ABSTRACT
Scholars have found that livelihood diversity is relevant to Indigenous communities’ adaptation to climate change impacts, yet in-depth investigation of how diversifying livelihoods is shaped by various forces and how this impacts climate adaptation practices remains undervalued. To address this, this study explores how local knowledge interacts with national policy, roads, and markets to shape diversifying livelihoods among Tibetans in Shangri-la, China, and how this helps them adapt to climate change impacts. Shangri-la county has undergone a land-use transformation driven by governmental policy on ecological restoration, ecotourism development, and road construction since the 1970s. In the process, local Tibetans have developed diversified livelihoods, including agropastoralism, gathering, and wage labor in transportation and tourism-related businesses. This study draws on participant observations, semi-structured interviews, and archive research to show that diversifying livelihoods helps local people cope with drought and water shortages through diversifying income, scheduling flexibility, and complementary coping strategies. Local Tibetans actively used roads to revitalize traditional livelihoods, and local knowledge is essential in transforming roads from a policy project to a climate change adaptation instrument. The study highlights how roads and the market economy can help, rather than hinder, Indigenous people in decreasing vulnerability to climate change risks.
