Download Climate Change Adaptation: Strategy for Ecological

Climate Change Adaptation: Strategy for Ecological Restoration
& Livelihood Security
- Dr. Kabi Pokhrel
Associate professor, Geography
Tribhuvan University, Nepal
Email: [email protected]
Abstract
The main aim of the paper is to access community level perceptions of climate change, its
impacts and current adaptive practices with a view to collect and document the views, opinions,
voices and concerns to promote ecology and economy of the marginalized community people in
Bageshwary and Matehiya VDCs of Banke district, Nepal. Opinions regarding to the real
concerns impacts and adaptive measures were analyzed and found that community people have
the knowledge on climate change and they have perceived various adverse impacts of climate
change in their community life. Traditionally, they have practiced many strategic measures
against the changing and challenging situation of their socio-economic spheres. Author opines
that policy changes in favor of victims of climatic hazards needs to be addressed by the national
government and I/NGOs have to support to build the adaptive capacity of community people.
Introduction
Life of living things and environment are interdependent phenomena. Thus, the right to
safe environment is an emerging matter of scientific discussion with regard to safeguard
the sound environment to living things including human beings. However, ecological
restoration up to last decade was not taken as the main thrust by the governmental
machineries and was taken in isolation. Poor economic policy and development strategy
has been the major setback of environmental restraint in developing countries like Nepal.
It is due to the ignorance of government mechanism to consider environment as a
cumulative impact of biotic, a biotic and human dynamism. So that economic disparity
brings environmental stress and ecological instability. It was first time the Rio Earth
Summit highlighted the economic and social development and environmental
conservation (restoration) are interdependent and mutually re-enforcing. Onward Rio
Conference it materialized that ecological factors and economic process can not be
segregated and have to be integrated them for safer world and better outcomes.
It is true that we have failed to manage the human and natural resources in respect to the
ethics of sustainability. Our conventional development approach and method play vital
role to deteriorate the resources and to emerging the environmental challenges like
heating of earth surface. Till now, majority of rural communities have been sustaining on
ecological factors. However, mishappening began when forest and other natural factors
were given the priority than human issues.
At present, the science and technological progress and development strategies have
distorted the local ecosystem services and the interdependency of crop land, grass land
and forest land. This further disrupted the total ecological stability which is reflecting in
various environmental issues like adverse effects of climate change, resource
degradation, inter and intra- community resource conflicts and social dispute.
Policy weakness, awareness lacking and community absences in common concerns are
found the main causal-factors behind the dramatic change of climate and rapid
deterioration of natural and environmental resources. Evidences from developing
countries show that national policy to environment has failed to address the issues and to
create an organized knowledge-transfer system that empower the community people to
hold their rights and duties for utilization, conservation and management of available
resource applying the principles of sustainability. Thus, the existing state policies are not
effective for the state of sound environment due to the exclusion of community people in
decision making and implementation process. State policy on environment, therefore,
needs be reframed to make them in favor of environment, community people and
ecological balance by incorporating local knowledge and practices.
The most important issue that brings the changes in climate, land use and population
dynamics is the ignorance of continuity of ecosystem services. There are many evidences
of degraded, destroyed and disappeared ecosystems in Himalayan region. Thousands of
people are displaced due to disrupt of local ecosystem and traditional trade-off link of
community livelihood and ecology. Eklabya Sharma (2008) rightly noted that the
changes brought in ecosystem have had a negative impact on livelihood of mountain
people. Their economic and environmental vulnerabilities are rising. Entire globe
experiences heating problems from the changes in ecosystem services. With regard to the
heating problem Chaulagai (2006) hinged that Nepal and China have shown the
temperature rising at a higher rate in high altitude.
Aforesaid discussions evince that the impact of climate change on ecosystem services
and on the livelihood of poor people has been more severe as access to resources has
been either reduced or disturbed. World Bank (2006) remarked that South Asian Region
is home to some of the poorest people, the majority of whom dependent on rural
resources. The ongoing change of environment directly influences their livelihood of
those who live in either upstream or downstream areas.
