Journal
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
Volume 23, Issue 3, Pages 520-530Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01237.x
Keywords
alpine ecosystem; cascading effects; climate change; glaciers; Himalayas; water resources; cambio climatico; ecosistema alpino; efectos en cascada; glaciares; Himalaya; recursos hidricos
Funding
- Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA)
- European Union (EU)
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The Greater Himalayas hold the largest mass of ice outside polar regions and are the source of the 10 largest rivers in Asia. Rapid reduction in the volume of Himalayan glaciers due to climate change is occurring. The cascading effects of rising temperatures and loss of ice and snow in the region are affecting, for example, water availability (amounts, seasonality), biodiversity (endemic species, predator-prey relations), ecosystem boundary shifts (tree-line movements, high-elevation ecosystem changes), and global feedbacks (monsoonal shifts, loss of soil carbon). Climate change will also have environmental and social impacts that will likely increase uncertainty in water supplies and agricultural production for human populations across Asia. A common understanding of climate change needs to be developed through regional and local-scale research so that mitigation and adaptation strategies can be identified and implemented. The challenges brought about by climate change in the Greater Himalayas can only be addressed through increased regional collaboration in scientific research and policy making.
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