Himalayan communities live in marginal environments. They are dependent on ecosystem services and thus highly exposed to climate variability and change. This study aimed to help understand how mountain communities perceive change, how change impacts their livelihoods, and how they respond to change. Forty focus group discussions and 144 in-depth interviews at the household level were conducted in 20 villages in northwest India and across Nepal. Perceptions of change were compared with actual climate records where available. Respondents considered rainfall patterns to be less predictable and had experienced an overall reduction in water availability, severely affecting their harvests. Increased temperatures were also reported, particularly at higher elevations. People responded to the changing conditions with a wide range of coping and adaptation mechanisms. However, many of these mechanisms will not be sustainable in view of the likely magnitude of future climate change, and they are also restricted to social groups with appropriate assets. The poor, lower caste families, women, and other marginalized groups are particularly vulnerable and less able to adapt. Targeted efforts are required to move from coping to adapting and to avoid inequalities between social groups increasing due to the different adaptive capacities.
Cohesive information is lacking when it comes to the socioeconomic status of more than 210 million people residing in the greater Himalayan region. The reasons for socioeconomic disparities between mountain and non-mountain areas, as well as within the mountain system, have not yet been fully explored. To address this gap, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) has carried out a study in order to identify and understand the specificity of mountain poverty. Empirical findings based on national livelihood survey data show that poverty is higher in mountain areas and has different causes when compared to other geographic areas in the same country.RÉ SUMÉ Il manque d'informations concernant le statut socioéconomique des 210 million de personnes résidant dans la région himalayenne. Les raisons expliquant ce manque d'information concernant les inégalités présentes dans les régions montagneuses ainsi bien que les disparités entre les régions montagneuses et non montagneuses ne sont toujours pas explorées. Pour combler cette lacune de recherche, Le centre international pour le développement intégré des montagnes (ICIMOD) a mené une étude afin d'identifier et de comprendre la spécificité de la pauvreté montagneuse. La recherche empirique, s'appuyant sur les données nationales, démontre que la pauvreté est plus élevée dans les régions montagneuses et qu'elle est causée par des facteurs différents que ceux présentent dans les autres régions géographiques dans le pays.
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Foster and manage skilled migration.2. Make more financial services available in rural areas and build financial literacy.
Increase competition for remittance transfer and adopt new technologies.4. Facilitate the investment of social and financial remittances in mountain areas.5. Address the feminisation of mountain economies.
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