2026/01/26 by Aghaghia Rahimzadeh · 1 voice
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Social Sciences · Environmental Science · #Cryospheric studies and observations #Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research #Environmental and Cultural Studies in Latin America and Beyond
paper · pdf · doi:10.1659/mrd.2025.00005
openalex publication_date 2026/01/26 · openalex created_date 2026/01/26 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/06
This article explores the nexus between tourism, dilapidated development, and climate change in Western Himalaya through an ethnographic study of Kinnaur District in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Kinnaur is undergoing a profound rural transformation due to tourism, border area development, and intensifying climate disruptions. Drawing on 15 years of longitudinal research, this study examines how the intersection of these events is reshaping the Kinnauri economy, ecology, and social structures. National and state government schemes promoting tourism aim to develop the Indo-China border region, which is leading to environmental deterioration on highly sensitive and precarious mountain slopes. The article concludes that a sustainable approach to regulation and planning may prevent further erosion of the socioecological fabric and enhance resilience of the Kinnauri tribal mountain community.