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This book proposes a unique and comprehensive integrated synthesis of the current understanding of the science of Himalayan dynamics and its manifestations on physical systems and ecosystems at different spatial and temporal scales. In particular, this work covers relevant aspects of weather and climate, paleoclimate, snow, glacier and hydrology, ecology/forestry among other topics associated with the Himalayas. It highlights the role of the Himalayas in defining local to regional to global scale impact on weather and climate. It includes Himalayan impact on defining physical basis of changing glacier systems, permafrost melting/thawing, climate variability, and hydrological balances. As a result, this volume represents an important synthesized overview both for environmental and earth science researchers, and for policy makers and stakeholders interested in the physical and dynamical processes associated with the Himalayan massif.
The book focuses on environment and conservation issues pertaining to the Himalayas, spanning Pakistan, Nepal, India, Bhutan and Myanmar. Environmental degradation, changes in snow cover and glaciers in India-Bhutan, threats to protected areas, and biodiversity in this ecologically fragile region are assessed in twelve distinct, regional case studies.
This book is concerned with human-environment relations in the Himalaya. It explores how different populations and communities in the region understand or conceive of the concept of environment, how their concepts vary across lines of gender, class, age, status, and what this implies for policy makers in the fields of environmental conservation and development. The chapters in this book analyse the symbolic schema that shape human-environment relations, whether that of scientists studying the Himalayan environment, public officials crafting policy about it, or people making a living from their engagement with it, and the way that natural phenomena themselves shape human perception of the world. A new approach to the study of the environment in South Asia, this book introduces the new thinking in environmental anthropology and geography into the study of the Himalaya and uses Himalayan ethnography to interrogate and critique contemporary theorizing about the environment.
This edited book summarizes numerous research studies on remote sensing and GIS of natural resource management for the Himalaya region done by Indian Institutions and Universities over the last decade. It gives an overview of hydrometeorological studies on Himalayan water resources and addresses concerns in the development of water resources in this region, which is dealing with an increased pressure in population, industrialization and economic development. While the source of some of the major rivers of India are found in the Himalayas, the glaciers and water bodies in the region are continuously shrinking leading to a depletion of water and deterioration of water quality. This is affecting a population of up to 2.5 billion people. The ecosystems have been under threat due to deforestation, loss of biodiversity, expansion of agriculture and settlement, overexploitation of natural resources, habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, mining, construction of roads and large dams, and unplanned tourism. Spaceborne remote sensing with its ability to provide synoptic and repetitive coverage has emerged as a powerful tool for assessment and monitoring of the Himalayan resources and phenomena. This work serves as a resource to students, researchers, scientists, professionals, and policy makers both in India and on a global level.
Analyzing new research relating to the Himalayan region, this text challenges the widely-held view from the 1970s and 1980s that the area faced environmental disaster, and examines recent social and economic developments relating to the topic.
Environmental Humanities in the New Himalayas: Symbiotic Indigeneity, Commoning, Sustainability showcases how the eco-geological creativity of the earth is integrally woven into the landforms, cultures, and cosmovisions of modern Himalayan communities. Unique in scope, this book features case studies from Bhutan, Assam, Sikkim, Tibet, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sino-Indian borderlands, many of which are documented by authors from indigenous Himalayan communities. It explores three environmental characteristics of modern Himalayas: the anthropogenic, the indigenous, and the animist. Focusing on the sentient relations of human-, animal-, and spirit-worlds with the earth in different parts of the Himalayas, the authors present the complex meanings of indigeneity, commoning and sustainability in the Anthropocene. In doing so, they show the vital role that indigenous stories and perspectives play in building new regional and planetary environmental ethics for a sustainable future. Drawing on a wide range of expert contributions from the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanist disciplines, this book will be of great interest to students and scholars of environmental humanities, religion and ecology, indigenous knowledge and sustainable development more broadly.
Scientific evidence shows that most glaciers in South Asia's Hindu Kush Himalayan region are retreating, but the consequences for the region's water supply are unclear, this report finds. The Hindu Kush Himalayan region is the location of several of Asia's great river systems, which provide water for drinking, irrigation, and other uses for about 1.5 billion people. Recent studies show that at lower elevations, glacial retreat is unlikely to cause significant changes in water availability over the next several decades, but other factors, including groundwater depletion and increasing human water use, could have a greater impact. Higher elevation areas could experience altered water flow in some river basins if current rates of glacial retreat continue, but shifts in the location, intensity, and variability of rain and snow due to climate change will likely have a greater impact on regional water supplies. Himalayan Glaciers: Climate Change, Water Resources, and Water Security makes recommendations and sets guidelines for the future of climate change and water security in the Himalayan Region. This report emphasizes that social changes, such as changing patterns of water use and water management decisions, are likely to have at least as much of an impact on water demand as environmental factors do on water supply. Water scarcity will likely affect the rural and urban poor most severely, as these groups have the least capacity to move to new locations as needed. It is predicted that the region will become increasingly urbanized as cities expand to absorb migrants in search of economic opportunities. As living standards and populations rise, water use will likely increase-for example, as more people have diets rich in meat, more water will be needed for agricultural use. The effects of future climate change could further exacerbate water stress. Himalayan Glaciers: Climate Change, Water Resources, and Water Security explains that changes in the availability of water resources could play an increasing role in political tensions, especially if existing water management institutions do not better account for the social, economic, and ecological complexities of the region. To effectively respond to the effects of climate change, water management systems will need to take into account the social, economic, and ecological complexities of the region. This means it will be important to expand research and monitoring programs to gather more detailed, consistent, and accurate data on demographics, water supply, demand, and scarcity.
