Assessing livelihood-ecosystem interdependencies and natural resource governance in a tribally controlled region of Indi
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Assessing livelihood‑ecosystem interdependencies and natural resource governance in a tribally controlled region of India’s north‑eastern middle Himalayas Mark Everard1 · Gaurav Kataria2 · Smita Kumar2 · Nishikant Gupta1 Received: 24 January 2020 / Accepted: 12 August 2020 © The Author(s) 2020
Abstract Mountains host high biological and cultural diversity, generating ecosystem services beneficial over multiple geographical scales but suffering significant vulnerabilities. A case study in Lileng village (Arunachal Pradesh, Indian north-east Himalayas) explored linkages between a community with protected tribal rights and the forest and river ecosystems within which they are situated. Evidence was gathered through interviews and literature review about ecosystem service benefits, using the Rapid Assessment of Wetland Ecosystem Services approach. Subsequent analysis using the social, technological, environmental, economic, political framework found close, synergistic relationships between local people and the ecosystems for which they have protected tribal rights. Authoritative local governance arrangements prioritise community subsistence needs, limiting the influence of external state government and private actors on natural resource exploitation. Further sustainable economic development could stem from recognition of the value of ecosystem services produced by intact and functional habitats, and the potential for development of ‘payment for ecosystem services’ markets in addition to ecotourism and cultural tourism. Low food sufficiency and poverty observed in a previous study conducted in Uttarakhand state of the central Indian Middle Himalayas, principal drivers of out-migration and gender/age inequalities, were not evident in Lileng or surrounding areas, apparently linked to tribal rights and authoritative local governance in Arunachal Pradesh leading to greater resource security. Better understanding of ecosystem–community relationships in areas with protected tribal rights can highlight sustainable policies and practices that may be translated into wider geo-political areas, especially in the wake of projected climate change stresses. Keywords Arunachal Pradesh · Community-based management · Livelihoods · North-east Himalayas · PES · India
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s1066 8-020-00945-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Mark Everard [email protected] Extended author information available on the last page of the article
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1 Introduction Mountains cover 24% of global land surface (UNEP-WCMC 2002), providing multiple ecosystem services significantly including climate regulation at local and global scales (ICIMOD 2010). They support approximately one-quarter of terrestrial species and almost half of the world’s 34 biodiversity ‘hot spots’ (Körner 2009; CBD 2010, 2011; RSPN 2015). Around 12% of the global human population inhabits mountains (Huddleston
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