Clarion call of the Himalayas

The mighty mountains face a variety of problems that directly affect the local communities and threaten the ecosystem. For instance, did you know that there is seasonal water scarcity in this region of snow and ice?

For some people the vast expanse of the sea beckons. It is termed the ‘call of the sea.’ For others, like mountaineers, hikers, trekkers and other adventurers, the mountains beckon. This is termed the ‘call of the mountains.’ Talking of mountains in India, the mighty Himalayas have to saved from further degradation.

The Himalayas face a variety of problems that directly affect the local communities and threaten the ecosystem. Some of the serious issues are accelerated forest loss, soil erosion, resource degradation, and loss of habitat and biodiversity.

The Himalayan region includes many climatic systems: tropical, sub-tropical, temperate, and alpine. Thanks to its inaccessibility, this remote and difficult landscape has mostly escaped the ill-effects of the industrial farming system, such as pesticide and insecticide use and the introduction of hybrid or transgenic crops.

Himalayan biodiversity provides a resource base for an estimated 80 million people, mostly subsistence farmers and pastoral communities. The challenge is to provide strong support systems to help these communities adapt to climate change.

Threats

The Himalayas are experiencing a general warming trend. One of the main concerns is the reduction of snow and ice, which reduces the region’s water storage capacity.

Mountains are often called the ‘water towers’ of the world as they provide a large part of water used by humanity. The huge storage capacity of the mountains provides a lifeline for millions. Water is retained in the form of ice and snow in the high mountains, as well as being stored in glaciers, natural lakes, wetlands and groundwater aquifers.

Compared to glaciers in other mountain ranges, the Himalayan glaciers are retreating at higher rates. Glaciers represent, perhaps, the most dramatic and direct visual evidence of climate change. Glacier retreat provides a clear indication of a global climate that is warming.

One of the major impacts of climate change in the mountains will be the availability of water. Water storage is under threat in the Himalayas. Many people and farmers are already challenged by seasonal water scarcity.

This, together with increased demand from a growing population for water for agriculture, industrial and domestic purposes, is likely to turn water into a major issue in the coming years. Storage of water at high altitude when it is available in excess, and increasing efficiency of water use have become important. What sounds simple in theory is actually challenging.

Thankfully, there are people and organisations (see Box below) who are concerned with the ecology of the Himalayas and are taking steps to protect it.

Leopard watch

The Snow Leopard Trust works with mountain communities in the Spiti valley of the Himalayas to create and implement  livestock insurance programmes.  These village-managed programmes help compensate families living in snow leopard areas for losses of livestock to predators.  As part of the programme, the herders help protect the snow leopard.

Monks on a mission

Environmental degradation in the Himalayas is a vital concern for the 12th Gyalwang Drukpa, head of the 800-year-old Drukpa lineage. In 2009, he undertook a padayatra from Manali to Hemis in Ladakh, covering a distance of 400 km. Besides carrying all their waste, the monks who accompanied him went down the slopes and collected about 60,000 pieces of rubbish, such as plastic bottles, thrown by the tourists.

Trusts and treaties

The Kathmandu-based international Centre for Integrated Mountain Development has worked out a strategy for climate change adaption in the Himalayas.

The Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology in Dehra Dun in Uttarakhand carries out basic research in the geosciences and its application to the Himalayan Orogenic belt.

Orogeny is the process of mountain formation, especially by a folding and faulting of the earth’s crust.

To protect the biodiversity-rich mountain range, recently, a ministerial declaration was issued by India, Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh addressing food, water, energy, and biodiversity concerns in the Himalayan region.

The four countries in the subcontinent convened the ‘Climate Summit for a Living Himalayas’ in Bhutan and evolved a consensus-based mitigation effort primarily for the eastern part. The task before the countries is to build institutions that will pursue research and share knowledge, beginning with a centre for the study of climate change.

The Himalayan protection programme can achieve even more if Pakistan, China and Afghanistan join the initiative. The mountains, especially the Himalayas, require global solidarity. The Himalayan region needs regional consultation, as well as exchange of information and experiences.