Chinadialogue: Tourism offers an opportunity to rebuild the local economy of Pakistan’s Swat Valley, ravaged by conflicts and floods. But can it also restore its rivers and forests? Rina Saeed Khan reports. For years, Pakistan’s former princely state of Swat, famous for its fruit orchards, snow-clad mountains, Buddhist stupas and trout-filled rivers, was a popular [...]

Bangkok Post: Mountain kingdom has inspired choice for conference on sustainable tourism. Few people would have pictured Bhutan as the site of an event staged by a large mainstream tourism organisation, given the mountain kingdom’s zealous attempts to guard against being overwhelmed by the outside world. But the choice of the picturesque town of Paro [...]

Hill Post: Ignorance is not always bliss; not when the climate and pristine ecology is at stake. A change in the climate that has served millions of life forms from the beginning of time does not just affect our surroundings. It ropes in our future generations too. 2 years ago, I crossed the Rohtang Pass [...]

International Eco-tourism Society: Peru is so much more than its well-known lost city of Machu Picchu. A large part of the country’s territory lies within the Amazon basin rainforest east of the Andes. With the goal of highlighting educational experiences, the 18-day journey “From the Andes to the Amazon“, by Worldwide Ecotours and InkaNatura Travel [...]

Kashmir Life (Srinagar, India): Tonnes of trash dumped in Indian Kashmir during an annual religious pilgrimage pose a serious threat to the region’s water supplies and flora, environmental groups warn. The trash is dumped during an annual trek to a shrine in the Amarnath cave, 3,800 meters (12,800 feet) up in the Himalayas, which is [...]

Hindustan Times: Nepal is known for its beautiful and challenging treks like the one to the Everest Base Camp and attracts thousands of adventure seekers from across the globe every year. But a new one hopes to test both skill and endurance limits of even the most diehard trekkers. Nepal’s prominent mountaineers will embark on [...]

Eurasia Review: Time has come to become serious about the future of the river. There is a growing perception that the Ganga might completely dry in next fifty years if no effective action is taken to purify the river, keep the flow of its water intact and control the global warming. There cannot be a [...]

Kuenselonline: While world over livestock population is experiencing an alarming increase to cater to as alarming an increase in demand for meat and diary products, Bhutan is headed the other way. That is quite befitting of the country’s emphasis and priority for environmental protection that draws its essence from its guiding philosophy of Gross National [...]

This is in continuation to our previous posting (Link: http://chimalaya.org/2011/11/05/working-group-on-indian-mountain-ecosystem-meets-suggestions-invited/ ) on requesting suggestions as sought by the ‘Working Group on Mountain Ecosystems and Challenges faced by the Mountain People’ which met on 28th October 2011. This Group has officially asked suggestions from the state governments of all 12 Indian Mountain state, while we are [...]

Deccan Herald: The government has earmarked Rs 15,000 crore more to make the river pollution free. Thousands of people took a holy dip in the Ganga river at Patna on the occasion of one of the most auspicious festival Chhath this year, but an equal number avoided the sacred river in the wake of reports [...]

University of Minnesota: Over the past 50 years, 60 percent of all ecosystem services have declined as a direct result of the conversion of land to the production of foods, fuels and fibers. This should come as no surprise, say seven of the world’s leading environmental scientists, who met to collectively study the pitfalls of [...]

Pabitra Mukhopadhyay: Writes about the history of Darjeeling town in Indian Himalayan region, its ethnicity, the administrative setup and various social, economic and ecological aspects. He talks about the fragile ecology and increasing demand for environmental resources due to  growing tourist influx and poorly planned urbanization. He feels that hill town like Darjeeling has unique [...]

WorldWatch: Scientists, policymakers, and community representatives from across South Asia met earlier this month to discuss the many threats that climate change poses to the continent’s Greater Himalayan region. Across Nepal and Tibet, average temperatures have been up to six times warmer in the mountains than in the plains, triggering changes in regional weather patterns. [...]

WWF-Nepal: A five-year program to reduce the adverse impacts of climate change and threats to biodiversity in Nepal, was officially launched at a ceremony in Kathmandu on 8 Nov 2011. The Hariyo Ban program is a new investment in biodiversity conservation in Nepal, funded by the US Agency for International Development​ (USAID). The program will [...]

Brisbane Times: Time is running out for Kashmir’s premier tourist attraction, writes Ben Doherty, in Srinagar. Through the dawn mist, Dal Lake is beautiful. As the first shafts of sunlight break over the Himalayan foothills that hug the lake’s perimeter, the still waters are slowly brought alive by the silent ferrying of the shikaras back [...]

