Migration and the 2015 Ghorkha earthquake in Nepal - effect on rescue and relief processes and lessons for the future

This work was carried out by the Himalayan Adaptation, Water and Resilience (HI-AWARE) consortium under the Collaborative Adaptation Research Initiative in Africa and Asia (CARIAA) with financial support from the UK Government’s Department for International Development and the International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada.This study focuses on three main questions: a) What effect did the migration of young men and women from the villages have on post-earthquake rescue and relief processes? b) What will be the demand for labour in the recovery process and what effect will it have on the domestic labour market and on (further?) migration? c) What are the thoughts and plans of households and communities in relation to rebuilding their lost assets and livelihoods

Understanding rural outmigration and agricultural land use change in the Gandaki Basin, Nepal

This study investigates agricultural land use change in Chitwan, Nuwakot and Lamjung districts of Nepal (1990-2017) in relation to rural outmigration, which has steadily increased. A remittance economy has fuelled urbanization processes as well as transformations in the rural economy. Results of the study show that agricultural land abandonment is higher in mountain areas than in the plains (Terai). When men out-migrate women continue to farm, leading to the feminization of agriculture. But when significant numbers of women out-migrate, farms are abandoned as older people are often unable to do the work. Increased commercialization and competitiveness of agriculture may reduce land abandonment.UK Government's Department for International Development (DFID

Evaluating migration as successful adaptation to climate change: trade-offs in well-being, equity, and sustainability

The role of migration as one potential adaptation to climate change is increasingly recognized, but little is known about whether migration constitutes successful adaptation, under what conditions, and for whom. Based on a review of emerging migration science, we propose that migration is a successful adaptation to climate change if it increases well-being, reduces inequality, and promotes sustainability. Well-being, equity, and sustainability represent entry points for identifying trade-offs within and across different social and temporal scales that could potentially undermine the success of migration as adaptation. We show that assessment of success at various scales requires the incorporation of consequences such as loss of population in migration source areas, climate risk in migration destination, and material and non-material flows and economic synergies between source and destination. These dynamics and evaluation criteria can help make migration visible and tractable to policy as an effective adaptation option

Multi-hazard susceptibility and exposure assessment of the Hindu Kush Himalaya

Mountainous regions are highly hazardous, and these hazards often lead to loss of human life. The Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), like many mountainous regions, is the site of multiple and overlapping natural hazards, but the distribution of multi-hazard risk and the populations exposed to it are poorly understood. Here, we present high-resolution transboundary models describing susceptibility to floods, landslides, and wildfires to understand population exposure to multi-hazard risk across the HKH. These models are created from historical remotely sensed data and hazard catalogs by the maximum entropy (Maxent) machine learning technique. Our results show that human settlements in the HKH are disproportionately concentrated in areas of high multi-hazard risk. In contrast, low-hazard areas are disproportionately unpopulated. Nearly half of the population in the region lives in areas that are highly susceptible to more than one hazard. Warm low-altitude foothill areas with peren- nially moist soils were identified as highly susceptible to multiple hazards. This area comprises only 31% of the study region, but is home to 49% of its population. The results also show that areas susceptible to multiple hazards are also major corridors of current migration and urban expansion, suggesting that current rates and patterns of urbanization will continue to put more people at risk. This study establishes that the population in the HKH is concentrated in areas susceptible to multiple hazards and suggests that current patterns of human movement will continue to increase exposure to multi-hazards in the HKH

Toward a climate mobilities research agenda: Intersectionality, immobility, and policy responses

Mobility is a key livelihood and risk management strategy, including in the context of climate change. The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced long standing concerns that migrant populations remain largely overlooked in economic development, adaptation to climate change, and spatial planning. We synthesize evidence across multiple studies that confirms the overwhelming preponderance of in-country and short distance rather than international migration in climate change hotspots in Asia and Africa. The emerging findings highlight the critical importance of addressing immobility and the intersecting social determinants that influence who can move and who cannot in development policy. This evidence suggests a more focused climate mobilities research agenda that includes understanding multiple drivers of mobility and multi-directional movement; intersecting social factors that determine mobility for some and immobility for others; and the implications for mobility and immobility under climate change and the COVID-19 recovery

The Great Glacier and Snow-Dependent Rivers of Asia and Climate Change: Heading for Troubled Waters

