones (<1000 (low), 1000–1500 (middle), 1500–2000 (high), >2000 m a.s.l. (very high)) in the Garhwal Himalaya, India. Components of vulnerability dimensions were assessed and significantly contributing components were identified by Principal Component Analysis (PCA). An entropy method was used to weight the dimensions of vulnerability for the different altitude zones. Vulnerability was estimated based on the Manush approach of human development index. The data were used to produce a spatial map based on a proposed Spatial Social Vulnerability Index (SSEVI). SSEVI was proposed based on social and environmental indicators of vulnerability with a mix of spatial indicators to generate spatially bound vulnerability. The results indicated that communities in the middle and high altitude zones (1000–2000 m a.s.l.) were more vulnerable (score 0.32 and 0.31, respectively) than those in the low and very high zones (score 0.29 and 0.30, respectively). Greater vulnerability was mainly due to high exposure to extreme events and less adaptive capacity, which can affect agricultural production negatively, in combination with high population density in middle-altitude communities. There was lower pressure on natural resources and better connectivity in the low altitude zone (<1000 m a.s.l.), reducing vulnerability. The spatial SSVI map clearly revealed vulnerable hotspots, suggesting that government supported adaptation measures should not be similar across the altitude gradient in the Indian Himalayas, but should be based on available resources, pressure and livelihood options for achieving sustainability under climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]