Piecemeal affords made by governmental machineries show that it is difficult to make
sustain of ecosystem services only by the mitigation of climate change and the alternation
of ecosystem services. This directs adaptation essential. In the line with this IPCC (2007)
recommended a mix of strategies including mitigation, adaptation, technological
development and research. Further, mitigation and adaptation methodologies have to
respond to cultural and ecological zone specific sensitiveness. Because of sustainability
can contributes to reducing vulnerability of climate change by enhancing adaptive
capacity and increasing resilience. Community forest management, river basin approach
to development and landscape management practices in Nepal and India have proved
that these participatory actions contribute to reduce global warming with cooling effect of
grass lands and crop lands in high and mid latitudes(30-50N)(Bala et al.2007).
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment-MA (2005) framed the conceptual framework for
ecosystem services for human well being and scientific management of ecosystem
services.
Scientists believe that technological shift from western conventional to appropriate
which promotes machines and approaches for safe, creative, environmentally sound,
emotionally satisfy and free from social bonds. Appropriate technology tries to work with
indigenous people to create sustainable livelihoods rather than try to convert local
economies and tastes into copies of western culture (Pokhrel, 2004).
Andreas Schild (2007), the director general of ICIMOD pointed out that mountain
environment has been served as a water reservoir and regulator of climate for the world.
However, at present, mountain environment is under constant stress as a result of natural
resource degradation, erratic climate shifts and ecological imbalances. Consequently,
series of critical issues like poverty, resource management disaster risk reduction and
management of ecosystem services are being great challenge in the region. He urged a
collective initiative to integrate environmental concerns into development planning and
programming with clear cut policies.
The global concerns: macroeconomic stability, trade liberalization and structural
reform have left little room for local, geographical and cultural differentiation, and many
countries and communities are remained huge area of poverty. Thus, we are economically
globalize and geo-culturally localized. So, we have a space for retreat, for recovery and
identification (Dekens, 2007).
It is felt that climate change like globalization has brought dimensions to the
awareness of the scientists, citizens and politicians. The interaction between western
conventional science and local knowledge has promoted the indigenous technology and it
dispersed in various fields including geography, natural resource management and
planning. Local knowledge and practices have proven that they are cost effective
measures to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction actions in the Asian
region. The impacts and rescue practice of the 2004 tsunami proved that a better
understanding of local knowledge can play important role to empower the locals for
climate change adaptation and disaster preparedness. Local knowledge also contributes to
project performance in the local area with respect to acceptance, ownership feeling and
sustainability. It helps to project cost-effectiveness from financial and social point of
view. Therefore, the crux of the problem is to understand the local knowledge and vital
to address what is important and what should be done at the local level for ecological
stability and livelihood improvement. If we respect and translate it into practice we can
build mutual trust, community ownership and self-confidence. Thakur (2001)
appropriately materialized that the key for efficient management of natural resource can
hold by local if government provides space for them. Klooster(2002) also remarked that it
is essential to understand the local characteristics in terms of interests, efforts, control
and process of development that permits the flexible integration of local knowledge,
institutional parameters and conventional method of resource management and
development.
The present paper aims to access community level perceptions of climate change
impacts and current adaptive practices with a view to collect and document the views,
opinions, voices and concerns to promote ecology and economy of the marginalized
community people. The data and illustrations of the paper are based on participatory
video project in Matehiya and Bageshowry VDCs of Bank district, Nepal. Voices of
community people were collected through participatory video to record the real concerns
or voices of community people how they perceive the climate change and its impacts,
what measures do they adopt against the changing and challenging situation of their
socio-economic spheres. The Participatory Video was supported by interviews of district
level stakeholders i .e. key informants to document innovative practices to promote
community level adaptation to climate change.
Surveyed Villages
Muslim community dominated Matehiya Village Development Committee from the
West Rapti River across and Tharu community dominated Bageswary Village
Development Committee from the western part of the district were surveyed using
participatory video during April to December, 2008. Matehiya VDC is located in the
eastern side of West Rapti River which is suffering by flooding and accumulation of sand
on farmland since the last decades. West Rapti and other Nalas have created the flood
havoc and sand deposition problems and more than 650 house holds were displaced from
their original home land. Process of deforestation, sand accumulation and land cutting
problems are observed that have continued since last and as a result, economic hardship
and ecological instability are being the vital cause to threat to the life and ecology of the
area. Locally, the area is popular as the Bagauda area which means to area of sand
covered and land of desertification. Forest area is rapidly depleting by the negligence of
government officials, misbehave of political workers and involvement of political parties
in timber smuggling. Due to very close to India border districts like Baharaich, Shravasti
and Maharajgunj, majority of the population of the area are directly linked to Indian
economy, social and cultural traditions even they use Indian currency in their daily life.
