Climate change effects in the Western Himalayan ecosystems of India: evidence and strategies

Vindhya Prasad Tewari; Raj Kumar Verma; Klaus von Gadow

doi:10.1186/s40663-017-0100-4

Forest Ecosystems 2017, 4(3): 13 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40663-017-0100-4

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Open Access | Issue | Published: 10 August 2017

Climate change effects in the Western Himalayan ecosystems of India: evidence and strategies

Show Author's Information Hide Author's Information Vindhya Prasad Tewari^¹(

), Raj Kumar Verma^¹, Klaus von Gadow^{²^,³}

Himalayan Forest Research Institute, Shimla, HP, India

Georg-August University, Göttingen, Germany

Department of Forestry and Wood Science, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, South Africa

Keywords:

Climate change, High altitude, Himalayan ecosystem, New strategies, New observational studies

Cite this article:

Prasad Tewari V, Verma RK, von Gadow K. Climate change effects in the Western Himalayan ecosystems of India: evidence and strategies. Forest Ecosystems, 2017, 4(3): 13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40663-017-0100-4

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Abstract

Background

The fragile landscapes of the Himalayan region are highly susceptible to natural hazards, and there is ongoing concern about current and potential climate change impacts. This study provides background information on India's Western Himalayas and reviews evidence of warming as well as variability in precipitation and extreme events.

Methods

Understanding and anticipating the impacts of climate change on Himalayan forest ecosystems and the services they provide to people are critical. Efforts to develop and implement effective policies and management strategies for climate change mitigation and adaptation requires particular new research initiatives. The various studies initiated and conducted in the region are compiled here.

Results

Several new initiatives taken by the Himalayan Forest Research Institute in Shimla are described. This includes new permanent observational field studies, some with mapped trees, in high altitude transitional zones for continuous monitoring of vegetation response. We have also presented new strategies for mitigating potential climate change effects in Himalayan forest ecosystems.

Conclusions

Assessment of the ecological and genetic diversity of the Himalayan conifers is required to evaluate potential responses to changing climatic conditions. Conservation strategies for the important temperate medicinal plants need to be developed. The impact of climate change on insects and pathogens in the Himalayas also need to be assessed. Coordinated efforts are necessary to develop effective strategies for adaptation and mitigation.

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About this article

Climate change effects in the Western Himalayan ecosystems of India: evidence and strategies

Show Author's information Hide Author's Information Vindhya Prasad Tewari^¹(

), Raj Kumar Verma^¹, Klaus von Gadow^{²^,³}

Himalayan Forest Research Institute, Shimla, HP, India

Georg-August University, Göttingen, Germany

Department of Forestry and Wood Science, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, South Africa

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Keywords: Climate change, High altitude, Himalayan ecosystem, New strategies, New observational studies

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Received: 18 March 2017

Accepted: 27 July 2017

Published: 10 August 2017

Issue date: September 2017

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Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.