The Himalaya should be a nature reserve

Maharaj K. Pandit, director of the Centre for Inter-Disciplinary Studies of Mountain & Hill Environment and at the University of Delhi argues why conservation should be part of the toolkit for diplomacy between China and India. In his article, he says that Himalayan species are intriguing. Like isolated islands, mountain peaks reveal how evolution works: by knowing where unique species concentrate, we can learn how speciation occurs. It would be hard for researchers across Himalaya to do research treks today. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers are now stationed across the high Himalaya.

The Himalaya, which straddles seven nations, already has one of the world’s highest rates of deforestation as a result of logging, agricultural expansion, a burgeoning human population, and the building of dams and other infrastructure. It is also thought to be the most rapidly warming mountain range on Earth. Alongside the animal species, Himalayan alpine meadows boast a wealth of herbaceous flowering plants — strange, colourful and delicate — often with medicinal properties. Nowhere else are so many native plant species found at such high elevations. A Belt and Road initiative of the Chinese government, which India is not involved in, passes through the most fragile Himalayan landscapes.