Formation and Significance
Approximately 50 million years ago, the Indian subcontinent chunk collided with Eurasian plate. As the Indian landmass sunk beneath the Eurasian plate, the area now known as Tibet was pushed up forming a massive mountain fold that would develop into the Himalayas.1 The colossal mountain range now extends over 2400km along the edges of Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Pakistan and with an average elevation of more than seven kilometres, the snow clad peaks of the Himalayas form the highest yet most significant mountain range on Earth.2 It is home to over 40 million people and hundreds of species of unique flora and fauna. ‘In the Eastern Himalayas alone there are some 10,000 types of plant, 750 species of bird and 300 species of mammal - many of them found nowhere else on the planet.’- World Wildlife Fund.3 In addition, the Himalayan glaciers source major rivers such as the Yangtze and Yellow River, which over a billion people are dependent on. However, climate change is causing glacial melt at an alarming rate, endangering the water supply of over a billion people. The threats of deforestation, agricultural expansion and poaching are also causing large imbalances in the fragile ecosystems.2,3 |
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