GS Paper III

News Excerpt: 

Recently, Experts from The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) called for ‘bold action’ and ‘urgent finance’ to prevent the collapse of nature in the Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH).

More about the news:

• ICIMOD said in a statement as 130 global experts arrived in Nepal for the Third Lead Authors meeting of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) nexus assessment.
• Established in 2012 with 145 member-states, the IPBES functions to strengthen the science-policy interface for biodiversity and ecosystem services.
• ICIMOD is hosting the meeting at its headquarters in Kathmandu. The summit examines the linkages between food and water security, health, biodiversity, and climate change.
• The researchers described the speed and scale of losses in nature and habitat in the HKH region as ‘catastrophic’.

Why Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH) important?

• Four of the world’s 36 global biodiversity hotspots are in this region. 
• Two of the global 200 ecoregions are in this region.
• 575 Protected Areas and 335 important bird areas are also situated here.

• HKH stretches 3,500 kilometres, spans eight countries, and is home to most of the snow and ice on Earth outside the poles. 
• At least 12 rivers originate from here in every direction across the Asian continent:
• Syr Darya and Amu Darya towards the now-dead Aral Sea
• The Tarim toward the Taklamakan
• The Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra towards the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal
• The Yellow River towards the Gulf of Bohai
• The Yangtze towards the East China Sea
• The Mekong towards the South China Sea
• The Chindwin, Salween and Irrawaddy towards the Andaman Sea
• The ‘Water Tower of Asia’ provides essential ecosystem services such as clean water for a third of the world’s population. It is estimated to be warming at nearly two times the average rate of warming in the Northern Hemisphere.
• Together these rivers support the drinking water, irrigation, energy, industry and sanitation needs of 1.3 billion people living in the mountains and downstream.

Key findings of the research:

• 70 percent of the original biodiversity has been lost over the last century in this region. 

• 85 percent of mountain communities remain dependent on this biodiversity, for food, water, flood control and cultural identity in this region.
• The declines in nature across this region are so advanced and accelerating so fast that they now pose a threat to the lives of not just animal and plant life, but also human societies.
• 241 million people live in the HKH region, of whom 31 percent are “food-insecure” and “half of whom face some form of malnutrition”. 
• It must be ensured that funding to the HKH rises at an exponential rate before these fragile and crucial ecosystems collapse.
• Policy, institutional and market reforms must be accelerated to make this happen. 
• And also push for a much more rapid increase in integrated global finance, especially for high-value and vulnerable regions like the HKH.

Conclusion:

Urgent action is needed to save the Hindu Kush Himalayas. By investing in conservation efforts, supporting local communities, and collaborating internationally, we can preserve these critical ecosystems for future generations. Together, we must strive to ensure the survival of this vital natural heritage.