Building on local social formsKey c

Building on local social forms
Key concerns around climate change in the upland regions of Nepal are soil erosion, landslides and flooding, which have increased as poor forest management and the clearance of trees on sloping land have combined with increasingly severe rainfall. In affected communities, Hinduism and Buddhism provide strong and long-standing social forms, framing and informing individual and communal life. Both religions have close links to nature, suggesting an entry point for developing natural resource management responses to climate change. In Hinduism it is regarded as a sin to destroy the banyan and the closely related peepul or bodhi trees (Ficus religiosa), which are sacred and associated with temples. Rivers are also sacred and importance is attached to keeping water sources clean through the protection of trees and plants at the spring or source. In Buddhism avoiding harming nature is a central concept, suggesting synergies with biodiversity conservation and building environmental resilience. Whilst religious beliefs and practices are a core part of the local culture and value system, they have not translated into a wider demand for conservation or natural resource management. In working with the local communities, Practical Action has been able to frame soil and tree management in terms of their religious value, generating an environment in which the community is receptive to tree planting and new land management techniques. By adopting an approach that resonates with local social forms, the intervention has been readily adopted, with the effect of empowering people to protect their assets and resources and reinforce their livelihood security in the face of increasing rainfall variability. Similar lessons are found in the very different context of the pastoralist communities of north-eastern Kenya. Living in areas where rainfall is below 250 mm in a normal year and crop cultivation is not feasible, a tribal culture has evolved over centuries built around livestock breeds that are capable of surviving through grazing and browsing the sparse vegetation. Social status, activities and roles by gender and age are all based on the finding of water and pasture for livestock, through patternsof seasonally based nomadism. Community and family resilience to disasters ( droughts, El Niño-related floods and tribal conflict) is increased through diversity of livestock and herd management, based on the differing preferences for grazing and needs for water of goats, sheep, cattle and camels. Social identity for pastoralists is strongly linked to livestock, even when individuals move out of their local social groups through education. It is common for such people, even though they may be city-dwellers, to own large herds that are managed by family members .