Bakarwal pastoral nomads a study of livelihood resilience to environmental stress

Abstract

Pastoral nomadism symbolizes a primal form of livelihood based on mobility and herding of livestock. Such systems rely on natural environment and negotiate with it through capacities and strategies to establish a cordial liaison. Currently, the issues of ecosystem fragility, climate change, and geopolitical instability have produced stressors on pastoral livelihood. This research focused on livelihood resilience of Bakarwal pastoral nomads to environmental change. The aim was to understand nomadic landscape from geographical, ecological, sociocultural perspectives in order to examine the changing nature of human-environment interactions; livelihood stressors, resilience and sensitivity of Bakarwals to environmental changes. Research concludes that livelihood resilience of Bakarwals is a product of climatic and socio-ecological environmental changes. Their ability to live in harmony with the environment has kept this pastoral culture alive so far. However, their resilience capacities and strategies to prevailing stressors emanating from climatic, socio-ecological and human cultural changes in pastoral habitat are no longer effective to protect livelihood. The influence of climatic changes, absence of land ownership, and total reliance on resources owned by the State, declining access to pastures and forests, habitat fragmentation, poor amenities and facilities, low literacy and weakened social ties with other communities have amplified their livelihood sensitivity to environmental stressors. In addition, current development paradigm appears to have forgotten about the needs of pastoralists. Under these circumstances, collapse of this cultural and livelihood system seems inevitable unless honest attempts are made to boost livelihood resilience. newline