Organisations and Government Action
Organisations
There are numerous Non-Governmental (sometimes environmental) organisations which co-operate with the Himalayan people in attempt to resolve issues affecting the Himalayan region. The two largest contributors are the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).
Climate Change
For over three decades, ICIMOD played a crucial role in the development and solutions of Himalayan mountain communities, particularly the Hindu-Kush-Himalayan Region ICIMOD tackles a wide range of issues in the Himalayas from climate change to biodiversity to resource management.20
The organisation has several initiatives and campaigns for each issue involving research projects, funding better technology for the Himalayan people and conservation programs. The two main initiatives dedicated to coping with climate change are the atmosphere and cryosphere initiatives. The atmosphere initiative seeks to improve knowledge about the effects of aerosols on local climate and reduce black carbon (soot) levels in the atmosphere. ICIMOD funds numerous studies on the effects of aerosols (in particular soot) while also conducting simulations of their own through two satellite observatories located in the Nepalese Himalayas.20,21 The Cryosphere initiative focuses on monitoring the volume of glaciers, the extent that they are being impacted upon by global warming and the downstream effects of a reduced water supply. 2013 was perhaps the biggest year so far for ICIMOD projects as all of these initiatives gained significant progress thanks to partnerships with various organisations, most notably: The World Bank, branches of the United Nations and the Institute for Global Environment Strategies. While the negative effects of atmospheric brown clouds/aerosol pollution are obvious, the extent of their effects is still relatively hard to determine. With ICIMOD’s satellite imagery and unmanned aerial probes, these critical knowledge gaps about the extent aerosol pollution will be resolved. Last year, ICIMOD organised several large global workshops with atmospheric scientists, policy makers and brick entrepreneurs all collaborating to discuss possible solutions in reducing black carbon. A meticulous air quality study (the largest of its kind in fourteen years) was also conducted to investigate the effects of aerosols on human health and climate change. ICIMOD’s data collected from extensive research of the Hindu-Kush Region of the Himalayas has recently triggered the co-operation of local and national governments to resolve climate change related issues. To reduce the risk of flash flooding and GLOFs, ICIMOD has implemented several easily operatable and cost efficient wireless flood warning messaging systems. These systems send warnings to mobile devices of the people when the water levels of rivers reach critical mass, allowing communities to quickly evacuate the area and mitigate destruction. Already these convenient low tech flood warning systems have proven effective; during a small flood along the Jiadhal River last year, thousands of dollars’ worth of assets were saved due to the early warnings.22 |
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The diagram (left) illustrates the process of the flood warning system. Flood sensors are established upstream and when the water reaches and critical level, the sensors trigger a siren. A warning is also transmitted via radio-waves to the communities downstream. Warnings may be received by cellphones and other devices.
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Arguably the largest environmental NGO in the world, the World Wildlife Fund has been implementing special programs in the Himalayas to maintain balance in its ecosystems and to assist the local people since 1970. While most of its funds dedicated to the Himalayas are used to support the conservation of wildlife, a significant portion is still allocated to helping the Himalayan people deal with climate change, especially water management. To alleviate the stress of low water supplies, the WWF have invested funds into helping the local communities (especially those who do not have access to piped water) construct ponds and reservoirs which collect water in the monsoon period while supplying demands in the dry season. These ponds are especially helpful in the irrigation of crops, a fundamental part of Himalayan life. The WWF has also introduced various programs to educate the people on water & resource management as well as processes that are beneficial both the people and the environment such as composting. During the years 2008-2012, the WWF also assisted in the risk prevention of a Glacial Lake Outburst food at Lake Thorthormi by excavating extra channels for the water to flow into, reducing water levels. 2(This will be discussed more in the Governments section) The WWF has also been working with the United Nations to provide more efficient/gas stoves for the people of the Himalayas. Using gas allows for a more complete combustion which emits only water and carbon dioxide as byproducts, thus, reducing the impact of black carbon upon the environment. 23 |
The WWF has been relatively effective in solving problems caused by climate change in the Himalayas. A wide range of Himalayan communities are now educated on conserving water and are able to cope with water shortages more effectively due to the irrigation ponds, drinking reservoirs and better overall water management. The encouragement from NGOs such as the WWF has also led farmers to attempt new agricultural practices to adapt to the ever changing Himalayan climate. For example, when snow stopped falling in the villages of Ramche, Nepal, farmers tried planting Himalayan strawberry seedlings instead as they were native to the region and used less water. Strawberries are now a major part of the fruit juice industry in Nepal and India. The use of gas stoves as alternatives to traditional wood stoves will significantly reduce black carbon content in the local atmosphere mitigating the rate of global warming. However a much larger scale program will be required before the Himalayas are in a stable condition.2,25
Habitat and Species Loss
So far there have been several non for profit organisations that have taken particular interest and care over the Himalayas; one of these including the world wildlife organisation (WWF) 37. The WWF have stated the main goal, "to make sure plant and animal species thrive and at the same time local communities are able to maintain and improve their livelihoods." This also includes the sustainable and eco-friendly use of resources taken from fresh water, grasslands, and forests systems. With the combined efforts and contributions from several governments including those from India, Bhutan, and Nepal as well as the help from local communities; they strive to protect the ecosystems of the Himalayas. Another objective put forth includes empowering the general community "to protect sacred lands"
WWF have been greatly beneficial in almost all aspects whether it be benefitting the local communities or protecting the wildlife and ecosystem. They had been supporting the conservation efforts of the Himalayas for 20 years so far, and currently they have reached to point of attaining nearly 100 staff members including those with influence in governments, other conservation agencies and local communities. The organisation has claimed to be part of many significant advances towards the conservation of the region, strongly influenced throughout such ties in other groups/ communities/ governments.
