Development paths of people’s sustainable livelihood based on climate change: a case study of Yunnan minority areas

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to evaluate the characteristics of climate change in Yunnan minority areas and identify an effective path to promote sustainable livelihoods based on climate change. Design/methodology/approach Taking Yunnan Province as an example, based on the expansion of the traditional sustainable livelihood framework, the authors constructed a system dynamics (SD) model of sustainable livelihood from the six subsystems of natural, physical, financial, social, human and cultural and tested the accuracy and effectiveness of the model with data from Cangyuan County. By adjusting these parameters, five development paths are designed to simulate the future situation of the livelihood system and determine the optimal path. Findings Climate change has exacerbated the vulnerability of people’s livelihoods. In future, each of the five development paths will be advantageous for promoting sustainable livelihoods. However, compared with Path I (maintaining the status quo), Path III (path of giving priority to culture) and Path IV (path of giving priority to economic development) have more obvious advantages. Path II (path of giving priority to people’s lives) gradually increases the development rate by promoting people’s endogenous motivation, and Path V (path of coordinated development) is better than the other paths because of its more balanced consideration. Originality/value The analytical framework of sustainable livelihoods based on the characteristics of minority areas is broadened. By constructing a SD model of the livelihood system, the limitations of traditional static analysis have been overcome and a development path for promoting sustainable livelihoods through simulation is proposed. This study offers a theoretical framework and reference method for livelihood research against the backdrop of climate change and a decision-making basis for enhancing climate adaptability and realizing sustainable livelihoods.

Research on the Redesign of China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Based on Sustainable Livelihood—The Case of Luanzhou Shadow Play Empowering Its Rural Development

“…Wang et al [30] constructed an evaluation system to quantitatively analyze farmers' livelihood assets, and D'Annolfo et al [31] analyzed the factors influencing these assets among farmers. Wu et al [32] constructed a sustainable livelihood system dynamics (SD) model based on an expansion of the traditional sustainable livelihood framework. Although the SLF has demonstrated its effectiveness in multiple fields, a significant issue in the context of rural development with intangible cultural heritage is the neglect of cultural backgrounds [33].…”