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Future Sustainability
Challenges in Hindu
Kush-Himalaya
in Hindu Kush-Himalaya
Janak Pathak
INTRODUCTION: Why Hindu-Kush Himalaya is Important?
The Hindu-Kush Himalayan (HKH) mountain range functions as a
complex interaction of “atmospheric, cryospheric, hydrological, geological
and environmental processes that bear special signifi cance for the Earth's
biodiversity, climate and water cycles” (Yao et al. 2011). This region also
plays a prominent role in global climate and function to generate the Asian
monsoon system that sustains one of the largest populations on Earth
(ICIMOD 2011). The ecosystems occupy about 3.6% of the world's area but
contain 16 and 12% of global fl oral and faunal species respectively (UNEP
RRC.AP 2001), including four global biodiversity hotspots, 488 protected
areas, and 60 global eco-regions. This region provides ecosystem services
including water, food, energy, biodiversity and hydrological regulating
functions to support livelihoods of people living upstream and downstream
(ICIMOD 2012b). Meltwater from the Himalayan glaciers is one of the main
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