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Arora

Finally, the paper contributes to the literature on inclusive and participatory adaptation. It is imperative that there is
meaningful participation of all stakeholders in governance mechanisms (Few, Brown, and Tompkins, 2007; Ayers, 2011).
The study highlights that the Raikas find no space for participation in the local governance process. As a result, policy
measures often have had a disastrous impact on their livelihood and adaptive capacities. For example, the closure of the
Kumbhalgarh Forest Area to cattle grazing has been a death knell for the Raikas. A law designed to protect the dwindling
camel population has had the unintended consequence of making it difficult for the Raikas to tend to their camel livestock.
This study shows that adaptation needs to take an inclusive approach that puts local interests, knowledge, and aspirations
at the front and center of the decision-making process.
The main limitation of this study is the lack of participation of young adult males as well as women. The study is
skewed toward older male household heads as most of the young males had migrated out in search of jobs. Similarly,
women are not adequately represented in this study because of cultural norms that made their participation difficult.

5. Conclusion
This study highlights that the Raikas are disproportionately affected by environmental stressors. Rainfall variability, water
scarcity, and drought, in combination with structural vulnerabilities, are pushing them beyond their adaptive threshold.
This paper has added to the understanding of the shift in their values and multidimensional vulnerabilities and how
they relate to the Raikas’ adaptation decision-making. It suggests that there has been a marked shift in esteem, safety,
self-actualization, and belongingness values, which has driven the changes in their adaptation choices. New adaptation
options, such as urban migration, have emerged, while traditional measures have declined in popularity.
This study recommends policymakers and researchers to engage with a wider set of methodologies and literature to
facilitate the integration of social values in vulnerability and adaptation assessments. The integration of social values
presents an opportunity to understand the subjective limits of adaptation better as well as to expand adaptation pathways.
It is important to consider the intergenerational elements in adaptation decision-making and to undertake holistic studies
to arrive at the multidimensional vulnerabilities and their linkages with adaptation decision-making. This will contribute
toward adaptation policies that are people-centric, sustainable, and grounded in the local realities.
Author’s Contribution

Anmol Arora conceived, designed, and implemented the study, including data analysis and presentation, interpretation,
and discussion of the results.

Conflicts of Interest
The author declares that they have no conflicts of interest.

Consent

Informed verbal consent was obtained from each of the respondents who participated in the study.
Ethical Approval

The ethical approval for this research was granted by The International Development Ethics Committee at the University
of East Anglia, the institution that oversaw the conduct of this research.

Acknowledgment
The author would like to express his gratitude to Dr. Heike Schroeder for her guidance and support. This study is better
because of the mentorship of Dr. Aditya V. Bahadur and Dr. Rita Arora.
Funding

This research was funded by the University of East Anglia DEV support fund.
Availability of Supporting Data

All data files used in this manuscript are available on the Harvard Dataverse at the link given here: https://doi.org/10.7910/
DVN/KZS4BB.

International Journal of Population Studies | 2020, Volume 6, Issue 1 65