The glacier- and snow-fed river basins of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) mountains provide water to 1.9 billion people in Asia. The signs of climate change in the HKH mountains are clear, with increased warming and accelerated melting of snow and glaciers. This threatens the water, food, energy and livelihood security for many in Asia. The links between mountains and plains and the differential impacts of climate change on societies upstream and downstream need to be better established to improve adaptation measures. This chapter sheds light on climate change impacts on the cryosphere and mountains, the impact on river systems and the social consequences of such changes in mountains, hills and plains. In high mountains and hills, the impact of climate change is clear, as seen in changes in agropastoral systems and the increasing occurrence of floods and droughts, with losses and damages already high. Moving downstream, the climate change signal is harder to separate from other environmental and management factors. This chapter outlines how climate change in the mountains will impact various sectors in the hills and plains, such as hydropower, irrigation, cities, industries and the environment. It discusses how climate change will potentially lead to increased disasters and out-migration of people. The chapter concludes by highlighting necessary actions, such as the need to reduce emissions globally, build regional cooperation between HKH countries, increase technical and financial support for adaptation, and more robust and interdisciplinary science to address changing policy needs

The Permafrost-Agroecosystem Action Group: first results and future goals

Permafrost-agroecosystems encompass northern social-ecological systems which include both cultivation of arable permafrost-affected soils, and animal husbandry practices. These heterogeneous food and cultural systems are being affected by a warming climate. Examples include increasing opportunities for growing crops through longer growing seasons, as well as impacts on animals’ local and long-distance migratory movements and their food sources. Furthermore, climate change driven permafrost thaw and thaw accelerated by land clearance is rapidly changing the biophysical and socioeconomic aspects of these systems. Therefore, an international collaboration encompassing experts from North America, Europe and Asia is working on increasing our understanding of permafrost-agroecosystems and contributing to the adaptation, resilience, and sustainability strategy of these rapidly evolving systems. The International Permafrost Association Permafrost-Agroecosystem Action Group is composed of ~30 members from 7 countries. The objectives of our action group are to share knowledge and build networking capacities through meetings and webinar presentation as well as to collaborate on publications and produce the first geospatial dataset of permafrost-agroecosystems. Our poster presentation provides an overview of the group’s activities including providing case studies from a range of high-latitude and high-altitude areas as part of a group manuscript in preparation and an update on our mapping activities

Socioecological dynamics of diverse global permafrost-agroecosystems under environmental change

Permafrost-agroecosystems include all cultivation and pastoral activities in areas underlain by permafrost. These systems support local livelihoods and food production and are rarely considered in global agricultural studies but may become more relevant as climate change is increasing opportunities for food production in high latitude and mountainous areas. The exact locations and amount of agricultural production in areas containing permafrost are currently unknown, therefore we provide an overview of countries where both permafrost and agricultural activities are present. We highlight the socioecological diversity and complexities of permafrostagroecosystems through seven case studies: (1) crop cultivation in Alaska, USA; (2) Indigenous food systems and crop cultivation in the Northwest Territories, Canada; (3) horse and cattle husbandry and Indigenous hay production in the Sakha Republic, Russia; (4) mobile pastoralism and husbandry in Mongolia; (5) yak pastoralism in the Central Himalaya, Nepal; (6) berry picking and reindeer herding in northern Fennoscandia; and (7) reindeer herding in northwest Russia. We discuss regional knowledge gaps associated with permafrost and make recommendations to policy makers and land users for adapting to changing permafrost environments. A better understanding of permafrost-agroecosystems is needed to help sustainably manage and develop these systems considering rapidly changing climate, environments, economies, and industries

Migration and adaptation in the context of environmental change : lessons from interdisciplinary work in South Asia

The presentation breaks down results from a survey on migration gathered from participants in various regions of India: Deltas (4115 participants); River Basins (1987); Semi-arid plains (600); Semi-arid plateau (2725). It considers drivers of migration; household adaptive capacity; a resilience index; and adaptation measures. It also compares the differences in migration: as a reactive response, or as a movement towards intentional migration, part of adaptive capacit

Migration in climate hot spots in South Asia : diversity in patterns and approaches - final technical report

A cross consortia synthesis paper covering the major findings of the work on migration in environmentally stressed areas of South Asia (final paper submitted to the journal attached herewith). The paper is presently under review in the journal ‘Regional Environmental Change’There is limited data and understanding on various patterns of migration (internal/international, seasonal/temporary/permanent, selected household member/whole household) in climate change “hot spots” in the South Asian region. Any additional data/information in this theme would be helpful to better understand this under-researched topic. As all the four consortia are undertaking household surveys to better understand the migration situation and its linkage with climate change adaptation, it provides an excellent opportunity to consolidate findings at scale