Success from the WWF include the prosperous conservation of the landscape level of the Terai Arc in Nepal. This region is home to endangered elephants and rhinos and hold the world's highest concentration of tigers. They have conserved this extremely important region by connecting 11 protected areas and restoring native and endemic forests between them. This provides habitat corridors needed for specie survival and also enlarges the habitat of many species; not just endangered ones. Habitat corridors are extremely beneficial for animals as they allow for safe passage from place to place within their habitat.
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The organisation has also so far been successful with the protection of the Northeast Indian Forests. Near the region threats towards the habitat of an abundance of species include a fast growing population, and infrastructure movements 36, 37. With the help of past experiences with the community based conservation of the Terai Arc and Bhutan, the WWF have managed to similarly protect the forests of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh home to critical elephant populations. They have also managed to reduce incidents of human-elephant conflicts.
The WWF's success has greatly benefited the habitat and species of the Himalayas, though the organisation is still yet to implement more actions in the safeguarding of the region. With works with the Bhutan government, the group has landed an ambitious plan to maintain almost 400,000 acres of "wildlife highways" that connect protected areas across the country. Much like in the Terai Arc, this provides habitat corridors and a safer and better habitat for species. The WWF is the only international conservation organisation to have a permanent presence amongst the royal government of Bhutan and often the group collaborate with the government with economic and of course environmental needs. The strong ties with the government have shown promising results with more than 70 percent of Bhutan's land still covered in intact forests. WWF also engage and raise the technical capacities of the Bhutan communities and heavily influence them through education.
It is known the Himalayas are a main source of freshwater for millions in South Asia 37. Such abundance of water also harbours life for an array of rare plant life as well as the bountiful alpine and conifer forests. The WWF's Sacred Himalayan Landscape programme has helped educate governments and local communities to control such important water and resources sustainable and efficiently. Though much more effort and problem solving is required in this area in order to create a truly eco-friendly and sustainable environment. On the other hand the program has considers the spiritual beliefs of local communities and have established friendly and respectful techniques in the conservation and rehabilitation of essential habitats. Furthermore they have helped the community through the creation of a women's group, teaching participants of literacy, and sustainable income generation skills.
"Our work in the Himalayas ensures the well-being of people species through the conservation of entire ecosystems processes" - Jon Miceler WWF Managing Director, Eastern Himalayas. [37]
Governments
Governments from numerous countries contribute and fund the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) which assists the Himalayan people by providing cleaner stoves and funds for water management projects. They also contribute to resolving climate change related issues through investments in renewable energy and by co-operating with communities to reduce GLOFs.23
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While the investments in renewable energy are a great step towards sustainable energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the future, it is not the most immediate. Greenhouse gases remain in the atmosphere for decades or even centuries and hence, the environmental benefits of hydroelectric power will not be felt until generations later.22 Hydroelectric dams also destroy the surrounding ecosystems and destabilise the lithosphere leading to an increased risk of seismic activity, landslides and GLOFs. Additionally, dams are vulnerable to damage from flash floods and may require regular reconstruction which is expensive as well as time consuming. On the other hand, the projects by the Nepalese and Indian governments to mitigate risk of GLOFs have been very effective such as the 2008-2012 lowering of Lake Thorthormi. Not only was the program successful in significantly lowering the risk of a GLOF, the co-operation between governments, NGOs, and individual members of local communities will inspire future large scale campaigns.25 |
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