There is strong evidence that climate change is occurring and that the marginalized people of developing countries will be the most affected. This thesis investigates past and present adaptation strategies to environmental change deployed in the Barind Tract of Malda (BTM) in order to inform intervention to enhance the adaptive capacity of the marginalized to future climate and environmental change. The thesis provides an historical account of vulnerability and adaptation in the BTM. It demonstrates that the people of the BTM have a history of successful adaptation to environmental change. However, in the present conjecture, despite the deployment of adaptation strategies, the marginalized people of the BTM remain vulnerable, especially in times of crisis. The research indicates that enhancing the adaptive capacity of the poor is directly linked with the ability of the benefits of environmental sustainability and equity policy to reach the poor.