Hydrosocial territories in transition: Implications of traditional agricultural and irrigation water management practices under the effects of social, institutional, and environmental changes in Ladakh, India

Traditional societies have played a vital role in the management and development of their local environments through their knowledge and practices. The engagement of people with their immediate environment has historically shaped the landscapes and their way of life. This reciprocal relationship between human beings and their natural environments, both in its historical and contemporary perspectives, is significant in sustainability research. Ladakh in India is a high-altitude cold desert region. Water is a scarce resource, and the local communities have developed unique water management practices that shape livelihoods and landscapes. This study aims to analyze the traditional water management practices in Ladakh through the lens of human–nature relationships to establish its significance in the contemporary regional context. It utilizes primary survey data and GIS to establish how traditional water management practices are bounded by hydrosocial territories. Using the social-ecological systems framework, this study identifies the changes experienced by these hydrosocial territories in the context of social, institutional, and environmental spheres. The results from this study contribute to the scholarship on hydrosocial territories in Ladakh that represent a balanced human–nature relationship by means of traditional water management practices, and highlight its significance in framing policies for sustainable management of scarce water resources in the region.