4. Forestry Policies and Practices to Promote Climate Change Adaptation in the Indian Western Himalayan States

Indian Western Himalayas (IWH) represent one of the regions of the world where climate change is likely to be rapid and pose a serious threat to the rich biodiversity and ecosystem services. The IWH region is one of the mega-biodiversity centers where many initiatives have been taken to conserve its biodiversity. The region serves as the water catchment area for several rivers, providing water to the downstream states for agriculture and consumption and indirectly feeding and employing a significant portion of the country’s population. Climate change brings with it new difficulties to undermine basic ecosystem resilience. The protection and sustainable management of ecosystems of the IWH, on the other hand, may provide a variety of socioecological advantages for long-term adaptation against both present and future climate change. Forests are essential for climate change mitigation efforts; however, they must adapt to climate change to maintain their own life as well as to provide support for the people who rely on them. Adaptation actions are performed to mitigate or minimize the detrimental effects of climate change by taking advantage of good possibilities and building resistance to the negative ones that arise. Forests’ ability to adapt to climate change varies based on their geographical location and species. To deal with the problems of climate change, it is necessary to develop an adaptation framework that considers the roles of various sectors in forestry development and management. A framework may be created by combining the perspective of the community with the policies and plans of the government. This chapter illustrates the various existing forestry policies prevalent in the western Himalayan states aiming at climate change adaptation. The findings would be useful for policymakers to further integrate and seek possibilities of synergizing actions to develop a better adaptation framework for the region.