Climate change, governance and fragility: Rethinking adaptation - Lessons from Nepal

This paper is a collection of reflections from a field visit to three districts in the middle hills and Terai belt of eastern Nepal (Sunsari, Dhankuta and Morang) which set out to explore the various dimensions of the resilience of climate-affected communities.

By sharing the perceptions and insights of community members from these districts, this paper aims to shed light on the complexities of these particular local contexts and flag some of the  specific challenges of responding to climate change in fragile and conflict-affected contexts such as Nepal.

It is not surprising that some of the views expressed will be contested, contradicted and contentious, but the research methodology wanted to ensure that as broad a range of views as possible could be collected so that those developing adaptation responses could have a deeper understanding of the complexities around perceptions and realities. It is intended that further analysis will build on these reflections as part of a necessary discourse on rethinking adaptation in fragile states.

This report is part of the ‘Initiative for Peacebuilding’ series.