Abstract
Nepal is rich in natural resources, biodiversity, etc., but several of them are endangered; climate change, overexploitation, etc. could be the potential reasons. Several studies suggest that high-altitude areas are more vulnerable to climate change, and thus the majority of the mountainous regions in Nepal are in the extreme risk condition due to the adverse effect caused by climate change and global warming. The recent study shows that the average temperature is increased by 0.04 °C per year in the Terai and 0.08 °C per year in the Himalayas since 1980. It means the higher the altitude, the higher the increase in rate. Therefore, the mountain region is more vulnerable in comparison to the Terai plain area of Nepal. Although there is a contribution of climate change in the vegetation growth in the Higher Himalayas, most parts of the country are facing the adverse impact of climate change especially in the agricultural sector. Eventually, changing climate has an adverse effect on the land use and land cover along with the food security of the mountainous region. Nepal government is actively working to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change specially climate change-induced disasters and to ensure the proper use of the available land. Several land use policies have been formulated for the sustainable agricultural development and to preserve the ecosystem and biodiversity.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Amatya SW, Shrestha KR (2002) Nepal forestry handbook, FORSPA Publication No.32/2002. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Bangkok, pp 307–316
CBS (2011) National population and housing census 2011. Central Bureau of Statistics, Kathmandu
CBS (2013a) Environmental statistics of Nepal. Central Bureau of Statistics, Kathmandu
CBS (2013b) Statistical information on Nepalese agriculture. Central Bureau of Statistics, Kathmandu
CSRC (2012) Land reform monitoring indicator Nepal. Community Self Reliance Center, Kathmandu, pp 2–3
Dahal N (2005) Perceptions of climate change in Himalayas, a bulletin on climate and development. Timpo, Issue 56. www.tiempocyberclimate.org/newswatch/feature050910.htm. Accessed 20 Mar 2015
DFRS (1999) Forest and shrub cover of Nepal 1994 (1989–1996), Forest Survey Division, Department of Forest Research and Survey, Publication No. 72
DFRS and NFA (2008) Contribution of forest sector to gross domestic product (GDP) in Nepal. Department of forest research and survey. Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation, Kathmandu
DPNet (2013) Nepal disaster report, disaster preparedness network Nepal. Ministry of Home Affiars, Government of Nepal, Kathmandu
FAO (2010) Land use policy and planning. Food and agriculture organization of the united nations UN complex. Pulchowk, Kathmandu
HMG/ADB/FINNIDA (1988) Master plan for the forestry Sector Nepal, Main Report. Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation, Kathmandu
Houet T, Loveland TR, Hubert-Moy L, Gaucherel C, Napton D, Barnes CA, Sayler KL (2010) Exploring subtle land use and land cover changes: a framework for future landscape studies. Landsc Ecol 25:249–266
Jansky L, Ives JD, Furuyashiki K, Watanabe T (2002) Global mountain research for sustainable development. Glob Environ Chang 12(3):231–239
Kandel I (2012) Workshop on climate change issues and research need in Agriculture, Kathmandu, 8 July 2012
Koirala M, Bhatta R (2010) Communities challenging climate change. CRSC/NEFEJ, Kathmandu
Korner C, Ohsawa M, Spehn E, Berge E, Bugmann H et al (2005) Mountain systems. In: Hassan R, Scholes R, Ash N (eds) Ecosystems and human wellbeing. Current state and trends: findings of the condition and trends working group. Island Press, Washington, DC, pp 681–716
Mishra B, Babel MS, Tripathi NK (2014a) Analysis of climatic variability and snow cover in the kaligandaki river basin, himalaya, Nepal. Theor Appl Climatol 116:681–694
Mishra B, Tripathi NK, Babel MS (2014b) An artificial neural network-based snow cover predictive modeling in the higher Himalayas. J Mt Sci. doi:10.1007/s11629-014-2985-5
MOAC, WFP, FAO (2009) 2008/2009 Winter drought in Nepal crop and food security assessment, joint assessment report. Kathmandu, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC), World Food Programme (WFP) and FAO
MOAD (2012) Statistical information on Nepalese agriculture, government of Nepal. Ministry of Agricultural Development Agri-Business Promotion and Statistics Division, Kathmandu
MOAD (2014) Statistical information on Nepalese agriculture, government of Nepal. Ministry of Agricultural Development Agri-Business Promotion and Statistics Division, Kathmandu
MoEnv (2010) National adaptation programme of action to climate change. Kathmandu
MoEnv (2012). Mountain Environment and Climate Change in Nepal: National report prepared for the international conference of mountain countries on climate change, 5–6 April 2012. Ministry of Environment, Government of Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal
MoFSC (2015) Government of Nepal. Ministry of forest and soil conservation http://www.dnpwc.gov.np/. Accessed on 23 Feb 2015
MoLRM (2012) National land use policy 2011. Ministry of Land Reform and Management, Kathmandu
Pal I (2015) Land use and land cover change analysis in uttarakhand himalaya and its impact on environmental risks. In: Mountain hazards and disaster risk reduction. Springer Japan, pp 125–137
Poudel S, Shaw R (2015) Demographic changes, economic changes and livelihood changes in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region. In: Mountain hazards and disaster risk reduction. Springer, Tokyo, pp 105–123 Poudel S, Shaw R (2016) The Relationships between Climate Variability and Crop Yield in a Mountainous Environment: A Case Study in Lamjung District, Nepal. Climate. 2;4(1):13.
RIMS (2014) Multi stakeholder forestry programme. Resource Identification and Mangement Society. Kathmandu
Sherpa PD, Sherpa P, Ghale K, Rai Y (2010) Locating indigenous peoples’ perspectives in REDD Implementation in Nepal, indigenous peoples, forests and REDD plus: state of forests, policy environment and ways forward. Tebtebba Foundation, Manila
Singh BK, Chapagain DP (2006) Trends in forest ownership, forest resources tenure and institutional arrangements: are they contributing to better forest management and poverty reduction?
Subedi K, Dhital BK (2007) Processing of unfolding futures: Nepalese economy, society and politics, 5–7 October. Ottawa, Canada
Subedi KD, Bhim KC (2001) Food security situation in Nepal: causes and opportunities. Invited paper presented in the workshop “Food Security in Nepal”. Organized by Agriculture Concern Society (ACS), Kathmandu
Yonzon P, Pradhan A, Parajuli B, Maharjan A et al (2010) The Nepal Himalaya Notes 2010
Acknowledgments
The first author acknowledges the support from the GSS program of Kyoto University.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer Japan
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Poudel, S., Shaw, R. (2017). Climate Change and Its Impacts on Land Use/Cover Change and Food Security in Nepal. In: Banba, M., Shaw, R. (eds) Land Use Management in Disaster Risk Reduction. Disaster Risk Reduction. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-56442-3_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-56442-3_14
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Tokyo
Print ISBN: 978-4-431-56440-9
Online ISBN: 978-4-431-56442-3
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)