Climate Change Adaptation and Sustainable Mountainous Livelihood in Western Trans- Himalayan Region, Leh- Ladakh, India
Bindhy Wasini PANDEY, Department of Geography, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi, Delhi, India, India
Virender Singh NEGI, Department of Geography, Shaheed Bhagat Singh (Evening) College, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
Climate Change adaptation in the high altitudinal zone of the Himalayas is the need of the hour as the change in the precipitation and temperature patterns is influencing the local life in these fragile environments. Leh district is one of the most fragile, remotest and loneliest areas in south Asia. Communities living here have adapted to the local conditions for many centuries but recent years have witnessed changing climate and climate paradigms in the region. High Range of temperature, altering rainfall patterns and receding glaciers are making the disastrous situation to survive in Leh- Ladakh region because of the habitat dependency on glacial meltwater. The aim of this research paper is to assess the local adopted methods and government initiatives that will be helpful in inclusive development programs for mountain communities in Western Trans- Himalayan region. Through this research, it has been found that due to this changing nature of the climate, the local lifestyles are getting affected due to changes in livelihood options. The major source of livelihood here has been agriculture, horticulture and animal rearing but the changing paradigm has brought in a difficult challenge of water scarcity. Due to the changing weather, snowfall is decreasing and the rate of snow melting is increasing continuously. It has been also found that the seasonal availability of water is a very crucial aspect of daily life in this region. Hence, local initiatives, particularly for conserving the water resources and using them judiciously is the need of the hour because water is precious in this region as it is a cold desert.
Mots clés : Climate Change Adaptation|Western Trans- Himalayan Region|Leh|Receding Glaciers|Mountain Livelihood
A104256BP