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Covering an area of nearly six lakh sq.km., and spanning many regions, including India. Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet, the Himalayas is one of the youngest mountain ranges in the world. Home to the world’s highest peak Mount Everest, it hosts several other high peaks too. Due to the different altitudes and climatic conditions within the vast expanse of the region, the vegetation is varied too. It spans everything from deciduous forests and alpine forests to meadows and scrubland. Many rivers and glaciers in the Himalayas too have a major influence in the shaping of the landscape.

Wildlife

The diversity in the flora of the Himalayas also means it nurtures a wide variety of birds, animals, reptiles, and amphibians. Red panda, snow leopard, clouded leopard, Himalayan tahr, Himalayan black bear, Himalayan marmot, Himalayan yak, and langur, are among the animals that can be spotted in the region. Birds that can be found here include bulbuls, barbets, finches, kingfishers, flycatchers, buntings, cuckoos, thrushes, owls, pigeons, flowerpeckers, quails, woodpeckers, warblers, tits, larks and eagles. The Himalayan monal is one of the most colourful birds of the region.

Lifeline

The Himalayas has been closely tied to the lives of people in Asia, and the mountain range is revered in several cultures. It is home to millions of people, and supports the livelihood of many more. Due to the altitude and location, the region plays an important role in the climate of many countries, including India. Several important rivers such as the Indus, the Ganges, and the Brahmaputra originate in the Himalayas. Melting snow, glaciers, and rainfall feed many of these perennial rivers, taking care of the water needs of millions of people across many countries. These rivers leave their nutrient-rich deposits as they flow, giving rise to fertile soil - just perfect for cultivation - across many regions. The forests of the mountain range not just host many types of wildlife but also ably support the growth of medicinal plants and timber, offer grazing grounds for cattle, in addition to several forest produce. The Himalayas is also an important place for tourists and pilgrims.

Threats

Climate change: Even though some of the areas in the Himalayas are remote, they are being affected by climate change too. Cold temperatures in most regions in the range have warmed up faster than in many parts of the world. As a result, glaciers and permafrost are melting faster. Even weather patterns have fluctuated wildly, triggering more natural disasters. This could mean dry spells, especially when farmers need water or unprecedented floods. These events affect landscapes, livelihoods, and lives too.

Human presence: While mountaineering can boost tourism in any country, it can bring with it several disadvantages too. Mount Everest in Nepal is a classic example of this. Already hit by climate change the peak is packed with mountaineers during the climbing season. Which means there's mounds of rubbish and garbage strewn around the place. Oxygen cylinders, cans, tom tents and ropes, and human waste make a bulk of the rubbish. Sadly, due to the expenses that could be incurred, sometimes the bodies of some dead climbers are left behind too. While there have been many calls to control the number of people climbing it and what they leave behind a lasting and concrete solution to the problem has remained elusive.

Territorial disputes: Since the mountain range spans many countries, "territorial disputes" can affect ongoing projects that study the region. Among these are international collaborations on research related to climate change in the mountain range. Diplomacy issues can last for a short period or extend into years, and both do affect precious work taken up to analyse the region.

 

Picture Credit : Google

Snow leopards are found in several Asian countries such as Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, Nepal, Tajikistan, Mongolia, etc. This elusive cat species is found in India too. One of the best places to spot them is the Hemis National Park in the Ladakh region. Spanning an area of about 600 sq.km., it is said to house about 200 of these big cats. States such as Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh too are home to snow leopards. However, the number of these camivores and the chances of sighting them are believed to be higher in Hemis National Park than in other places, In all, over 450 snow leopards call the country home.

 

Snow leopard facts

• Snow leopards occur predominantly in the Himalayan mountain range and Tibetan plateau. Though they are usually found in mountainous regions if there are plains in their habitats, they seem to prefer rugged terrains within these areas. They are found at altitudes about 9,000 to over 15.000 feet. They prefer rocky outcrops because they help with camouflage when they hunt for prey.


• In India, they normally feed on Tibetan sheep and the blue sheep (bharal). These omnivores would also feed on smaller mammals and birds, in addition to livestock where the cat's habitat is interspersed with that of the humans.


• In 2017, the international Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) downlisted the snow leopard from "endangered" to vulnerable on its red list of threatened species, since the overall conservation situation" for snow leopards has been improving over the last decade.


• Snow leopard is the State animal of Himachal Pradesh.

Threats

According to report by the IUCN in 2020, about 7.500 snow leopards live in the wild globally today. However, they seem to facing the threat of extinction due to several factors such as habitat loss, poaching, hunting, and the impacts of climate change. They continue to be illegally traded for their body parts such as fur, bones, meat, etc. Retaliatory killings by people whose livestock has been killed by these cats too happen. In addition, due to the hunting of the cat's prey such as mountain sheep and goat, these herbivores population is dwindling, in effect, affecting the big cats too. Infrastructure development and human activity in the traditional habitats of these leopards is leading to degradation. As global warming continues, it melts ice in the regions these leopards roam, effectively shrinking the areas they live in.

Some good news!

While globally and in parts of India there's concern about the species facing decline in population, this month has brought in some news to cheer about. According to media reports, the "scientific” study conducted on snow leopards show that their numbers have been increasing in Himachal Pradesh. From the earlier estimates in 60s, the number today stands in 70s, excluding the cubs.

 

Picture Credit : Google

The Manipur brow-antlered deer (Racervus eldii eldii) is locally known as sangai. It is a sub-species of the Eld's deer found in Asia. Though Eld's deer are found in other parts of the world too, sangai is found only in Manipur listed as endangered in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, its habitat in Manipur is the Keibul Lamjao National park Covering an area of about 40 sq. km. the Park is located on one end of the Loktak Lake The animals have adapted themselves to a life on floating meadows - called phumdis in the Lake. Interestingly, sangai is also called the dancing deer because of the way it delicately hops between the phumdis. Not surprisingly, it is the State animal of Manipur.

Sangai facts

• A medium-sized animal, the brow-antlered deer gets its name from its antlers that seemingly emerge from its eyebrows. The mammal has a small tail, and a dark reddish brown coat in winter, the coat gets lighter in summer.


• The deer's habitat varies from scrubland and grassland to dry forests and marshland, depending on the country they're found in. In India, however, these animals inhabit the regions in and around the Loktak Lake.


• When there's flooding, apparently, the deer population leaves the phumdis and moves to the hillocks nearby


• The un-submerged area of the Park has tall grasses and shrubs, some of which are food for sangai.

Threats

In the mid-20th Century, sangai was on the brink of extinction. However, a few individuals were spotted, and thanks to conservation efforts, their numbers today are said to be over a 100, at least. While this is a comforting story, the mammal continues to face several challenges. Foremost is the water pollution in the region. As the water in the Lake gets more and more polluted, the quality and thickness of the phumdis are affected. When phumdis get thinner it becomes difficult for the sangai deer to move from one place to another. In fact, it is said that the total area of the phumdis has been decreasing over the decades. A recent study has said that agriculture practices and newer human settlements in the region too are a threat to phumdis. According to media reports as recent as 2020, "unchecked growth of two perennial aquatic weeds - water hyacinth and para grass in the famous fresh water lake of Loktak in Moirang in Manipur is posing a major threat to sangai The increasing abundance of these weeds has reduced space for indigenous plants the sangai feeds on. For a subspecies already plagued by limited space and numbers, the possibility of in-breeding, and infection due to livestock, such challenges make them even more vulnerable. This could drive them toward extinction all over again, undoing decades of conservation effort.

 

Picture Credit : Google