Decreasing agricultural production, deforestation, desertification, sand deposition on
farm land and growing incidence of various diseases as well as poverty are found major
vulnerable impacts of climate change which further aggravated by the Laxmanpur Dam,
the marginal afflux dam of Suryu Canal of India. India has constructed this dam against
the international law of border area water resource management and utilization.
Another surveyed VDC, Bageshwary is located in western side of the district where flood
and long lasting drought are the main threats of climate change. Farmers are loosing their
farm production since last. They are facing the problem of fuel, fodder and food due to
the rapid loss of bio-resource including forest resources. More than 75 per cent
households have to migrate seasonally to India in search of livelihood resources. Land
fragmentation, over use of chemical fertilizer and loss of soil productivity are in
increasing trends in every successive year.
Perception at Community Level (Micro scale)
This site-based (micro-scale) climate change study has furnished various information
regarding climate change and instability, adverse impacts and community level
vulnerability, feelings and perceptions to formulate appropriate adaptation strategies
needed for the community-based vulnerability assessment. From the intensive field
survey through participatory video, some important feelings, impacts and strategic
measures were observed. All of the respondents from both VDCs reported the chilly
winter days and nights, extreme hot summer, delayed monsoon and shorter rainy season.
They said the amount of rainfall is continuously decreased since last twelve years.
Further, community people added that the unusual and untimely rainfall and sporadic as
well as heavy rainfall damaged the crop, cropland and other rural infrastructures by flood.
However, the women in Matehiya experienced more flood havoc and deforestation
problems due to climatic instability whereas in Bageshwary most of the elders including
women felt drought and loss of farm production. In over all, flooding, land cutting, sand
accumulation, desertification, drought, disease infection, bio-species loss and poverty
were pointed out as the impacts and vulnerability of climate change at community level.
Regarding the reasons for decreasing the farm production, women groups in Bageshowry
stated that lack of rainfall at right time, prolonged drought are main causal factors to
decrease the production of all crops though the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides
is increasing day by day. Similarly, women groups of Matehiya VDC perceived the
earlier flowering of plant with decreasing amount of flowers and fruits since last
decades. Forest of the across the West Rapti River area is composed by rivriane and sal
forests where many useful plants are available. Mauwa, the indigenous name of riveriane
plant of the area is very useful to community people in Matehiya. Community people
have used the flowers of this plant to make local wine and other edible goods and manage
their livelihoods since last. But at present, they are getting low due to the decreasing
trends of flowers of the plant.
Elders of the Bageshwary VDC noted there used to be regular rainfall and the farm
production was large before ten years. But now they have a hard time feeding themselves
and providing for their families. They do no to get enough to eat from their fields.
Consequently, they can not manage more than tenth months a year from their farm.
Whereas the elders of Matehiya said the scarcity of livelihood resources like fuel, fodder
and food due to rapid deforestation. Vanishing of bird species, reptiles and other wild life
species was frequently reported by all respondents. People from both VCDs felt that there
have been increasing problems like eye disease, skin disease pneumonia headache and
typhoid due to climatic variability and uncertainty.
An effort has also made to record the opinions of children about the climate change,
adverse impacts and measures to be applied for community adaptation. Children of
Bageshwary perceived that flood is the most widespread climatic hazards. There is no
any safe mode to cross the river and drains and it is hard to go to school in rainy season.
