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Eastern Himalayas
Threats
The region's fragile natural resources are strained
by the needs of the population.
© WWF-Canon/Michel Gunther
The region's temperate forests, savannas and grasslands are under pressure from unsustainable harvesting of resources for firewood, food and timber. Intensive grazing and agricultural expansion are also growing threats along with the poaching of endangered plants and animals. Some underlying causes of these forces are social, and include a rapidly growing human population, poverty and migration. WWF is leveraging partnerships at all levels to achieve conservation results.
Deforestation
Conversion of forest to agriculture land and exploitation of forests for timber, fodder and fuel wood are some of the main threats to biodiversity in this region. Additional threats to these forests include charcoal production in some low elevation areas and intensive grazing at higher elevations.
Wood is the primary source of cooking and heating.
© Galen Rowell/Mountain Light
The need for firewood is not only a burden for nature, but also for women. Within the region, they are responsible for gathering firewood and carrying it home. As the forests disappear, these women need to spend more and more time finding enough wood, an activity that may take several hours each day.
Many rural people depend on cattle for their livelihoods but do not have sufficient land holdings for grazing. Thus, it is common to see cows, water buffalo and goats grazing in forests. Forests could sustain small numbers of grazers, but today there is so much grazing that saplings are eaten - destroying the forest's future.
Park guards display confiscated tiger skins in Nepal.
© Jeff Foott/WWF
Wildlife trade
In addition to deforestation and other habitat loss, poaching is the main threat to the wildlife in the region. It is especially dangerous to endangered species like the tiger and rhino because of their high commercial value in the black market. Smaller animals like deer are sometimes poached for meat. Fish poaching occurs frequently in protected areas. There, poachers use not only nets but also poison - contaminating whole rivers.
Climate change
Glaciers are highly sensitive to minor changes in the atmospheric temperature. They are therefore considered good indicators to help quantify changes in the Earth’s climate. It is widely accepted that climate change is the main factor behind the accelerated glacier retreat observed in the Himalayas.
The Himalayas are known as the ‘Water Towers of Asia’, and the Eastern Himalayas has the largest concentrations of glaciers outside the polar region - which hold vast stores of fresh water. The region’s agriculture and power generation are fully dependent on the freshwater supply fed by the discharges of the Himalayan glaciers. Continued climate change is predicted to lead to major changes in fresh water flows with dramatic impacts on biodiversity, people and their livelihoods.
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