What Moves People in Mountains: Migration and Sustainable Mountain Development in the Himalaya

What Moves People in Mountains: Migration and Sustainable Mountain Development in the Himalaya | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article What Moves People in Mountains: Migration and Sustainable Mountain Development in the Himalaya Saurav This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6673931/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The mainstream migration and development literature shows that migration is a winwin situation. This dominant discourse perceives the relationship between migration and development as linear, with source regions, destination regions, and migrants themselves all benefiting from the process of migration. With this given background, our study differs this viewpoint, showing that large-scale out-migration has created various socio-economic problems rather than fostering development in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR). The paper aims to comprehend the migration-development nexus in the context of IHR by drawing upon existing literature, data, and fieldworks. To achieve this objective, 10 villages were selected from different altitudinal and geographical regions of 10 mountainous districts of the Uttarakhand Himalaya, and a total of 605 households were surveyed, covering 100 percent samples from each village. The survey considered several migration-related questions from both origin and destination perspectives. The study examines various push and pull factors affecting migration decisions and seeks to uncover the processes, patterns, and consequences of migration on both sending and receiving communities. The study reveals that largescale permanent out-migration has emerged as a significant challenge, impacting the realization of sustainable mountain development. Urgent action is required to address these problems to prevent severe repercussions for the entire IHR region in the future. In terms of policy and governance, this research provides valuable insights into designing and implementing strategies that promote sustainable mountain development while addressing the complex dynamics of migration. By focusing on the case of the Uttarakhand Himalaya, this study contributes to a broader understanding of "What Moves People in Mountains?" and analyzes the complex interplay between migration and development, offering valuable lessons and recommendations for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners seeking to address the challenges and leverage the opportunities offered by migration in the mountain region. Development Economics Uttarakhand Himalaya Sustainable Mountain Development Migration Dynamics Abandoned Landscape Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6673931","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":457181587,"identity":"1360268f-f81f-41fb-a530-fef7df08430f","order_by":0,"name":"Saurav","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABFElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYPACZgYDBgbGBx8MbORA3AMPiNTCbDijIs0YrCWBSC1s0jxnDic2gPj4tMi3nzH78LPNOnE7e4+B5Mw25vT5YYcfAm2xk9NtwK7F4EyO8czetvTEnT1nDAw+trHlbrydZgDUkmxsdgCHFoYcYwaQezbcyDFInNnGk7txdgJIy4HEbTi0yPe/MWb8A9Jy/43BYd42iXTD2ekf8GphuJFjzMxTAbKFx7CZ54xBgrx0Dn5bDG48K2aWqUg33tmTVsw4oyLBcIN0TsGBBAPcfpHvT97M+MbAWnY7++HtPz4Y/JeXn52++cOHCjs5XFqQAIcBxN4DkGAhBrA/gNjbQJTqUTAKRsEoGEEAAGagaB7z+uUVAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Kumar","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"","middleName":"","lastName":"Saurav","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-05-15 15:15:19","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6673931/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6673931/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":82885754,"identity":"9c20b225-8f17-46ae-b60d-2a154061ac3e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-16 11:48:18","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1477872,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"SNSSD2500550.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6673931/v1_covered_51814078-5df3-4958-b201-917d0a708e30.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eWhat Moves People in Mountains: Migration and Sustainable Mountain Development in the Himalaya\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"Pachhunga University College ","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Uttarakhand Himalaya, Sustainable Mountain Development, Migration Dynamics, Abandoned Landscape ","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6673931/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6673931/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe mainstream migration and development literature shows that migration is a winwin situation. 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