GUWAHATI, Dec 20 – At a time when the impact of global warming and human activities have been recognised as threats to Northeast India, a report by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has emphasised the need for concerted action to protect the Eastern Himalayan region. A study report ‘The Eastern Himalayas, Where Worlds Collide’ has called India, Nepal and Bhutan to join hands to develop a shared vision to conserve the area.
For Assam and Arunachal Pradesh the report is particularly relevant, as changes in the eastern Himalayan landscape would have cascading effects in the adjacent States. A number of rivers and streams from the region contribute a large volume of water to the Brahmaputra, and changes would invariably lead to effects on people living in the river basin.
The WWF document made available to The Assam Tribune calls for “broadening the scope and scaling up the local stewardship of forests, grasslands and wetlands”.
Significantly, the WWF underlines the need to ensure that regional mechanisms are in place to respond to climate change and likely impacts. The report favours Governments coming to the support of local communities who face real threats in the form of changing weather patterns.
Referring to developmental efforts in the sensitive region, the WWF states: “development initiatives must take into account the environment if we are not to damage the very resources on which econmic development depends”.
In clear reference to dam building activities like those taking place in Arunachal Pradesh, the report mentions that the growth of energy industry should not cause permanent damage to the environment.
The WWF report is also revealing as it mentions the surprising biodiversity of Eastern Himalayas. During the period 1998-2008 the total number of new species discovered was a whopping 353, among which were 242 plant species.
The region has gained focus in scientific circles because it is home to 163 species, which are considered “globally threatened”. According to the WWF, Eastern Himalayas contain 17 critical tiger habitats, which include the densest population of Bengal tiger in the world.
