Historically evolved practices of the Himalayan transhumant pastoralists and their implications for climate change adaptation

Abstract

The people living in the agrarian societies develop different strategies in response to climatic variability and environmental uncertainties. Transhumant pastoralists in the Himalayas are among those who follow nature's rhythm of seasonality. The traditional practices built in group's experience might be useful to adapt with climate variability and change. Therefore, this study aims to: 1) study perceptions of transhumant herders towards changes in key climatic variables and validate them with observed data; 2) explore traditional practices of transhumant herders and their significances for climate change adaptation in Khaptad National Park, far-Western Nepal. Data were collected by means of semi-structured interview and focus groups discussions. The results showed that the perceptions of transhumant herders match with observed climatic trends in many instances and herders' traditional strategies have potential in reducing risk from climate change. The findings indicate that the historically evolved practices might be useful for climate change adaptation.