Historical dynamics of social adaptation strategies under natural hazard characteristics in the Hengduan Mountains, Southwest China

Abstract

The nexus between natural hazard events and regional societal responses constitutes a critical link in the chain of climate change impacts on human social systems. China’s extensive historical documentary resources remain underutilized for reconstructing spatiotemporal patterns of natural hazard events, characterizing impacts, and identifying adaptation features. This study systematically compiles a dataset of natural hazard events in the Hengduan Mountains region (HMR) during the Little Ice Age (LIA), and delineates their spatiotemporal patterns across climatic fluctuations. An examination of societal adaptation across ten stages reveals the transformation of traditional mountain societies from infrastructure restoration to integrated hazard-relief systems. Results indicate that natural hazard events in the HMR exhibit phased clustering, with one primary peak and four secondary peaks. These clusters are concentrated in land-water ecotones, forming three coupled hazard zones: tectonic-dominated, agroecologically vulnerable, and monsoon-sensitive hydrological zones. Temporal analyses demonstrate the dominance of hydro-meteorological hazard events and their strong association with climate. Seismic geological hazard events show strong spatial congruence with active fault zones. In contrast, hot-spots of biological hazard events exhibit strong spatial coupling with food-security events. The Driving forces-Pressures-State-Impacts-Responses (DPSIR) framework reveals that the combined effects of climate transitions and mountain development exert environmental pressures on regional systems, thereby contributing to cascading hazard-chain effects and livelihood disruption. In traditional societies, dynamic adaptation strategies evolved through sophisticated spatiotemporally tailored measures, localized knowledge transmission, and the establishment of synergies between institutions and culture. This research advances understanding of social adaptation strategies to natural hazards, thereby providing historical references for environmental decision-making and hazard prevention.