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Sustainability of Himalayas: Exploitation taking its toll
Advocating to follow Gandhiji’s message for Sustainability of Himalayas, Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan on Friday said pressure of population and exploitation of natural resources are extracting a heavy toll on the mountain range.
She said such increasing pressures on the fragile eco-system need to be checked with proper governance. She hoped that the event will help in creating the required awareness amongst participants about the sensitivity of the Himalayan ecosystem and provide a forum for knowledge and experience sharing. She was addressing the India-ICIMOD (International Centre For Mountain Day Development) celebration on Friday.
For his part, Vilas Rao Deshmukh, Minister of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences said Himalayan ecosystem provides forest cover, feeds perennial rivers that provide water for drinking, irrigation, and hydropower, and provides a home and a basis for sustainable biodiversity, agriculture, and tourism.
Deshmukh informed that a National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) has been included in the eight National Missions of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) with the objectives of conserving and protecting Himalayan glaciers and its ecosystem. The only area-specific mission is to improve trans-boundary exchange of information through mutually agreed mechanisms.
ICIMOD being an independent ‘Mountain Learning and Knowledge Centre’ can play an important role in strengthening such trans-boundary exchange of information among the eight regional member countries of the Hindukush-Himalayas area, he added.
She said such increasing pressures on the fragile eco-system need to be checked with proper governance. She hoped that the event will help in creating the required awareness amongst participants about the sensitivity of the Himalayan ecosystem and provide a forum for knowledge and experience sharing. She was addressing the India-ICIMOD (International Centre For Mountain Day Development) celebration on Friday.
For his part, Vilas Rao Deshmukh, Minister of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences said Himalayan ecosystem provides forest cover, feeds perennial rivers that provide water for drinking, irrigation, and hydropower, and provides a home and a basis for sustainable biodiversity, agriculture, and tourism.
Deshmukh informed that a National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) has been included in the eight National Missions of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) with the objectives of conserving and protecting Himalayan glaciers and its ecosystem. The only area-specific mission is to improve trans-boundary exchange of information through mutually agreed mechanisms.
ICIMOD being an independent ‘Mountain Learning and Knowledge Centre’ can play an important role in strengthening such trans-boundary exchange of information among the eight regional member countries of the Hindukush-Himalayas area, he added.
