Beginning with the ecological, economic, social and legal facets of biodiversity issues and challenges facing the Himalayan region, the book discusses the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and subsequent developments. A pioneering work on the protection of Himalayan biodiversity, it uses tools upheld by international environmental law and examines exhaustively the possibility of evolving regional partnerships for the protection of the Himalayas. The debate between the technology-rich First World and the bio-rich Third World is studied in detail, with a focus on issues of access and bene.
The Himalaya, a global biodiversity hotspot, sustains about one-fifth of the humankind. Nestled within the north-western mountain ranges of the Himalaya, the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) State harbours more than half of the biodiversity found in the Indian Himalaya. The wide expanse of State, spread across the subtropical Jammu, through the temperate Kashmir valley, to the cold arid Ladakh, is typical representative of the extensive elevational and topographical diversity encountered in the entire Himalaya. This book, the most comprehensive and updated synthesis ever made available on biodiversity of the J&K State, is a valuable addition to the biodiversity literature with global and regional relevance. The book, arranged into 7 parts, comprises of 42 chapters contributed by 87 researchers, each of whom is an expert in his/her own field of research. The precious baseline data contained in the book would form the foundation for assessing current status of knowledge about the bioresources, identify the knowledge gaps, and help prioritization of conservation strategies to steer the sustainable use of biodiversity in this Himalayan region. Given the breadth of topics covered under the banner of biodiversity in this book, it can surely serve as a model for documentation of biodiversity in other regions of the world. The book will be of immense value to all those who, directly or indirectly, have to deal with biodiversity, including students, teachers, researchers, naturalists, environmentalists, resource managers, planners, government agencies, NGOs and the general public at large.
"Biodiversity is declining at an alarming rate due to anthropogenic activities around the world. This book is the second volume in the new series Biodiversity Hotspots of the World, which highlights the 36 hotspot regions of the world, regions that have been designated as reaping maximum benefit from preservation efforts. This series is our humble attempt to document these hotspots as a conservation and preservation measure. The concise volumes in this series focus on the most interesting and important properties of these hotspots, covering physiography and climatology; vegetation and forest types; amphibian and reptile biodiversity; genetic diversity of crops, plants, fishes, butterflies, insects, birds, mammals, angiosperms, and gymnosperms; and much more. And of course, the unique threats and conservation efforts for the areas are addressed as well. The Himalayan Mountains are the highest mountain range in the world and include Mount Everest as well as eight other highest peaks of the world. While it is difficult to document the biodiversity of this inhospitable terrain, we do know that out of the 9,000 different species of plants recorded in the area, 3,500 plants are endemic to the Eastern Himalaya region. Anthropogenic activities including deforestation, fragmentation of habitats, pollution, high population, climate change, and poaching of wildlife pose serious threats to the biodiversity of the region. The highlands have exceptionally rich biodiversity, high endemism, and over 160 globally threatened species, including the densest population of Bengal tigers and the three largest herbivores on the continent: the Asian elephant, greater one-horned rhinoceros, and wild water buffalo. The region boasts the world's richest counts of alpine flora within its temperate broad-leaved forests, with a total of 10,000 species of plants. This volume, Biodiversity Hotspot of the Himalaya, as well as the other volumes in this series, will be essential resources for researchers and practitioners in the fields of conservation biology, ecology, and evolution as the series concisely records the existing biodiversity of these hotspots of the world"--
This book presents some results on selected taxa in the Himalayan region (mainly Nepal), pinpoints the threats to their survival and suggests ways how to avoid their extinction. Most chapters are based on graduate research projects – relatively long-term field studies. The data presented here can be a good source of updated information on the subject and will prove to be a very useful reference in future studies of Himalayan biodiversity. They also tend to pinpoint the existing gaps in our knowledge of this region. All the chapters are based on recent trends of biodiversity and conservation vision, so the book can be a potential alternative to the existing relatively older books with outdated vision and information. Its main goal, however, is to disseminate the information about biodiversity conservation problems in the Himalayan region among the people in the developed world.
Conservation of biodiversity by local communities has been part of the social system in the Himalayas. A variety of ecosystems are conserved traditionally by local communities. These communities are fully aware of the relationship between protecting the nature and getting ecosystem goods and services. The van panchayat system in Uttarakhand and sacred natural sites all over the Himalayas suggest a mix of the institutions in the region. Globally, community conserved areas (CCAs) are gaining importance. Biodiversity Heritage Sites, Community Reserves, and Conservation Reserves are the new institutional legal provisions that recognize the efforts of local communities in biodiversity conservation in India. The present volume highlights the importance of the existing systems in terms of their role in biodiversity conservation with community participation and suggests ways to enhance community-based biodiversity conservation in light of the emerging policy provisions. It would serve as an important reference for a wide range of stakeholders, from policy-makers to environmentalists, biodiversity experts, development practitioners, academicians, and researchers.
The colossal and awe-inspiring Himalayas eulogized by the people of India as nature s marvel and the abode of gods are one of the most threatened life-support systems on the earth today. The continuing deforestation and the resultant high-intensity landslides, unplanned developmental activities and natural factors such as earthquakes, neo-tectonic activities, cloud bursts etc are some of the factors threatening the very existence of the Himalayas. Biodiversity Conservation in the Himalayas is a Compendium of articles written by experts and workers connected with Himalayan studies. The volume covers a wide range of topics having a direct bearing on the health and security of the most outstanding yet fragile Himalayan ecosystems. The authors have tried to analyse the causes of the degradation of the Himalayas and suggested measures to restore and regain the beauty and biodiversity of these mighty mountains.
Biodiversity is declining at an alarming rate due to anthropogenic activities around the world. This book is the second volume in the new series Biodiversity Hotspots of the World, which highlights the 36 hotspot regions of the world, regions that have been designated as reaping maximum benefit from preservation efforts. This series is our humble attempt to document these hotspots as a conservation and preservation measure. The concise volumes in this series focus on the most interesting and important properties of these hotspots, covering physiography and climatology; vegetation and forest types; amphibian and reptile biodiversity; genetic diversity of crops, plants, fishes, butterflies, insects, birds, mammals, angiosperms, and gymnosperms; and much more. And of course, the unique threats and conservation efforts for the areas are addressed as well. The Himalayan Mountains are the highest mountain range in the world and include Mount Everest as well as eight other highest peaks of the world. While it is difficult to document the biodiversity of this inhospitable terrain, we do know that out of the 9,000 different species of plants recorded in the area, 3,500 plants are endemic to the Eastern Himalaya region. Anthropogenic activities including deforestation, fragmentation of habitats, pollution, high population, climate change, and poaching of wildlife pose serious threats to the biodiversity of the region. The highlands have exceptionally rich biodiversity, high endemism, and over 160 globally threatened species, including the densest population of Bengal tigers and the three largest herbivores on the continent: the Asian elephant, greater one-horned rhinoceros, and wild water buffalo. The region boasts the world’s richest counts of alpine flora within its temperate broad-leaved forests, with a total of 10,000 species of plants. This volume, Biodiversity Hotspot of the Himalayas, as well as the other volumes in this series, will be essential resources for researchers and practitioners in the fields of conservation biology, ecology, and evolution as the series concisely records the existing biodiversity of these hotspots of the world.
