Understanding the vulnerability of rural livelihoods of east and south Sikkim across the different seasons

Mountain ecosystems are amongst the most fragile environments on the earth and are “characterised by a high degree of poverty, fragility, marginalization and low accessibility” (Macchi et al., 2009). They are a rich source of biodiversity and also providers of many ecosystems goods and services. Major rivers in the world originate from the mountains and play a very important role in providing water to the communities living downstream. People living in the mountains are highly dependent on natural resources for their basic needs as well as livelihood and are comparatively more exposed to extreme events thereby making them even more vulnerable to the changing climate.