Eastern Himalayas
The Eastern Himalayas encompass an enormous diversity of landscapes across India, Nepal and Bhutan. The region has everything from the world’s highest peak, Everest, to alpine meadows and temperate forests. There is also an abundance of humid lowlands, known as the terai, made up of marshy grasslands, savannahs and forests.
As a result, the Eastern Himalayas contain an extraordinary richness of species, including 10,000 types of plant and 750 species of bird. Many are found nowhere else on the planet. As well as millions of people, these exceptional natural habitats are also home to globally threatened species such as the Bengal tiger, Asian elephant, greater one-horned rhino, red panda and snow leopard.
The Himalayas are the source of six of the great rivers of Asia, and provide both water and hydroelectric power potential. Its forests provide fuel wood, timber and medicinal plants to local communities.
Threats
Despite the rugged terrain, this is an environmentally fragile region that faces many challenges.
Global warming is melting its mountain glaciers, bringing the risk of flooding as meltwater lakes burst their banks. Downstream, water availability for domestic use and for agriculture will become increasingly uncertain.
As human populations increase so the pressures on the forests multiply. Overharvesting of forests for food, timber and medicines, together with agricultural expansion and intensive grazing, have led to a decline in forest cover and quality.
Forests have become fragmented, impacting especially on those species that need large territories. As people and wildlife come into increasing contact, so conflict between them becomes more significant as wild animals come into fields or kill livestock. Poaching remains an ongoing threat since it offers enormous financial gains for people who are living with few economic opportunities.
Solutions
WWF is working to restore and reconnect natural landscapes across the Eastern Himalayas. We aim to ensure that plant and animal species are able to thrive and that the needs of local communities are met without negative impacts on the environment.
By 2012, we will have developed a shared vision with the governments of Nepal, India and Bhutan for the conservation and sustainable development of the Eastern Himalayas.
We want to ensure that a mosaic of 50,000 sq km of forests, grasslands and wetlands is conserved, and that they are well connected.
We aim to restore habitats, combat poaching and reduce conflict between humans and wildlife to ensure that populations of iconic and threatened species such as the snow leopard thrive.
Our work will focus on improving understanding of the impacts of climate change and ensuring that plans are developed to enable people and wildlife to cope with these changes. This work will centre on two major river basins in the region.
We want to ensure that the development of tourism, oil and gas, and hydropower (which all pose potential threats to the area) is promoted in a sustainable way.