Abstract
Mountain communities have a high dependence on regional ecosystems for their livelihood and survival. Despite various initiatives, the mountain ecosystem continues to face an increasing threat from various drivers of change at the global and local levels. Climate-induced changes in regional precipitation have affected the hydrological and nutritional cycles in the mountains. Such impacts have also been felt in the Eastern Himalayan region of India both due to climate change and “development” interventions. At higher altitudes climate change manifests in retreating glaciers, drying up of springs, and warm winter that makes preservation of seeds difficult and livestock more vulnerable. In lower altitudes, there is an increased incidence of the outbreak of pests, diseases in crops and livestock. Damages and loss of property and life due to landslips are more frequent in the middle and lower altitudes where settlement density is higher. Different agro-climatic zone in the mountain region shows high variation in vulnerabilities of the communities and factors that affect the sustainability of their livelihood. Co** and adaptive strategies adapted by the communities are identified in this study so that this knowledge can be incorporated into climate change adaptation policies and programs.
In this chapter, the exchange rate has been considered as USD 1.00 = INR 60.50 based on Reserve Bank of India average exchange rate for 2013–2014
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Acknowledgments
This writing would not have been possible without the active support of our professional associates. The authors would like to sincerely acknowledge Dr Rupal Kumar Paul, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography and Applied Geography, University of North Bengal for finalising the maps of this chapter. We would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers and editors for comments and insightful suggestions to finalise the writeup. We would also like to thank everybody whose work we have cited in this chapter. However, the responsibilities of interpreting these works are entirely ours.
We would also like to acknowledge the financial assistance 1540/R-2020 received from the University of North Bengal during 2020-2021 for undertaking the study.
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Choudhury, G., Choudhury, D., Sharma, P. (2023). Sustainable Development and Livelihood Opportunities in the Himalayan Region of Eastern India. In: Leal Filho, W., Ng, T.F., Iyer-Raniga, U., Ng, A., Sharifi, A. (eds) SDGs in the Asia and Pacific Region . Implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals – Regional Perspectives. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-91262-8_13-1
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