Vulnerability to climate change among the Changpa pastoral nomads of Leh-Ladakh

Abstract

Pastoral nomads of the Himalayan region are the least responsible but most threatened by climate change. Therefore, the present study was conducted to analyze vulnerability to climate change among the randomly selected 200 Changpa pastoral nomads of Leh-Ladakh. A vulnerability to climate change index was developed underlying the principle of IPCC by using 18 household-level indicators of bio-physical and societal importance. The study indicated that the average vulnerability scores of Changpa pastoral nomads were positive, which indicated their shock-absorbing capacity to extreme climatic conditions, whereas 32% of the households were extremely vulnerable. But vulnerability index score of 7.50% of households was negative, which indicated their inability to cope with the extreme climatic conditions. Hence, immediate attentions are required to formulate better adaptation strategies to improve the adaptive capacity of the vulnerable Changpa pastoral nomads to changing climate conditions.