Contributed articles.
`This is an important book that deserves to be read by everyone concerned with presenting major environmental issues.' Geography ` ... an essential text for policy makers and aid professionals, as well as for students of environmental studies and international development ... It is indeed, a book appropriate to the urgent and critical issues which it addresses.' - Journal of Environmental Management
The Himalaya needs no introduction. For obvious reasons it has remained a source of fascination and inspiration for people from all walks of life. Almost all the natural resources of the Himalaya have presented a challenge for environmental scientists and planners alike. It is principally because of their numbers, an extensive array of natural characteristics and the complexity of the cultural pattern of the mountains that the Himalayan environment has lured the intelligensia of the world. However, hostile natural environment together with illconceived human activities have added fury to the fire. It is not an exaggeration, therefore, that the environment of our fragile mountain ecosystem in utter disrepair and indeed in very poor state of health. The renewed enthusiasm for man and biosphere and sustainable development had stemmed in no small measure from the tremendous interest in ecology juxtaposed to man s growing awareness of the degraded Himalaya. As the issues and challenges involved in describing mutual conditioning of the environmental cycles and human association in the Himalaya, quantitative and qualitative surveys for whole stretch of the Central Himalaya in question have not been attempted thus far. We have all good reasons to believe that environmental consciousness is extremely necessary in order to restore the balance in ecological components of the Himalaya. Contents Chapter 1: Uttarkashi Earthquake of October 20,1991 in Garhwal Himalaya: A Warning by K S Valdiya; Chapter 2: A Geomorphological Appraisal of Landslides in Garhwal and Kumaun Himalaya (U P) by M S Anatharaman and R K Sehgal; Chapter 3: Anthropogenic and Technogenic Landforms and their Effect on Human Life in a Lesser Himalayan Drainage Basin by Jyoti Joshi; Chapter 4: Pteridology in Kumaun Himalaya: Existing State of Art by P C Pande & H C Pande; Chapter 5: Organic Productivity and Nutrient Content of Poplar Plantation in Tarai Belt of Kumaun Himalaya by L S Lodhiyal & R P Singh; Chapter 6: Glimpses of History of Agriculture in Uttrakhand in the Central Himalaya by B P Joshi; Chapter 7: Irrigation Development and Agriculture in Garhwal Himalayas by K N Joshi; Chapter 8: Dynamic Dimensions of Fruit Crops Ecofarming in an Hill Environment by D C Pande & J C Kuniyal; Chapter 9: New Farm Technology and Hill Peasantry in India by D C Pande; Chapter 10: Status, Utilization and Potentials of Water Resources in Kumaun Lesser Himalaya by P C Tewari & Bhagwati Joshi; Chapter 11: Status of Forest Resources and Sustainability of Rural Eco-system in Gomti Basin, Kumaun Lesser Himalaya by B S Bisht & P C Tewari; Chapter 12: Ethonobiology of Kumaun Himalaya by P C Pande, Pramila Joshi & G C Joshi; Chapter 13: Pediatiric Ethnobotany of Kumaun Himalaya by Vineeta Pande & Neeta Pande; Chapter 14: Folklore Insecticidal Plants of Eastern Kumaun (Western Himalaya) by I S Mehta, P C Pande & Pramila Joshi; Chapter 15: Water Resources, their Depletion and Conservation in the Dehra Dun Valley by M S Anantharaman & R K Sehgal; Chapter 16: Water Quality Problems in the Urban Areas of Kumaun Himalaya by R K Pande & N S Bhandari; Chapter 17: Demographic Profile of Uttrakhand by Rajnish Pande, P C Pande & R K Pande; Chapter 18: U P F C and Industrial Development of Garhwal Region (Appraisal and Suggestion) by R C Dangwal, A K Sarkar and K S Negi; Chapter 19: Some Aspects of Growth and Management of the Human Resources in the U P Himalaya by Raj Laxmi Singh & O P Singh; Chapter 20: Women, Fuel and Forest: The Experience of Central Himalaya by A K Singh & R K Pande; Chapter 21: Environmental Study of Farm Fringe: The Experience of U P Himalaya by Devi Datt; Chapter 22: Agro-ecosystem Approach for Sustainable Production in Himalaya by B P Ghildyal; Chapter 23: Environment and Development with Special Reference to Forest by H C Upadhyay; Chapter 24: Changing Perception of Wildlife Tourism and its Impact on Carrying Capacity in the Corbett Tiger Reserve by Bhagwati Joshi; Chapter 25: Integrated Area Development in Himalaya: A Conceptual Approach by R K Pande, P C Pande & G B Pant; Chapter 26: Ecophysiological Models for Amelioration of the Cold Desert in Himachal Pradesh- Spiti by R Bawa & R N Sehgal; Chapter 27: Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) by Y C Pande & R K Pande; Chapter 28: Environment and Economic Development- A Reconciliation by A R Padoshi.