ABSTRACT
Mountain regions are of particular importance in terms of biocultural diversity and are also more substantially affected by climate change than the global average. Changes in temperature, precipitation, and seasonality have a significant impact on ecosystems and local communities. Exploring the local perspectives of mountain communities helps to gain a deeper understanding of these changes and of the adaptive capacity of the local social-ecological systems. Through participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and focus group discussions, this study examined the reports of trends associated with changing weather by the local community in the village of Valea Rece (Hidegségpataka) in the Eastern Carpathians, Romania. According to the studied community, the most important trends in weather changes refer to the increasing mean and daily peak temperatures, especially in summer and winter seasons, to spatio-temporal changes in precipitation patterns, and to shifts in seasonality. Changes in weather were also found to affect agricultural practices. In this regard, phenological and agrophenological changes, that is, timing of mowing, sowing, and harvesting crops, were also reported. The various indicators of change reported by the local farmers in Gyimes indicate how climate change affect the functioning of social-ecological systems and calls for adaptation strategies.
