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Basic information of intervieweesResults of the descriptive analysis summarized in Table 2 show that more than half of the respondents were males (69%) and were on average 41.3 years old while more than 32 years of farming experience. The study area is comprised of multiple ethnic groups (Han, Tibetan, Yugur, Mongolian, Hui, etc.). In most cases, the main livelihood activity of the Ethnic Minorities (Tibetan, Yugur, Mongolian, Hui, etc.) is livestock, while Han people main livelihood activity is farming. The majority of respondents (64%) were minority nationality. The vast majority of the agro-pastoralists (86%) have a primary school education or above, even though only 1% of them have Undergraduate education or Above. The results also reveal that 92% of respondents have access to weather information. The average cultivated land Per household is 10.23 Mu and Grassland is 156.21 Mu, respectively. The average per household income is RMB78000, and agricultural income is RMB52000.Table 2 Descriptive statistics of agro-pastoralist characteristics.Full size tableDue to their long-term farming experience, the agro-pastoralists were expected to have a high-level of understanding of local climate knowledge. Also contributing to this could be the information they receive about climate change and for some, the associated training through agro-pastoralists’ associations. Therefore, they also have a propensity to adapt to adverse conditions resulting from climate change impacts. In addition, the high-level of farming experience, the cultivated-land size, grassland size, Credit loan, Insurance, Village cadres all have a positive impact on the level of agro-pastoralists’ adaptation to new climate scenarios.However, the education level and cadres experience may be the major limiting factors for adopting specific long-term adaptation strategies. Ethnicity and gender are also expected to be key factors influencing awareness and adaptation to climate change. There are differences in relative perception intensity between Ethnic Minority and Han because of their cultural ecology (the main livelihood activity of minorities nationality is livestock, while Han main livelihood activity is farming.). In terms of gender, women in rural areas are less mobile and have less access to information and rights. They are also heavily involved in domestic work. However, men may have easier access to information (socializing, going out to work, etc.) Therefore, male headed households are expected to be more likely to adapt to the impact of climate change.Climate change trend in the study areaFigure 2 shows the trend of annual precipitation, annual rainfall and annual snow at different meteorological stations in the study area. As shown in the Fig. 2, precipitation, rainfall and snow show an increasing trend, but the increase range of snow (0.0325–0.375/a) is significantly lower than that of precipitation (1.22–3.1/a) and rainfall (1.04–2.81/a). Similarly, through the inspection, it is found that the multi-collinearity among precipitation, rainfall and snow at each meteorological station is obvious (most R2  > 0.5, and p  More

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