CASE STUDY: ADAPTATION IN THE HINDU-KUSH HIMALAYAS

Lisa Schipper8 January 2010

Brief project overview

Purpose of project to document and assess strategies used by mountain people to cope with and adapt to variations in water resources

Linked case studies with national policy studies, focused on disaster risk reduction and adaptation

Assumptions

Assumed people’s livelihoods already include intentions and actions to ward off risk

Actions are insufficient to manage extreme events and major changes

Not all responses are adaptation

Key to shifting from coping to adapting is reducing vulnerability Coping strategies for floods and droughts may have + and –

implications for long-term resilience & well being

Good governance

With good governance and planning that takes into account climate risk, infrastructure development can contribute to enhancing water security and flood management

Example: Nepal trenches

Social capital

Social networks and local institutions play a vital role in enhancing adaptive capacity

Example: Chitral migrant networks

Cultural norms shift

Cultural norms affect people’s adaptive behaviour. Despite being deeply rooted, they can shift over time in response to the needs

Example: Assam fishers, liquor production and house construction

Context specific

Factors enabling adaptation may also be constraining

Example: flood management in Bihar and Assam

Institutions and policies

National institutions and policies strongly affect people’s ability to adapt at the local level, but the national level is rarely informed by adaptation concerns and priorities

Example: All cases

Diversification

Livelihood diversification emerges as a central adaptation strategy, but support through institutions and policy is needed for long-term sustainability

Example: All cases

Finding a balance

Adaptation requires striking a balance between short-term priorities and long-term goals

Example: All cases

Conclusions

Cultural norms: not as rigid as many assume

Poor people in extreme landscapes: how to create links between national policy approaches to strengthen resilience and local level?

How to ensure that behaviour doesn’t shift toward maladaptation?

More information about projecthttp://books.icimod.org/index.php/search/publication/665