They recalled there was no flood and the problem to cross the river and drains some years
back and they had never experienced the flood and drought problems as these days. In the
same issue children in Matehiya noted the erratic rain caused the flood and they had
faced the great risks to continue their study in rainy season and extreme summer hot
create the threat to study in school. The severities of heat and heat waves which are in
rising up have large impact on community life including children. Further, they said that
climate relate problems can easily be solved by children themselves if the system has to
hear the issues of climate change by decision making level. The perceptional study of
women and child groups in Bank indicates that the views and opinions of elders, women
and children have great important for the community level assessment. However, policy
makers and planners have not still been laid the weight on their voices. It is true that
community people have had great and depth knowledge on climatic hazards in their daily
life. They felt real impacts of climate change in their health, education, nutrition, mental
and physical well-being and life security at large. The aforesaid discussion permits to say
that the issues climate change which are facing by whole world community are more
scientific in nature and hard to relate in day to day life. But such empirical study and
community level action research could build the capacity to community people to cope
with changing climate by creating the ownership of solution. It is also relevant to
community awareness and bottom up advocacy for the community level assessment in
Nepal and other developing countries for the safe and better life.
Adaptation Strategies
Community people have been practiced different sorts of measures to mitigate and
adapt the changing climate since long. Evidently, the local scale practices and
sustainability can only be enacted and maintained the eco-friendly human behaviors
because the locals know their own situation in better than outsiders(Pokhrel,2004).Thus,
the various efforts that are undertaken and perceived by community people for the
adaptation of climate change have been examined in sequel.
Coping mechanisms to untimely and unusual rain fail farmers alter planting and
harvesting time. Early maturing vegetables are found to be cultivated. Due to prolong
drought Khet (irrigated) land observed to be converted into Bari (rain fed)land in both
VDCs. Change in cropping system is another important adaptive practice has been seen
in the study area where rice was replaced by maize and other drought resistant crops in
semi irrigated land. In Matehiya, wheat found to be replaced by mustard due to less water
requirement. Similarly, farmers of Bageshwary said that they started to sow wheat in
December instead of November due to less winter rain. According to them in December,
whet can get moisture from condensation of dew. Farmers in the flooding areas of both
VDCs have found to practice to grow sesame, black gram and sweet potato to cope with
changing environment. Farmers of Matehiya found that they use earthen vessels to store
cereal seeds which are kept on raised beds to protect from flooding. Further, they are
raising their level of houses and cattle sheds to keep them safe during flooding. Plantation
in roadside and riverside was reported by most of the respondents to scale down the
adverse impacts of climate change and rapid depletion of natural and environmental
resources. Farmers were found to alter their working hours to cope with rising
temperatures i.e. working outside in the morning and evening and doing indoor tasks
during the mid-day heat. It observed that community people have constructed channels
across the stream and Nalas to catch and canalize stream flow during the monsoon for
irrigation of rice. They also prevent sand accumulation on farm land through constructing
channels. Flood barriers were observed to be constructed along the banks of the stream to
protect the edge and deflect eroding current.
It is evident that community people are not static and have developed various
strategies to cope with changing and uncertain circumstances. Their responses would be
more effective if causative factors might be addressed. However, they dot not have
required resources and technologies to address unforeseen consequences of climate
change and lack adaptive capacity. Thus, local, national and international efforts have to
need to build the culture to sustain both ecological legacies i.e. growth of old forest and
cultural legacies i.e. peoples’ connection to land. Because of science always tells us that
human kind is significantly responsible for many causative factors of climate change and
human also remedies the problems. In the line with this, following strategic measures
were identified by the respondents.
i)
Sharing information and knowledge management ii) Social network and
institutional support iii) Loss sharing mechanism and income generation
activities iv) Emergency fund and micro-insurance system v) Adapting
technologies and preventive measures, and vi) Mitigation and remittance
Conclusion
It can safely be concluded that climate change has brought adverse consequences to
the livelihoods of the community affecting in different aspects. Community people
have facing the looming challenge how to cope with both predicted and unknown
adversities. Elders, women, children and adults all are the most vulnerable to adverse
socio-economic consequences related to climate change such as food insecurity,
health hazards and resource scarcity. Much focus has to be given for changing
policies in favor of hazard victims and poor to sustainable livelihoods and ecological
stability. Community needs to be well informed and empowered to enable them to
lessen the adverse impact of climate change. Community based loss and knowledge
sharing mechanisms can play significant role to increase the community resilience.
Acknowledgements
Author would like to express sincere gratitude to community people of Matehiya and
Bageshwary VDCs of Bank district, Institute of Development Studies UK and Action
Aid Nepal for their financial and technical supports.
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