The mighty Himalayas, home to a vast variety of plant and animal species, are a biodiverse hotspot, and support some of the largest rivers of Asia. Increasingly, population growth, unsustainable consumption patterns and changing climate are posing a serious threat to the well-being of the Himalayan ecosystem.

ICLEI South Asia, an organization committed to sustainable urban development worldwide, has come up with a community-based conservation model to protect the rich biodiversity of this valuable yet fragile region.

The importance of the Himalayan pasturelands cannot be stressed enough. These majestic landscapes comprise 35 per cent of the geographical area of the Indian Himalayas and provide high-value economic services, worth nearly $4 billion annually, through generated hydropower, livestock, agriculture and tourism. Around 200 million people belonging to different ethnic groups reside here and the agro-pastoral communities depend on the pasturelands for their sustenance.

Under the UNDP-supported SECURE Himalaya project, ICLEI South Asia mapped degradation in Himalayan pasturelands of Himachal Pradesh and found that the most degraded pasturelands were in Miyar and Kundal sub-river basins.

Pastures in the Miyar sub-river basin cover an area of 25050.78 ha. The degradation analysis showed that 58.95 per cent of the pastures (14753.88 ha) degraded over 12 years (2009-2021), with a 21.31 per cent (5338.32 ha) decrease in the net primary productivity (NPP). Pastures in the Kundal sub-river basin cover an area of 2898.36 ha. The degradation analysis showed that 47.71 per cent (1382.58 ha) of these pastures degraded over the same period, with a 57.74 per cent (1671.93 ha) decrease in NPP.

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The forest guards and officials of Palampur Forest Division, Himachal Pradesh, underwent a training programme on ncount platform. These forest guards and officials would collect 5000 data points utilising ncount.

When cutting-edge technology meets biodiversity and conservation  

Discussions with the local villagers, pastoral nomadists known as Gaddis and forest department officials revealed that not only were these pasturelands highly degraded, but they were also riddled with invasive plants, legume deficient, and affected by landslides, overstocking, and climate change, mainly due to low winter rain, Dr Monalisa Sen, Programme Coordinator for Biodiversity, ICLEI South Asia told businessline. Fertility of the soil, water quality and the grass species had also changed significantly, she said.

“Grass species and legumes germinate when the winter snow melts in summer. But due to climate change and other reasons, the lifecycle of a plant is changing,” she said.

The Gaddis depend on the pasturelands for at least 3 months in a year to increase the weight of their livestock. But since the legume species have dwindled, the weight gain by livestock has significantly decreased, adversely impacting the income earned by the pastorialists, she explained.

Pastureland degradation has led to the drying up of a stream that used to originate there, resulting in water scarcity in some villages. Resident communities, particularly the women, have had to traverse longer distances to higher altitudes to collect fodder for stall feeding. Life in these remote villages has become even more tough. Degraded pasturelands have imperilled wild herbivores, thereby impacting the survival of endangered species like the snow leopard.

The most impacted pasturelands of Miyar and Kundal have been identified by ICLEI for restoration with an aim to sustain both communities and biodiversity. In this regard, the community-based conservation model hopes to amalgamate local knowledge with global expertise through a scientific approach.

ICLEI has proposed a community-based eco-tourism model designed to provide benefits to the local community as well as the Gaddis. Under the multi-conceptual plan, homestays for tourists would be managed by the locals whereas tourism and trekking in the high- altitude areas would be the domain of the Gaddis who are anyways familiar with the territory. Profit would be shared accordingly. This model has been well received by the custodians of the land—the local villagers as well as the users of the land—the nomadic pastorialists, as it promises benefits to both. Development of community nurseries to preserve the native species of plants is also part of the plan.

An integrated approach is expected to ultimately lead to the conservation of globally significant biodiversity areas and habitats of wildlife, including the endangered snow leopard while ensuring sustainable livelihoods for communities. It goes without saying that reservation of biodiversity in the Himalayas is of utmost importance if our future generations have to enjoy its rich repository of flora and fauna.