Climate change insights through the eyes of the Garo community around Nokrek in Meghalaya

In the forested hills of Meghalaya’s West Garo Hills district, climate change is not discussed through atmospheric models or carbon statistics. It is experienced through drying streams, erratic monsoons, declining forest foods, and crops that no longer yield as they once did. For the A’chik (Garo) indigenous community living around the Nokrek Biosphere Reserve, climate change is understood through lived experience, through the forest, the soil, and the rhythms of the seasons. 

A recent research paper titled “Perception-based analysis of climate change impacts on the forest-dependent A'chik community around Nokrek Biosphere Reserve, North-Eastern Himalayan region of India,” published in Trees, Forests and People (2025), provides rare insight into how indigenous communities perceive climate change and how those perceptions align with scientific climate data. The study demonstrates that while formal awareness of climate science remains limited, local communities possess deep observational knowledge of environmental change.

The study area and socio-economic context

The study was carried out in villages in the transitional zone of the Nokrek Biosphere Reserve in the West Garo Hills of Meghalaya. In this region, more than 80 percent of households depend directly on agriculture and forest resources for their livelihoods. The research included 100 respondents from ten villages and used semi-structured interviews to understand people’s views on climate change and its effects on farming, forests, and livelihoods.

Most respondents were smallholder farmers with an average landholding of just 0.77 hectares. Their monthly incomes were usually below ₹10,000, showing the economic vulnerability of households that depend on forests. These conditions shape how communities experience environmental change. When crops fail or streams dry earlier than usual, the effects are immediate, especially on household food security and income.

Limited awareness, clear local understanding

One of the most important findings of the study is that formal awareness of climate change remains low. Less than half of the respondents said they were aware of climate change, and only about one fifth had heard of global warming. Knowledge of greenhouse gases was even more limited.

Despite this, respondents clearly described environmental changes over the past two decades. Almost all reported rising temperatures, shorter winters, and hotter days and nights. Many said winter duration has reduced significantly and summer heat has become more intense, especially in May. These observations show that people who depend on natural ecosystems often notice environmental changes long before they appear in climate data.

Rainfall changes and growing farming risks

Communities also reported major changes in rainfall patterns. Farmers said rainfall is now unpredictable, with delayed monsoon onset, early withdrawal, and shorter rainy seasons. Even when total rainfall does not appear much lower, its timing and distribution have become irregular.

More than three quarters of respondents said rainfall duration has decreased, while storms and sudden weather events have become more frequent. These changes disrupt traditional farming calendars that depend on stable monsoon cycles. For rain-fed farmers practising shifting cultivation and smallholder agriculture, this increases risk and reduces crop yields.

Scientific data supports community observations

The study’s scientific analysis supports many of these local observations. Researchers analysed climate data from 1981 to 2022 using statistical methods such as the Mann Kendall trend test and Sen’s slope analysis.

The results showed a clear increase in temperature over the past four decades. Maximum temperatures rose by about 0.0335°C per year, while minimum temperatures increased by around 0.015°C per year. Rainfall trends were less clear, but variability has increased significantly.

This alignment between community observations and scientific data highlights the value of local knowledge. It can provide important insights into climate change, especially in areas where formal weather monitoring is limited.

Forests under growing pressure

For the Garo community, the most visible impacts of climate change are seen in forests. Nearly all respondents reported a clear decline in forest cover and in the availability of non-timber forest products. These products include fruits, medicinal plants, bamboo, and fuelwood, which are essential for rural livelihoods across North-east India. As their availability declines, households face direct impacts on food security, nutrition, and income. Many respondents also observed that certain plant species have disappeared and wildlife sightings have reduced compared to earlier decades. These changes point to deeper ecological shifts taking place within forest ecosystems.

Land-use change and the future of Jhum

Forest degradation in the region is not caused by climate change alone. The study shows that land use changes are also playing a major role. Shifting cultivation, locally called jhum, has long been the main farming system in the region. Earlier, jhum followed long fallow cycles of 15 to 20 years, which allowed forests to recover. Today, due to population pressure and economic changes, fallow periods have reduced to just two or three years in many areas. This has led to a sharp decline in soil fertility and forest health.

At the same time, the spread of commercial crops such as rubber and arecanut has changed how land is used. These shifts are further affecting ecological balance in the region. Climate change is making the situation worse by increasing temperature stress and making rainfall more irregular. Together, these factors are putting growing pressure on forests and farming systems.

