Climate Vulnerability and Adaptive Strategies in the Eastern Himalayas: A Study of Mountain Communities in Arunachal Pradesh

Abstract

The Eastern Himalayan region, characterized by its extreme topographical diversity, rich biodiversity, and distinct socio-cultural landscape, is exceptionally sensitive to the impacts of global climate change. Among the regions of this mountain chain, the state of Arunachal Pradesh in Northeast India stands out as a critical area where indigenous mountain communities depend directly on climate-sensitive sectors such as rain-fed agriculture, shifting cultivation (jhum), horticulture, and forest resources for their sustenance. This paper examines the multi-dimensional climate vulnerability of these communities and documents the autonomous and planned adaptive strategies they employ to mitigate environmental risks. Utilizing a conceptual framework grounded in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) vulnerability paradigm—comprising exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity—the study integrates meteorological trends with empirical insights from local community perceptions.

The findings indicate that while meteorological records show rising minimum temperatures and increasingly erratic monsoon trends, local communities observe drying mountain springs (dharas), shifting crop phenology, and an increased frequency of extreme weather events such as flash floods and landslides. In response, indigenous communities are adapting through agricultural diversification, the adoption of stress-tolerant crop varieties, a transition from traditional apples to cash crops like kiwi and cardamom, and the preservation of indigenous resource-management systems, such as the Apatani wet-rice-cum-fish cultivation. However, institutional gaps, poor infrastructure, and limited access to financial and technological resources constrain their long-term adaptive capacity. The paper concludes with policy recommendations for integrating indigenous ecological knowledge with scientific frameworks to build socio-ecological resilience in the Eastern Himalayas.