Perception-based analysis of climate change impacts on the forest-dependent A'chik community around Nokrek biosphere reserve, North-Eastern Himalayan region of India
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19586743 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Colleen Ch Marak (North Eastern Hill University), Biplov Chandra Sarkar (0000-0002-0022-1036, GLA University, corresponding author), Aman Dabral (0000-0003-0662-9953, Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali Uttarakhand University of Horticulture & Forestry), Khulakpam Apshahana (0009-0007-3563-4870, North Eastern Hill University), Gopal Shukla (0000-0001-5237-0212, North Eastern Hill University), Bishal Gurung (0000-0001-6984-9000, North Eastern Hill University), C P Suresh (0000-0001-9089-9352, North Eastern Hill University), Sumit Chakravarty (0000-0001-8108-8726, North Bengal Agricultural University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 21 |
| Pages | 100960 |
| Publication date | 2025-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Trees Forests and People (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2666-7193 • E-ISSN: 2666-7193 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100960 |
| OpenAlex | W4412893352 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 58 |
Public perception is crucial for climate resilience and policy formulation especially in vulnerable Himalayan region. • A’chik (Garo) indigenous community in the Northeastern Himalayan region reports rising temperatures. • Maximum and minimum temperatures increased at alarming rated 0.0335°C/year and 0.015°C/year. • Drastic forest cover loss threatens NTFPs availability and agricultural productivity. • Blend of local knowledge and science is key to sustain Garo livelihoods and nature. Public perception plays a key role in shaping climate-resilient policies, especially among forest-dependent communities. This study analyses climate change awareness and perceptions among the A’chik (Garo) community in the transitional zone of the Nokrek Biosphere Reserve, West Garo Hills, Meghalaya, North-east India. A total of 100 respondents, predominantly female (77 %) with a mean age of 53.94 years, were selected through multi-stage random sampling and interviewed with a semi-structured schedule. Significant associations were found between climate change awareness and age, education and occupation, while gender showed non-significant association. Less than half of respondents were aware of climate change but even lesser respondents than this were aware on global warming and greenhouse gases. The indicators through which the community perceived climate change were rising temperatures, shortened winters, unpredictable and reduced rainfall, which matched the trends of climatic from climate data (1981–2022). Temperature increases were significant, while precipitation trends were non-significant. Respondents reported environmental degradation including forest cover loss, decline in biodiversity, reduced availability of non-timber forest products (NTFPs), drying water bodies, and increased droughts and landslides. Farming impacts were evident with reduced crop yields, pest outbreaks, soil degradation, and water scarcity, threatening livelihoods and increasing health vulnerabilities. Unsustainable land-use practices such as shifting cultivation ( jhum) and deforestation intensified these impacts. This study highlights the need to integrate indigenous perceptions with scientific data to develop adaptive, culturally appropriate policies. Community-based conservation and alternative livelihood promotion are essential for sustaining the livelihoods of the Garo people and protecting the fragile Himalayan ecosystem amid ongoing climate change
Agroforestry · Archaeology · Biology · Biosphere · Climate change · Forest reserve · Geography · Nature reserve · Physical geography · Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies · Environmental Science · Land Use and Ecosystem Services · Species Distribution and Climate Change · Ecology · Forestry
Estimates of the Regression Coefficient Based on Kendall's Tau
Nonparametric Tests Against Trend
Dependence of flood risk perceptions on socioeconomic and objective risk factors
I’ll See It When I Believe It
Examining the Relationship Between Physical Vulnerability and Public Perceptions of Global Climate Change in the United States
Cultural dimensions of climate change impacts and adaptation
Projected changes in hot, dry and wet extreme events’ clusters in CMIP6 multi-model ensemble
Heat Waves and Climate Change
Knowledge and perception about climate change and human health
Climate change perceptions and response strategies of forest fringe communities in Indian Eastern Himalaya
Farmers perception and awareness of climate change
Signs of Climate Warming Through the Eyes of Yak Herders in Northern Bhutan
Risk perception and adaptive responses to climate change and climatic variability in northeastern St. Vincent
Climate change perception, vulnerability, and readiness
The climate change beliefs fallacy
Explaining Perceptions of Climate Change in the US
Local perspectives on a global phenomenon—Climate change in Eastern Tibetan villages
Vulnerability
Community level adaptation to climate change
Adaptation, adaptive capacity and vulnerability
Perceptions of climate and climate change by Amazonian communities
What Makes Community Forest Management Successful
Livelihood Diversification and Household Well-Being
Climate change perceptions and adaptations by indigenous Chepang community of Dhading, Nepal
From climate perceptions to actions
A Baseline Study of A'chik Homegardens in North-East India
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |