International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development

Kathmandu, Nepal

Community and Ecosystem based

Adaptation: Experiences from the

Hindu Kush Himalayas

Dhrupad Choudhury

Regional Programme on Adaptation to Change

Asia Pacific Adaptation Forum 2014

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

1-3 October, 2014

Community and Ecosystem based

Adaptation: Basic Tenets

• ‘Two sides of the same coin’

• Issue of ‘Supply and Demand’ management

– Ecosystem services

• Provisioning

• Regulating....

– Community Adaptation

• Livelihood security

• Risk management

Uttarakhand: 3

Nepal: 3+2

N E India: 5

Bhutan: 2

Participatory assessments: The

canvas

Survey districts

Bhutan Pemagatshel

Trashi Yangste

India

Uttarakhand Almora

Bageshwar

Tehri

NE India W Garo Hills

E Garo Hills

Ri Bhoi

Karbi Anglong

Ukhrul

Nepal (Mid-west)

Humla

Bajhang

Dailekh

(West & East)

Tanahu

Terathum

Total: 15 districts; 90 villages

(criteria – elevation, accessibility, marginality)

Elevation range: 50-3,500 m

6 IFAD Projects:

Bhutan: AMEPP

India: Aajeevika, MRDS & NERCORMP

Nepal: WUPAP & LFLP

Reality Check

Support Systems for food & income

(dependencies)

Food resource availability (months)

Rainfed

Wet terrace

Homegarden

Forest

Animal husbandry

Fishery

Orchard

systems

0

2

4

6

8

mo

nths

8 2 5 3 5 0 1

Income resources availability (months)

Rainfed

Wet terrace

Homegarden

Forest

Animal husbandry

Fishery

Orchard

systems

0

2

4

6

mo

nth

s

6 0 5 6 6 0 1

Rainfed agriculture, homegardens, animal husbandry &

forests critical support systems for rural communities in the

mountains,

despite the strong policy focus on irrigated systems and

plantations.

Resource availability (no. of crops)

from different systems

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Jhum Fallows/Forest Homegarden Wet Rice Orchards

Foodgrains

Tuber crops

Veg

Fruits/Nuts/Spices

Seasonal resource availability (Diversity):

Rainfed system (No. of crops in each category)

0

4

8

12

16

20

April May June Jul Aug Sept oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar

Availability of resources from rainfed agriculture (Tehri)

cereals tubers spice vegetable legume fruits

0

4

8

12

16

20

April May June Jul Aug Sept oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar

Availability of resources from rainfed agriculture (Bageswor)

cereals tubers spice vegetable legume fruits

0

4

8

12

16

20

April May June Jul Aug Sept oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar

Availability of resources from rainfed agriculture (Almora)

cereals tubers spice vegetable legume fruits

Utility value of tree species retained

in fallows at clearing (Ukhrul,

Manipur)

24

28

24

61

35

33

22

17

23

20

78

90

100

125

167

195

199

234

285

324

340

386

23.32

25.91

32.38

43.26

50.52

51.55

60.62

73.83

83.94

88.08

100

1 16 4.15

0 100 200 300 400 500 600

Moisture retention/Weed control or

suppressant

Medicine/Dye/Soap/Veterinary/Pesticides/Fish

poison/Gun powder

Contour support

Wheel/cart/Agricultural tools/ Household

utensils

Green cover

Trellis/Bean support

Pole/Fencing/ Construction material

Edible

Fuel wood

Nutrient enrichment

Timber

Total

No. of Species

No. of farmers responded/preferred

Farmers Responded/preferred(%)

Assessing adaptive capacities: Correlating responses with resource base

& Support System Index y = -0.4349x + 4.6517

R² = 0.0166

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5

resp

on

se

Resources/support system

Correlating response with resource base

total responses Linear (total responses)

y = -3.3358x + 5.3804 R² = 0.0288

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8

resp

on

se

s

SS index

Correlating SS index with responses

total responses

Higher the provisioning

services less the need for

responses to shocks/

exposures

More diverse the

‘portfolios’ – more

effective the risk

management

High diversity increases

resilience

Managing Change: Perspective Land

Use Mapping (Garo Hills, India)

Managing land use change in

shifting cultivation areas

• Accommodating livelihood and

income needs

• Participatory resource

management at the landscape

level

• Promoting community

management and conservation

of forests, water, and ecosystem

services

Grounding EBA and CBA: Managing

Change in Shifting Cultivation -

Participatory 3D

“I have been with the

Nokma for over 50

years…this is the first

time my A’khing has

come alive in front

of my eyes…”

Gonath Sangma,

Nokma

Traditional custodian,

Sasatgre

Livelihood Diversification Options:

Building on existing resources with

comparative advantage

Income enhancement and

diversification through

Value Chain approaches:

Promotion of niche products

from mountain systems

On-farm and non-farm

opportunities

Market linkages

Access to commodity

pricing

Support services

Extension and technical

services

Improving Institutional and governance

mechanisms - Consultative policy

engagement process

Adaptation Learning Highways:

Process framework for facilitating:

A horizontal and vertical

exchange of information and

knowledge to strengthen

• informed decision making

• making local governance more

responsive; and

• to contribute to effective local

adaptive strategies formulation

Implemented in India and Nepal

(supported State Action Plan for Climate Change Adaptation of Uttarakhand, India)

C2C Knowledge Exchange Forum (C2C KEF) •Knowledge exchange

•Peer verification

(acceptance)

•Peer assessment

•Gap identification and need

assessment ( support

services required)

Forum for exchange and interaction with local decision and policy makers (FIP)

•Share issues, concerns

and gaps in support

system

•Identify means to make

system more responsive

•Identify existing

programmes and

institutional mechanisms

that can respond to

community concerns

•Identify policy action

Community-Scientists Interface Forum (CSIF)

•Knowledge exchange

•Identification of promising

adaptive mechanisms

•Designing participatory M&E

framework

•Result sharing, dissemination

and upscaling framework

State/Regional Consultative Workshop for formulating adaptive strategies

•Share findings, concerns

and learning

•Policy action

recommendations

•Formulation of policy

support for upscaling

In conclusion…

• Communities fully recognise the

centrality of ecosystem services

for ensuring adaptation and

livelihood security

• Strengthening partnerships with

communities central to

synthesis of CBA & EBA

Thank you