Systematic Review of Multi-Dimensional Vulnerabilities in the Himalayas

Abstract

The Himalayan region is a fragile high mountain landscape where the population experiences acute vulnerability within a complex coupled human-natural system due to environmental, social, and economic linkages. The lack of significant regional and spatial knowledge of multi-faceted vulnerabilities hinders any potential recommendations to address these vulnerabilities. We systematically reviewed the literature to recommend mitigation interventions based on the region's socio-economic and ecological vulnerability research to date. We applied the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting of Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis) criteria to search for results from four comprehensive databases. For our assessment, we compiled a final sample (n = 59) of vulnerability research papers to examine the vulnerability types, spatial variation, assessment methodology, and significant drivers of change. Our study represented all Himalayan countries, namely, India, Nepal, Pakistan, China, and Bhutan. More than half of the vulnerability studies were conducted in the central Himalayan region, a quarter in the western Himalayas, and a few in the eastern Himalayas. Our review revealed that the primary drivers of change were climate change, land use/land cover, and glacial lake formation. The vulnerability assessments in the Himalayan region primarily used social science methods as compared to natural science methods. While the vulnerability studies seldom assessed mitigation interventions, our analysis identified fourteen recommendations. The recommended interventions mainly included policy interventions, livelihood improvement, and adaptation measures. This study emphasized that sustainable development requires cross-sectoral interventions to manage existing resources and mitigate the confronting vulnerabilities of the region.

Keywords: Himalaya; PRISMA; climate change; land use/land cover change; vulnerability.

Figure 1

The location of the study area and the numbered distribution of the research articles on vulnerability in the Himalayan countries.

Figure 2

Adapted PRISMA (Preferred Reporting of Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis). Note: Different phases in retrieving the published papers from the four comprehensive databases about vulnerability analysis in the Himalayan region (modified from Moher et al. [63]).

Figure 3

The location of the vulnerability studies. Note: The main Himalayan range divides the northern and southern parts of the Himalayas. The darker colors represent the northern slopes (NS) of the Himalayas.

Figure 4

The number of peer-reviewed publications on vulnerability in the Himalayan region between 1994 and 2021. Note: The word cloud is based on the keywords found in the sampled papers. It was created with Wordle (http://www.wordle.net/; accessed on 20 January 2022). The word size reveals the relative frequency of their occurrence.

Figure 5

The number of studies and recommendations for vulnerability mitigation at different levels in the Himalayas.

Figure 6

The recommendations for vulnerability mitigation for the different regions in the Himalayas.