Globalisation and traditional social-ecological systems: Understanding impacts of tourism and labour migration to the transhumance systems in the Himalayas

Aryal, Suman; Cockfield, Geoff; Maraseni, Tek

doi:10.1016/j.envdev.2017.09.001

Cited by 32 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…It is accomplished through the vertical movement of livestock as an adaptive grazing strategy due to a harsh climate. This adaptive approach helps to mitigate the seasonal severity of winter conditions while enabling the optimum utilization of natural resources in the alpine region during the summer period [9][10][11].Innovative forms of pastoralism have served as key livelihood strategies of people living in the high mountains [12]. These adaptations allow biophysically marginalized ecosystem resources to be economically productive in the region [13].…”

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confidence: 99%

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Vulnerability of Pastoralism: A Case Study from the High Mountainsof Nepal

et al. 2020

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Pastoralism in the Himalayan region of Nepal has undergone significant socio-economic and ecological changes. While there are numerous contributing factors behind these changes, the effect of a changing climate has not been thoroughly studied. This paper adds a significant contribution to the knowledge base through analysis from a survey of 186 herder households, interviews with 38 key participants, and four focus group discussions with individuals from three National Parks and Conservation areas in the high-mountain region of Nepal. Additionally, a review of the existing policies and programs on pastoralism was carried out. Results demonstrate several reasons behind the decline of transhumance pastoralism: Policy focus on the establishment of conservation areas, increasing vulnerability to extreme events (avalanches, snowfall, storms, and disappearing water sources), and ineffective government policies and programs. Hardships involved in herding combined with changing social values and the degradation of pasture quality were identified as contributing factors to the growing challenges facing mountain pastoralism. Similarly, the declining interest among herders to continue their profession can be traced to vulnerability associated with escalating climate change impacts. Considerable knowledge gaps regarding threats to high-altitude pastoralism remain, and continued research on pastureland conservation, capacity development, facilitation for climate change adaptation, and coping strategies for herders in the high mountains is urgently needed. Our analysis suggests that non-climatic variables such as policy and globalization were more influential in eroding pastoralism as compared to climate change.

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confidence: 99%

Vulnerability of Pastoralism: A Case Study from the High Mountainsof Nepal

et al. 2020

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“…The drying water bodies were extending barren lands in the region (Jainachu et al, 2007;Mahmood et al, 2016). Reduction in forest size and cover was already described by the locals for higher need of fuel wood (Khan, 1970;Gentle and Maraseni, 2012;Aryal et al, 2017). These forests are lifeline to rural community; rapid deforestation will expose local people to more natural hazards and warming also.…”

Section: Land Use Changes and Livelihood Analysismentioning

confidence: 98%

Does Livelihood Vulnerability Index Justify the Socio-Economic Status of Mountainous Community? A Case Study of Post-Earthquake Ecological Adaptation of Balakot Population

Shahzad¹

2019

Appl. Ecol. Env. Res.

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Hindu Kush Himalayan is facing greater threat from socio-economic and climatic transitions. The current study has assessed livelihood vulnerability due to climatic variability of natural resource dependent mountainous communities. The northern side of Pakistan is expected to bear severe impacts due to its distinct topography, land use and climate change. Based on primary data collected from four villages complemented with secondary climatic data, livelihood vulnerability was evaluated through a composite indicator as livelihood vulnerability index (LVI) and LVI-IPCC. GIS mapping was carried out to assess land use change in the area. The comparative analysis of Tehsil Balakot showed that UC Balakot was more vulnerable with a LVI score of 0.41 than UC Kawai 0.35. The results of in-depth analysis of differential vulnerability showed that households in UC Balakot had the low adaptive capacity and higher exposure to natural disasters. Developmental planners and policy makers should use such indices to assess root causes of vulnerability and specify community needs in policy making.

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“…There have been changes in rainfall regimes and ice melt, and as a result, lodge owners see an imminent threat to their livelihoods due to water scarcity (Garrard et al 2016). In other places in Nepal, the rise of tourism in remote mountain areas has led to a decline in transhumance (Aryal et al 2018). In Bhutan, tourism contributes 15% of GDP and most of the country's foreign reserves, and there is a perceived threat among high mountain communities, who depend on activities like provision of lodgings and porter services, that their business may be affected due to rising temperatures, retreat of glaciers, and threats of extreme weather events (Hoy et al 2016).…”

Section: Tourismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contributions of the cryosphere to mountain communities in the Hindu Kush Himalaya: a review

et al. 2019

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There is a growing recognition of the contribution of the cryosphere to human societies. This is especially important in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), where poverty and vulnerability are high and climate change impacts on the cryosphere are strong. However, there is a lack of synthesized knowledge about the contributions of the cryosphere to high mountain communities. This paper uses a cryosphere service framework-a derivative of the ecosystem service concept-to classify different goods and services provided by the cryosphere. Case studies were selected using an adapted systematic review methodology. These studies were then synthesized and examined through the lens of critical political ecology. The review shows that while the cryosphere provides a whole range of goods and services for mountain communities, not all of these are well documented. Material services like the supply of water for irrigation and agriculture, and disservices such as disasters, are better documented than non-material services like the spirituality of landscapes. The majority of the case studies do not use an interdisciplinary lens. While some studies on irrigation discuss the physical basis and human organization of irrigation, the literature on disasters mostly focuses on the physical processes and at most generalized loss and damage assessments. Further, most case studies do not use the critical epistemologies needed to examine how politics, power, and intersectionality influence societal responses to changes in the cryosphere. The paper suggests that future studies adopt interdisciplinary collaboration to understand human impacts and adaptive responses through critical political ecology frameworks.

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Globalisation and traditional social-ecological systems: Understanding impacts of tourism and labour migration to the transhumance systems in the Himalayas

Cited by 32 publications

References 46 publications

Vulnerability of Pastoralism: A Case Study from the High Mountainsof Nepal

Vulnerability of Pastoralism: A Case Study from the High Mountainsof Nepal

Does Livelihood Vulnerability Index Justify the Socio-Economic Status of Mountainous Community? A Case Study of Post-Earthquake Ecological Adaptation of Balakot Population

Contributions of the cryosphere to mountain communities in the Hindu Kush Himalaya: a review

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