Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) Region

Introduction and biodiversity

The Hindu Kush Himalaya is one of the greatest mountain systems of the world; is a part of the Himalaya. It is extending over eight countries, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan, covering 4.2 million. sq. km. It has more than 60,000 square kilometers of glaciers and 760,000 square kilometers of snow cover. This region is the massive storage of freshwater and is the source of 10 major Asian river basins (Amu Darya, Brahmaputra, Ganges, Indus Irrawaddy, Mekong, Salween, Tarim, Yangtze, and Yellow river), providing essential resources to 240 million peoples. And about 1.9 million depend on HKH for water, food, and Energy. The HKS region form the largest area of permanent ice cover outside of the North and South Poles, and so often referred to as "Third Pole".

Geographically, it is extended in 4.3 million sq. km. to Pamir, Karakoram, Tibetan Plateau, Indo-Burma, CHT-Bangladesh, and southeast China Mountain. 32% area of the HKH region is covered by all or part of 4 of 34  global Biodiversity hotspots ( Himalaya, Indo-Burma, Mountains of Southwest China, and Mountains of central Asia), 39% area by 488 protected areas. Other Regions found in HKH are, 60 Eco-regions (30 critical and 12 represents global 200 Eco-regions), 330 Important Birds and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs), 53 Important Plant Areas(IPAs), 6 UNESCO Natural Heritage Sites, and 30 Ramsar Sites (40 high altitude lakes). More than 35% populations benefits indirectly from HKH resources and ecosystem services.

The HKH region consists mostly of diversified regions in the world. About 35 new species were found every year in the Eastern Himalayas between 1998 and 2008. This region is the home of rare and endangered species like tigers, elephants, musk deer, red panda, and snow leopards. Highly valuable threatened plants like Rhododendrons, orchids, and some rare medicinal plants (Ophiocordyceps sinensis, Dactylorhiza hatagirea) and wild edible plants also found in this region.

Table1: Distribution of total and endemic (in parentheses) species in the four biodiversity hotspots in the HKH

Biodiversity	Himalaya		Indo-Burma		Mountains of Southwest China		Mountains of Central Asia
	Total	Endemic	Total	Endemic	Total	Endemic	Total	Endemic
Plants	10,000	3,136	13,500	7,000	12,000	3,500	5,500	1,500
Mammals	300	12	433	73	237	5	143	6
Birds	977	15	1,266	64	611	2	489	0
Reptiles	176	48	522	204	92	15	59	1
Amphibians	105	42	286	154	90	8	7	4
Freshwater fish	269	33	1,262	553	92	23	27	5

(Source: Chettri & Sharma 2016; Wester, et al., 2019)

The rising mountains of the HKH region are vulnerable to natural calamities even without  human interferences due to its geologically fragile landscape style. In recent years, the biodiversity of Hindu Kush Himalaya region is changing/ declining due to rapid climate change, and major disruptions including natural disasters, globalization, overexploitation, land use and change, migration, infrastructure development, urbanization, Pollution (Black carbon and minerals dust), and invasive and alien species.

Table 2: Drivers of Environmental change

S.N.	Drivers
1	Direct Drivers	i. Climate change ii. Changes in land use/cover iii. Species introduction or removal iv. Technology adaption and use v. Harvest and resource consumption
2	Indirect Drivers	i. Demographic ii. Economic iii. Socio-political iv. Science and technology v. Culture and religious

Source: (Sharma, Tse-ring, Chhetri, & Shrestha, 2019)

 

According to the Hindu Kush Himalayan Region report of 2019, 70–80% of the region’s original habitat has already been lost and that loss may increase to 80–87% by 2100. Even the most ambitious goal set by the paris Agreement to limit global warming would lead to a 2.1 the spike in temperature in the HKH region, leading to the melting of 1/3 of the region's glaciers by 2100, potentially destabilizing Asia's rivers. The melting of these glaciers will put the threat on 1.9 billion people. Since the 1970s, about 50% of ice in the HKH region has disappeared as temperature have risen.

Various initiatives have been done by various institutions in the HKS region for landscape managements.

 

About 40% of the Hindu Kush Himalaya region is designated as protected areas but the implementation of conservation measures is patchy. Many of these areas are remote and authorities have little control over border regions sometimes plagued by conflict.

 

References:

 Sahasrabudhe, S., Mishra, U., Vasily, L., Thomas, S., & Chhetri, R. (2019). SUMMARY OF THE HINDU KUSH HIMALAYA ASSESSMENT REPORT. Kathmandu, Nepal: International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).

Sharma, E., Tse-ring, K., Chhetri, N., & Shrestha, A. (2019). Biodiversity in Hindu Kush Himalayas - Trends, Preception and Impact of climate change [Power point slide]. Retrieved from ICIMOD: http://www.icimod.org/resources/81

Walker, B. (2019, February 27). Hindu Kush Himalayas set for massive biodiversity loss. Retrieved from China Dialogue: https://chinadialogue.net/en/climate/11103

Chettri, N. & Sharma, E. (2016). Reconciling Mountain Biodiversity Conservation and Human Wellbeing: Drivers of Biodiversity Loss and New Approaches in the Hindu-Kush Himalayas. Proceedings of the Indian National Science Academy. 82. 10.16943/ptinsa/2016/v82i1/48378.

 

P. Wester, A. Mishra, A. Mukherji, A. B. Shrestha (eds) (2019) The Hindu Kush Himalaya Assessment—Mountains, Climate Change, Sustainability and People, Springer Nature Switzerland AG, Cham.