Climate Change, Livelihoods and Gender Dynamics of Mountainous Communities in Pakistan
Nusrat Habib
Abstract
T he region of Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) covers the highest mountains in the world. It is becoming a source of the world's largest contributing basin to feed the world with ten major river basins. Altogether, these major rivers of the world contribute to the freshwater supply for approximately 1.4 billion people in terms of volume and extent. The HKH region spans over eight countries: Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, and China, becoming a source of livelihoods for many living in the region. It consists of distinct but interconnected mountain plateaus and ranges and extended for more than 3,500 km. However, the lives of the mountain people in the HKH region are affected by climate change (CC). There is increased duration and frequency of extreme climatic shocks or events, land erosion, land degradation, natural disasters aggravating erosion, the decline in crop yield, and soil fertility. The capacity of mountain people to deal with these growing shocks is limited, which further hurts poverty. Furthermore, these regions are becoming more vulnerable with every passing day