The Practice of Resilience in Mountain Landscapes: Exploring risk and landscape investments in rural Nepal

Last changed: 11 May 2023

This project investigates long-term landscape investments in order to understand how people’s landscape use and economic and social structures are mutually constituted with very different outcomes for different social groups in a hierarchical society such as Nepal contributing to the growing body of socio-political nuanced understandings of resilience and adaptive capacity, as well.

Mountain areas are central to ecosystem functions and biodiversity hotspots. They are also inhabited by deeply impoverished populations. People in the Himalayan landscapes have long lived in contexts of chronic structural risks generated by climate change and deeper socio-political factors in Nepalese society. One strategy has been large collective and individual labour investments in the landscape.

This research investigates such long term landscape investments in order to understand how people’s landscape use and economic and social structures are mutually constituted with very different outcomes for different social groups in a hierarchical society such as Nepal. It does so in a situation where patterns of outmigration creates a situation of rural labour scarcity, which has relatively unknown consequences for land uses and landscapes.

The interdisciplinary research team use the own developed method ‘ES-walks’, in combination with various forms of interviews and collaborative activities in three contrasting mountain landscapes.

The project contributes to the growing body of socio-political nuanced understandings of resilience and adaptive capacity, as well as analyse and reflect on development and environmental changes in an integrated manner. Such knowledge of human-environmental relations is crucial for supporting and improving smallholders’ rural livelihood opportunities.

A map showing the two study areas: Rampur. Ramechhap och Silame Sakhajor, Sindhuli. Illustration.

Figure above: A map showing the study sites in Nepal.

Facts:

Project leader

Kristina Marquardt, Researcher, Division of Rural Development, SLU

Project participants

Lila Nath Sharma, Biodiversity Conservation and Vegetation Ecology Specialist, Forest Action Nepal

Örjan Bartholdson, Senior Lecturer, Division of Rural Development, SLU,  +4618673395
Read more on Örjan Bartholdson's CV page 
Send an e-mail to: orjan.bartholdson@slu.se

Dil Bahadur Khatri, Researcher, Forest Action Nepal

Adam Pain, Researcher, Division of Rural Development, SLU, +4618671140 
Send an e-mail to: adam.pain@slu.se

Project time

2019-2025

External funding

The Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet)

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