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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. REFERENCES Chaulagai, N.P. (2006) Impact of Climate Change on Water Resources of Nepal: The Physical and socioeconomic dimensions, Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation, Flengsburg University, Jermany World Bank (2006) World Development Indicators, The International bank for Reconstruction and Development/the World Bank, Washington IPCC (2007) Inter-governmental Panel for Climate Change for policy makers: Climate Change 2007: Climate Change impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, IPCCWGII Forth Assessment Report, Cambridge University Press, New York and Cambridge. Bala,G.(et,al)(2007) Combined Climate and Carbon cycle Effects of Large-scale Deforestation: in PNAS 104(16) 6550-6555. MA (2005) Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: Ecosystem and Human well-Being: Synthesis, Island press, Washington Sharma, Eklabya. (2008) Enhancing the Ecosystem Services of the Hindu KushHimalayas: Climate change Challenges and Opportunities, ICIMOD (54 Springs 2008) 21-23. Schild, Andreas. (2007)The Mountain Perspective as an Emerging Element in the International Agenda, ICIMOD (53 Winter2007) 5-8 Klooster, D.J. (2002) Toward Adaptive Community Forestry Management: Integrating local Forest knowledge with Scientific Forestry, Economic Geography, Vol 78, 43-70 Thakur, A. (2001) Community Based Resource Management, YOJANA Vol.45, 40-43 Pokhrel, K.P. (2004) Local Efforts on Resource Conservation and EcoDevelopment: a Case Study in Mid-Western Development Region, Nepal, Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation, Banaras Hindu University, Vanarasi, India. Dekens, Julie.(2007) Local Knowledge on Disaster preparedness: A Framework forData Collection and Analysis, ICIMOD (52 Soring, 2007) 20-23