Adapting to climate change in a forest-based land use system. A case study of Himachal Pradesh, India

摘要

Current climate models show an increase of 3 deg C by year 2100 for the state of Himachal Pradesh. The change in rainfall is difficult to predict, a range of -20% to +20% is suggested from different models. Dynamic vegetation modelling shows that under moderate climatic change there could be an 11% increase in the total area under tree cover in Himachal Pradesh. There will be a north-eastwards migration of forest types as cold habitat biomes are replaced by warm weather species. Current anthropogenic pressure from livestock management activities, unsustainable forest product exploitation and habitat fragmentation will probably outweigh any direct impacts of climate change on vegetation. Consequently, the change in the area under different forest types and the species composition within these forest types will differ from model predictions. It is likely that more competitive and robust species such as Chir Pine and Blue Pine will survive and those species which are already overexploited such as the oaks and Deodar will become more endangered. Sustainable adaption strategies should aim at reducing the pressures from subsistence and commercial activities on forests: ongoing efforts in participatory forest management should be strengthened to reflect the interests of various stakeholders. The resilience of forest ecosystems to climate change can also be increased by identifying and planting tree species which can tolerate a wider range of climatic conditions. This will require government and donor commitment to invest in building the necessary institutional and research capacity 147 refs, 42 figs, 12 tabs