adversely impact natural ecosystems (such as forests, grasslands, rivers, and oceans)
and socioeconomic systems (such as food production, fisheries, and coastal settlements). India is one of the countries likely to be the most adversely impacted.
There are efforts at global, national, state and even at local levels to address climate
change through mitigation and adaptation. Addressing climate change requires
policy formulation, research, technology transfer and diffusion, financing and
enhancing adaptive capacity of the poor.
The Government of India has adopted the National Climate Change Action Plan
with eight missions aimed at mitigation, adaptation, and research. So far, climate
change has remained largely an international issue and within India it has remained
largely at the National level and has not yet been seriously considered at the micro
level. However, a few state governments have initiated policies and programmes
aimed at addressing climate change. Addressing climate change requires serious
attention of policymakers not only at international and national level, but also, at the
regional and local.
India, with a huge diversity in land, topography, climate and socioeconomic
conditions, is divided into 15 agroecological zones. Further, to help developing
location-specific research and development strategies at the micro level, a total of
127 subzones (agro-climatic subregions) have been identified in India (NARP
2009). In defining zonal boundaries several indicators (such as water availability,
soil types, rainfall and pattern of rainfall, edaphic factors, land use and land cover,
area under irrigation and rainfed, crops and cropping pattern, etc., were taken into
consideration (Sharma 2007). Therefore, research on climate change and its impact
only at the national level may not be a sound approach toward adaptation and
mitigation activities at the micro level. Thus, a micro-level research needs to be
undertaken that might help us understand climate change impacts on the landscape,
i.e., biodiversity, health, natural resource management, land use and land cover
development, adaptation and the development of socio-ecological systems
(Nautiyal 2010).
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Conference of
the Parties says that the vulnerable groups particularly in developing countries and
whose livelihood is land use practices are the most victims in present world as in
most of the cases their activities are driven by climate. Therefore, solving climate
dilemma through mitigation process and scientific research is an ethical concern.
The climate change harms the vulnerable people and this is not mere inconveniences, but in some cases catastrophic losses of life or the ability to sustain life
(Brown 2010). This is important to undertake in-depth research on land use and
climate modeling (ex-post; ex-ante) at local level as so far orchestrated land use
modeling work in India is very limited. The research should help in developing the
better strategies in the perspective of ongoing climate change and corresponding
limit of sustainable land use—socio-ecological development in India.
562
S. Nautiyal and R. Schaldach
and socioeconomic systems (such as food production, fisheries, and coastal settlements). India is one of the countries likely to be the most adversely impacted.
There are efforts at global, national, state and even at local levels to address climate
change through mitigation and adaptation. Addressing climate change requires
policy formulation, research, technology transfer and diffusion, financing and
enhancing adaptive capacity of the poor.
The Government of India has adopted the National Climate Change Action Plan
with eight missions aimed at mitigation, adaptation, and research. So far, climate
change has remained largely an international issue and within India it has remained
largely at the National level and has not yet been seriously considered at the micro
level. However, a few state governments have initiated policies and programmes
aimed at addressing climate change. Addressing climate change requires serious
attention of policymakers not only at international and national level, but also, at the
regional and local.
India, with a huge diversity in land, topography, climate and socioeconomic
conditions, is divided into 15 agroecological zones. Further, to help developing
location-specific research and development strategies at the micro level, a total of
127 subzones (agro-climatic subregions) have been identified in India (NARP
2009). In defining zonal boundaries several indicators (such as water availability,
soil types, rainfall and pattern of rainfall, edaphic factors, land use and land cover,
area under irrigation and rainfed, crops and cropping pattern, etc., were taken into
consideration (Sharma 2007). Therefore, research on climate change and its impact
only at the national level may not be a sound approach toward adaptation and
mitigation activities at the micro level. Thus, a micro-level research needs to be
undertaken that might help us understand climate change impacts on the landscape,
i.e., biodiversity, health, natural resource management, land use and land cover
development, adaptation and the development of socio-ecological systems
(Nautiyal 2010).
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Conference of
the Parties says that the vulnerable groups particularly in developing countries and
whose livelihood is land use practices are the most victims in present world as in
most of the cases their activities are driven by climate. Therefore, solving climate
dilemma through mitigation process and scientific research is an ethical concern.
The climate change harms the vulnerable people and this is not mere inconveniences, but in some cases catastrophic losses of life or the ability to sustain life
(Brown 2010). This is important to undertake in-depth research on land use and
climate modeling (ex-post; ex-ante) at local level as so far orchestrated land use
modeling work in India is very limited. The research should help in developing the
better strategies in the perspective of ongoing climate change and corresponding
limit of sustainable land use—socio-ecological development in India.
562
S. Nautiyal and R. Schaldach