Understanding How Local-level Environment Stewardship Initiatives Increase Livelihood Resilience to Climate Change
- Resource Type
- Authors
- Himani Sharma; Shreya Karmakar; Bhavana Rao Kuchimanchi; Pratiti Priyadarshini; Tenzin Chorran; Debarupa Ghosh
- Source
- Ecology, Economy and Society–the INSEE Journal. 4
- Subject
- Economics and Econometrics
Global and Planetary Change
Ecology
Climate change
Forestry
Local governance
Livelihood
Common-pool resource
Business
Stewardship
Resilience (network)
Environmental planning
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Nature and Landscape Conservation
- Language
- ISSN
- 2581-6101
2581-6152
Common property resources (CPR) are central for the sustenance of biodiversity and rural communities in India. Weak institutional governance and the lack of tenure rights for local communities over CPRs is resulting in degradation and over-exploitation of resources making rural communities vulnerable across India. Climatic variabilities further exacerbate existing socio-ecological imbalances multifold. Within the broader area of vulnerability and adaptation to climate change, this paper explores how restoration of CPRs through local environment stewardship initiatives contributes to the resilience of rural livelihoods in the face of climate change. A mixed-methods approach was employed to study this aspect in six villages in two districts in Rajasthan. It was found that secure property rights and collective management of CPRs enhances household resilience and improves ecological health. It concludes that processes supporting local self-governance need to be central to local adaptation to climate change, as they naturally create resilient and sustainable rural livelihoods.