Farming under climate stress

Agriculture remains the backbone of rural livelihoods in the Garo Hills, but it is already under pressure. More than three quarters of respondents reported declining crop yields in recent years. Farmers linked this to erratic rainfall, more pest outbreaks, falling soil fertility, and reduced soil moisture. Water scarcity is also emerging, with streams and small water bodies drying up faster, affecting both irrigation and drinking water. In mountain areas that depend on springs and streams, such changes can have serious impacts on farming and daily life.

Rising health and environmental risks

The impacts go beyond agriculture. Respondents reported greater exposure to diseases, especially vector borne illnesses that spread more easily in warmer and more humid conditions. Communities also noted more landslides and drought like situations, both linked to changing rainfall and deforestation. These pressures create a cycle of vulnerability, where falling farm productivity, forest decline, and water scarcity reinforce each other.

Gaps in climate awareness

The study shows that education strongly influences climate awareness. People with secondary education or higher had much greater awareness than those with limited schooling. Occupation also mattered, with government employees and business owners showing more awareness than farmers and labourers. Younger people were generally more aware than older individuals. Gender, however, showed no major difference in awareness levels within the community.

Value of indigenous knowledge

Despite limited formal awareness, the Garo community holds strong traditional ecological knowledge. Farmers use signs such as flowering patterns, insect behaviour, bird movement, and soil moisture to understand seasonal changes. This knowledge has developed over generations of close interaction with forests and landscapes. Scientists increasingly recognise such systems as valuable sources of climate information, especially where formal data is limited.

Policy directions for climate adaptation

The findings of the study carry important implications for climate policy in India’s mountain regions. First, they highlight the need to integrate indigenous knowledge into climate adaptation planning. Community observations can complement scientific climate models and provide location-specific insights into environmental change. Policymakers should therefore create institutional mechanisms to incorporate indigenous ecological knowledge into climate risk assessments and local planning processes.

Second, improving climate literacy at the grassroots level is essential. The gap between lived experience of environmental change and formal understanding of climate science suggests that communication strategies need to be redesigned. Extension services, local schools, and community organisations could play an important role in improving climate awareness while building local capacity for adaptation. When communities understand the drivers behind environmental changes, they are better positioned to adopt adaptive farming practices and participate in conservation initiatives.

Third, sustainable land-use practices must be promoted to reduce ecological stress. Rather than attempting to eliminate shifting cultivation altogether, policymakers should support improved fallow management, agroforestry systems, and soil restoration techniques that enhance productivity while preserving forest cover. Climate-resilient agricultural practices tailored to hill ecosystems could help stabilise crop yields under increasingly erratic climatic conditions.

Fourth, protecting and restoring forest ecosystems should be a central pillar of climate adaptation strategies in the region. Community-based forest management initiatives have already shown promise in Meghalaya through programmes such as the Community-Led Landscape Management Project (MCLLMP). Expanding such initiatives could strengthen both forest conservation and rural livelihoods by linking ecosystem restoration with economic incentives for local communities.

Diversifying rural livelihoods is another critical priority. Heavy dependence on agriculture and forest extraction makes communities highly vulnerable to climatic shocks. Promoting alternative income sources such as bamboo value chains, eco-tourism, non-timber forest product processing, and sustainable agroforestry enterprises could reduce pressure on forests while improving household resilience.

Water security must also receive greater attention in mountain climate adaptation strategies. The drying of streams and springs reported by respondents reflects broader hydrological changes occurring across the Himalayan region. Spring rejuvenation programmes, watershed restoration, and rainwater harvesting could help stabilise water availability and reduce vulnerability to drought conditions.

Listening to the forest

The experience of the Garo community around the Nokrek Biosphere Reserve offers a powerful reminder that climate change is not merely a scientific or policy issue. It is a lived reality unfolding in villages, forests, and farms across India’s diverse landscapes. Indigenous communities often serve as the first observers of ecological change, yet they remain among the most vulnerable to its consequences. Their knowledge systems, if recognised and integrated into policy frameworks, could significantly strengthen climate adaptation strategies.

Ultimately, the study reinforces an important message: climate resilience in fragile ecosystems such as the Eastern Himalayas cannot be achieved through top-down policies alone. It requires a partnership between science, policy, and local knowledge. The forests of the Garo Hills are already signalling profound environmental change through shifting seasons, declining biodiversity, and changing agricultural patterns. Listening carefully to the voices of communities who live within these ecosystems may be one of the most effective ways to understand—and respond to—the climate crisis.