Strengthening climate resilience in mountainous areas

This working paper presents approaches to strengthening the resilience of human and natural systems in mountainous areas against the impacts of climate change. Chapter 1 provides an overview of climate-related hazards to ecosystems and communities in mountainous areas, especially in developing countries, and their exposure and vulnerability to those hazards. The chapter then examines various ways governments and development co‑operation providers can strengthen the climate resilience of mountain communities and ecosystems. Chapter 2 presents the case of the Indian state of Uttarakhand.

The paper finds key implications in strengthening resilience in mountainous areas. Understanding the drivers of climate risks is the basis for plans and policies to build resilience in mountainous areas. For plans and policies to be developed, multi-level stakeholder collaboration is central. Governments and development co-operation have also introduced various approaches to finance climate resilience initiatives in mountain areas, but further investment in data and information is essential for assessing the vulnerability of biophysical and socio-economic systems to climate-related hazards. The monitoring and evaluation of climate-related projects is a resource policy-makers should make more of and governments and development co-operation providers should raise awareness and build capacity among local authorities and stakeholders in remote mountainous areas. Governments, development co-operation providers and the private sector are increasingly promoting nature-based solutions for mountain communities, while at the same time making transitional infrastructure more climate resilient. In the meantime, mountain communities are also increasingly using information communication technologies to strengthen their climate resilience.