Chapter1.- Introduction.- Chapter2.- The Bengal Duars: A Foothill Landscape of the Eastern Himalaya.- Chapter3.- Forestry of Bengal Duars.- Chapter4.- Climate Change in Bengal Duars.- Chapter5.- Assessment of Vulnerability.- Chapter6.- Perception and Responses of the Forest Villagers.- Chapter7.- Adaptation Attitude of the Forest Villagers.- Chapter8.- Recommendations and Conclusions.
Koyel Sam is a Young Geographer with Post Graduate and Ph.D. degrees in Geography from The University of Burdwan, West Bengal, India. She won the university “Gold Medal” for securing first position in first class at Post Graduate level (2013). She also did Post Graduate Diploma in Remote Sensing and GIS. Till now she has published nine international and national research papers in various renowned peer reviewed geoscience and geography journals and books. In addition, she has reviewed articles of many geoscience journals as like Physical Geography published by Taylor & Francis, Human Ecology, Environment, Development and Sustainability (EDS), and SN Applied Sciences published by Springer.
Her principle research fields include Climate Change and Variability, Impact of Climate Change, Adaptation of People, Landscape Ecology, Remote Sensing and GIS. Most recently, she worked on climate change and forest ecology of Bengal Duars- a foothill landscape of Eastern Himalaya, India. Currently, she is working as a teaching faculty in the Department of Geography, Dr. B.N.D.S. Mahavidyalaya, Purba Bardhaman, West Bengal.
Namita Chakma is a Professor of the Department of Geography, The University of Burdwan, West Bengal, India. She did her PhD in Geography at the University of Calcutta, West Bengal, India. She has successfully supervised five MPhil and three PhD scholars. She has published a good number of research papers in reputed journals like Ecological Indicators, Elsevier; Environmental Earth Sciences, Springer Nature; Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography, National University of Singapore and John Wiley & Sons; Current Science, Indian Academy of Sciences; Journal of Earth System Science, Indian Academy of Sciences, Springer (co-publisher),and Mausam, India Meteorological Department (IMD), Government of India. She has successfully completed a major research project on indigenous communities’ responses to the changing climate and its impact on selected rural areas of Sikkim, funded by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India (2018-2020). Her research interest includes spatial patterns of changing climate and its impact, and sustainable development issues.
This book focuses on more than 100 years of climatic oscillation in Bengal Duars, a unique foothill landscape of the Eastern Himalaya, to discuss the dynamics of life and livelihoods of forest dependent communities towards climate change related impacts. The authors describe the struggles the people of this region face, including climate vulnerability, displacement, migration, and human-animal conflict, and provides a unique and comprehensive analysis of the interconnection between perceptions and responses of forest villagers for survival and adaptation to climate change. The book presents advanced quantitative methods and field-based studies applied in the region to help researchers and policy makers comprehend and measure potential and actual adaptation attitudes of the villagers, while also understanding the present challenges, risk patterns, and potential impacts climate change has on the natural environment and community life. The book will additionally be of interest to students and researchers in geography, forestry, ecology and environmental science.