Biodiversity Hotspots: Central Himalaya Region

The Himalayan region extends beyond India and includes Pakistan, Tibet, Nepal, and Bhutan. It stretches uninterruptedly for about 2,500-km from west to east between Nanga Parbat in the Pakistan-administered portion of the Kashmir region, and Namjagbarwa (Namcha Barwa) Peak in Tibet. The geographic separation of these regions coincides with transnational properties of the system.

In India, the Himalaya extends across the northeastern part including Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura. 

BIODIVERSITY IN THE CENTRAL HIMALAYAN REGION (CHR)

There are about 7000 species of plants and 500 species of fauna in the CHR region. Contribution of floral diversity is 31% of the floral  density of India whereas fauna contributes just 1.58% of the total faunal density of the country. There are 119 endemic species of flowering plants in the state that exhibit 2.35% endemism and 35 faunal endemic species including 11 vertebrates and 24 invertebrates. 

Initiatives to protect the biodiversity

Many plant and animal species are threatened, rare, or becoming extinct therefore some major initiatives have been taken to address this such as six wild life sanctuaries, five national parks, one conservation reserve, and one biosphere reserve have been established. Apart from these few herbal gardens, arboretums, parks, zoos, medicinal and aromatic plant areas, sacred grooves have been made by the state government to save them for sustainable ecological balance. 

Companies and Government agencies involved in the degradation of the biodiversity of CHR

The biodiversity of the area has been declining for the last few years, and now it’s important to strengthen the existing policy of Uttarakhand and other states.

The government and semi-government companies like Tehri Hydroelectric Corporation (THDC) India Ltd, National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC) Ltd, National Thermal Power (NTPC) Ltd, Uttarakhand Vidyut Nigam Ltd (electricity corporation), Uttarakhand Transport Corporation (UTC), Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN), Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN), Van Vibhag (forest department), Van Nigam (forest corporation), Jal Sansthan (water body), Jal Nigam (water corporation),  and Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board, are all operational in the region, and have contributed in diminishing the biodiversity of the region. Whatever steps these organisations take up in the name of protecting the environment and conserving biodiversity are just greenwashing. They have hardly yielded any positive results.

Most of these companies pay least respect to the biodiversity of the region. They are there with just one motive – making fast and big money.

KEY DRIVERS OF DEFORESTATION

• Motor Roads Network: Strategic road construction opened up the mountains to exploitation of timber, forest produce, minerals, and land for commercial crops and hydroelectric projects.
• Blasting and Quarrying: Road construction caused massive soil erosion, landslides, and forest degradation.
• Industrial Agriculture Encroachment: Large companies replaced local farmers, cultivating commercial crops like apples, ginger, and even opium.
• Increased Tourism: Pilgrimage and adventure tourism led to environmental degradation, benefiting mainly outside entrepreneurs.
• Overuse of Agricultural Land: Overgrazing and agricultural expansion reduced forest cover, decreasing the hill economy’s capacity to sustain itself.
• Hydroelectric Projects: Dams like the Tehri submerged vast agricultural land, displacing communities and damaging biodiversity.
• Economic Priorities: Economic goals overshadow environmental concerns, neglecting biodiversity conservation.
• Forest Felling: The commercial logging business, including government operations, has continued forest depletion since British rule.
• Gendered Labour Patterns: Ignoring local gender roles in labour mobilization has led to the failure of conservation projects.
• Lack of Eco-friendly Technology: No access to technologies that balance biodiversity conservation with economic development.
• Erosion of Genetic Diversity: Traditional crop diversity is being lost due to the introduction of high-yield seeds.

HOW TO STOP DEFORESTATION AND HABITAT DESTRUCTION 

The solution to the problems of ecological and biodiversity degradation in the CHR, need to do the following:

• Integrated Natural Resource Management: Manage all biodiversity under a unified approach.
• Agriculture Management: Improve agriculture with technology and empower women in resource management.
• Unified Authority: Establish a single government body to oversee biodiversity conservation.
• Sustainable Timber Harvesting: Balance timber extraction with forest regeneration.
• Local and Global Advocacy: Support conservation and oppose environmentally destructive development.
• Hydrological Data Collection: Study river patterns to better manage water resources.
• Landslide Prevention: Minimize landslides through better forest management.
• Environmental Considerations: Incorporate sustainability in development projects.
• Sustainability: Ensure responsible use of resources and limit consumption growth.

The ecosystem, including biodiversity conservation, of Himalaya in general and that of CHR in particular is vital for the whole global ecosystem. Therefore, the responsibility of protecting and restoring the integrity of its ecosystem with special concern for its biodiversity and the natural processes that sustain life solely lies on the people of CHR.