Spatial and temporal dynamics of social-ecological resilience in Nepal from 2000 to 2015

Abstract

Social-ecological resilience (SER) is the ability to recover from disasters from both social and ecological perspectives. Exploring the resilience of regions that have vulnerable ecosystem and are at high risk of natural disasters is of great significance to effective disaster risk reduction and sustainable development. Nepal has frequently experienced various natural disasters, such as earthquakes, mountain torrents and landslides in recent decades, which have tremendous impacts on the livelihood and socioeconomic development of local residents. This study seeks to generate more information about the spatial and temporal dynamics of SER in Nepal. Here, a SER assessment index was constructed at the village level for the entire country between 2000 and 2015 using the entropy weight method. The study further clarified the mechanisms of driving factors affecting SER based on the Obstacle Degree Model. The results showed that the SER in Nepal presented an uneven spatial distribution, where the northwest was generally lower than that in the east and south. The high-value areas were Kathmandu and areas surrounding Lake Rara in the northwest. The low-value areas were mainly located in mid-western Nepal near the Himalayas. Over the years, the maximum values of SER increased from 0.350 to 0.361, while the minimum reduced from −0.014 to −0.019. The main factors affecting the local SER were the proportion of built-up areas, cultivated land and surface water area. Therefore, it is important to promote agricultural modernization and rational land use planning, in order to reduce the pressure on land resources and enhance agricultural income.