From Customary to Customized Institutions for Adaptation to Change in the Mountains

Abstract

"The effects of climate change in Nepal are pronounced among poor and marginal populations whose livelihoods are primarily natural resource based, and where climate change has a potential to cause long-term transformations in local socio-ecological systems. In the study pilots of district of Mustang community livelihoods in the mountains are characterised by subsistence agriculture. History shows that communities here are managing key natural resources like forests, rangelands, and water under traditional governance structures. The local institutional arrangement on CPR?s are organised by the local 'Mukhiya System'. Traditionally the selection of village head men or 'Mukhiya' is not only democratic, but even distribution and allocation of water are inbuilt in their social hierarchy, the informal rules and regulations according to local communities have proven to be an efficient customary governance model. However, with changing times, these institutions are being challenged since apart from non climatic factors such as dominant role of the states in shaping development policy and practice, imposing of top-down statute by the state and increased role of elected local governance bodies, and finally out-migration, climate change impacts are fast affecting such institutions. It is important to understand how traditional institutions are managing CPRs or whether their transformation to manage change is happening. The study analysis draws on Ostrom?s Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework, One of Ostrom's defining contributions is the framework, used to analyze policy relevance and effectiveness of institutions. The framework also describes three levels of action: operational, collective choice and constitutional choice. These three are interconnected since, for instance, the outcomes of the 'constitutional choice' affect any 'collective choice' decision-making, which in turn affects operational-level activities. Generic data collection methods were used and data was analyzed using 'systematic qualitative technique'. Five assessment criteria were identified: validity; reliability; objectivity; acceptability to respondents. The most popular and widely used methods were one-to-one interviews and FGDs. Institutional diagnosis of CPRs was done by analysing locally pertinent issues for institutional arrangements such as ppolicy and development; markets; and out-migration. The institutions were assessed by using good governance parameters such as efficiency, equity, accountability and adaptability. The early analysis shows that roles of CPR's for sustaining rural livelihoods has changed over time as multi-stakeholdership in resource use and diversification are shaping future incomes. This means that institutional arrangements need to adjust. Moreover, effective service delivery, whether it involves health care or natural resource management, requires more than implementing policy."