Impact of Climate Change on Livelihood Pattern of Pastoralist in the Lower Himalayan Region of Jammu and Kashmir: With Special Reference to Poonch District of Jammu and Kashmir, India

Abstract

Climate change has become a social, economic and environmental challenge facing humankind and receives much attention in the public debate. The threats posed by climate change cut across many different sectors–humanitarian aid, development, health, livelihoods. Pastoralists are people who depend for their living primarily on livestock and pastoralism is the use of extensive grazing on forestlands for livestock production. Different environmental factors like climate change have influenced pastoralists. The impact of climate change has caused changes in traditional livelihood pattern of most pastoral groups, nomadic and transhumance alike. Pastoralists mostly depend on forests for grazing their live stocks. The competition for access to forest resources leads conflict among them influencing their livelihoods and land use systems. Pastoralists are facing threats from climate change. Increased frequency of extreme weather events including floods and droughts may overwhelm the existing resilience of pastoral. Climate change strengthens horizontal inequalities among pastoralists through compounding stress on existing socio"economic disparities, different groups within a single society are the most affected disproportionately. Pastoralists play an important role in dry lands of Shivalik (Lower Himalayas) hills in Jammu and Kashmir, as they depend on fodder for livestock and water from ecosystem in water-scarce areas. However, pastoralists in Lower Himalayas are facing threats from climate change as it influence diseases affecting livestock and their livelihoods. Therefore, uncertainty remains with regard to climate change impacts of livelihoods on pastoral population.