Times of India , Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Correspondent : Staff Reporter

NAINITAL: The early ripening of the popular 'Kaafal' wild fruit in Kumaun division of Uttarakhand is being seen by experts as a fallout of global warming in the Himalayan region. The edible wild fruit has hit the markets this year a month before than the usual time and it is being sold at four times higher than its normal rate. The regional fruit market at Bhowali, 12 kms from here, received the supply of 'Kaafal' fruit on Sunday and the "surprised" traders bided a higher rate for it, sources said. According to Forestry Department of Kumaun University the ripping of Kaafal, is at least a month in advance, which has not been reported earlier. Such incidents are example of the impact of climate change and global warming that has begun to affect the Himalayan region in many ways, experts said. Glacier retreat, early flowering and early leaf production in many trees, and arrival of mosquitoes at altitudes beyond their traditional range are some of the examples of the climate change in the region, they said. Eminent ecologist and vice-chancellor of HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar, and Garhwal said "a species can fruit early in a direct response to warming." "However, it can start fruiting also under a stress, such as drought," he said. The warming by enhancing the rate of evaporation can cause water stress on trees, thus forcing them to complete reproductive cycle quickly, he said. In 2007, oaks in Nainital were unable to produce new leaves in spring, because of the drought. "In response to the warming induced drought oaks seeds started maturing rapidly. This imposed a large carbon cost on trees. "They were not left with enough carbon to take care of both seed maturation and leaf production simultaneously. The serious problem is that many species may have mature seeds much before the commencement of monsoon, and thus fail to produce seedlings," he said. The failure of regeneration in this case can lead to the loss of species or their upward migration. Alpine areas are going to be a busy place, there many species including humans are going to arrive, and many of the existing species are going to be extinct. Species near mountain tops would have no space to migrate. "Similarly, Rhododendrons (buransh), were seen flowering early in the season last year, and reports are there that woody species are marching upward in Valley of Flowers," Singh added. On how to combat the adverse impacts of climate change in the Himalayan region, Singh said there is an immediate need to collect data on these changes and develop strategies to address the problems being caused by global change. Agriculture and livelihoods of local communities that depends heavily on natural resources in Himalayan regions are going to be affected severely, so is the water supply. Long-term data collection based on permanent stations can help us in understanding the issues involved says Prof Singh.

SOURCE : Times of India, Tuesday, 01 April 2008