The cultural context of climate change impacts: Perceptions among community members in the Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal

Abstract

ThereisincreasingempiricalevidencethattheclimateinNepalis changing andwillcontinuetodosofortheforeseeablefuture,with substantial impactsonthelong-establishedwaysoflifeofthelocal people. Thedevelopmentofresponsiveactions,orclimatechange adaptation,hingesonunderstandinghowpeoplemakesenseof changesintheirlocalclimateandhowtheyinterpretassociatedrisks and opportunities.Basedonaqualitativecasestudywith 30 tourismstakeholderparticipantsintheAnnapurnaRegionof LowerMustang,Nepal,thisresearchexploredpeople's understanding of climatechangeandtheirperceptionsofdifferentlevelsofimpact. The rangeofperceivedimpactsisdiscussedagainstthebackground of multiplelivelihoodsanddiverseculturalinterpretations.Partici- pants,whilenotalwaysscientifically 'accurate' intheirassessments, displayedahighlevelofengagementwith,andunderstandingof theirlocalenvironmentandclimate.Theresultsofthisstudyprovide further testimonytothevalueoflocalknowledgeonrelevantclimate parametersandimpacts,andtheroleitcouldplayinenhancingthe usefulnessofmacro-levelclimateprojections,aswellaslocal-level climatechangeadaptationinitiatives.