The minutes of First meeting of the Working Group on “Mountain Eco-systems and Challenges Faced by the People living in the Hilly Areas” for formulation of the 12th Five year Plan” is given below, that was held on 28 October 2011 at Yojana Bhavan in New Delhi. It was chaired by Shri B.K. Chaturvedi, Member, [...]

Following is a letter from one of the members of the ‘Working Group constituted by Planning Commission of India’ for the Mountains of India’s 12th Five Year Plan (2012-2017). It contains the brief about the working group and its terms of references. The  first meeting the working group is scheduled on 28th October 2011, so [...]

Mountain Partnership: Mountains are vital for sustainable development and human wellbeing. More than half of the earth’s population depends on fresh water coming from mountains. Mountains also provide a number of important global goods and key services which are under increasing pressure from globalization and climate change. Following the invitation of the Swiss Agency for [...]

Times of India: An environmental group is asking the Nepal government to consider installing portable toilets on Mount Everest for climbers caught short at the roof of the world. Eco Himal says the thousands of trekkers who set off from the South Base Camp in Nepal each year would do a better job of keeping [...]

IDSA: Institutions are often assessed on the basis of their response to crises. The unfolding flood crisis in Sindh draws attention to the state of institutional response to disasters in Pakistan. Ms. Maurvi Memon, a former PML-Q legislator, has alleged that the flood crisis in Sindh was manmade and that the Meteorological Department and Climate [...]

Kashmir Observer: Estimates of the magnitudes of past seismic events foretell a very shaky future for this pastoral Valley writes Dr Afroz Ahmad Shah. The earthquake studies in the state of Jammu of Kashmir, and primarily in the valley is still quite juvenile. Any kind of conclusion or opinion at this point of time will [...]

Vimal Khawas: Mountains form one of the most important bio-geographical resource zones of the world. They are remote areas covering 52 per cent of Asia, 36 percent of North America, 25 per cent of Europe, 22 per cent of South America, 17 per cent of Australia, and 3 per cent of Africa making up, in [...]

KashmirLife: Week the rains stopped just before the water could spill over the banks of  river Jhelum and flood Kashmir. But we are facing the danger of a devastating flood. Can Kashmir save itself? A Kashmir Life report. Given the behavior of the Jhelum river, hydrologists and engineers at the Irrigation and Flood Control would [...]

Guardian: Mission launched to measure change in Himalayas as anecdotal evidence grows of melting ice on mountain’s southern approach. Climbers and custodians of Everest say that rapid climate change could soon make for an ice-free ascent of the world’s tallest mountain. Their warning comes come amid a new international effort to gauge the effects of [...]

Guardian: Climate change is altering the face of the Himalayas but research seeking to confirm this is yet to catch up with the mountain communities sounding the alarm. After an 18-day trek with scientists, Suzanne Goldenberg finds the warning signs hard to ignore. The climb to Everest base camp is a journey into a monochrome [...]

The NewYork Times: At 79, he is the last man living among the 103 guides who accompanied the famous mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary on the first successful 1953 expedition to Everest. Come peak tourist season in this ancient village of Internet cafes, Nepali crafts and gear shops that serves as the gateway to Mount Everest [...]

The National Geographic: The following is edited from several recent posts from the Imja Lake Expedition team at The Mountain Institute. Follow the full series at http://www.mountain.org/blog/. Glaciers Are Melting, and We’re Taking Action! The mountain world is changing faster than any of us could have imagined: these changes threaten all of us who live [...]

Guardian UK: Nepal wants to lift itself out of poverty by expanding its tourism industry but there is no strategy for waste disposal. There’s nothing like waking up to bright clear skies with spectacular views of the Lhotse and Amu Dablam ranges – and a rubbish dump. This heap of beer cans, mineral water bottles [...]

KerlaNext: You reach the banks of the historic Indus River, envisioning crystal clear waters and idyllic surroundings. But heaps of garbage, plastic bottles and remnants of food packets welcome you instead – it’s a sign of growing tourism in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir. ‘I have been working here for five years. I [...]

IPS: Years of poor policies and neglect are taking a toll on Kashmir’s unmatched ecological assets, that also happen to be international tourist attractions. Typical of damaging policy inconsistencies is the case of the Wullar lake – once regarded as Asia’s largest freshwater body – that has shrunk in size from its original 204 sq [...]

Pabitra Mukhopadhyay: For a young man or lady from the hills of Himalaya, it does not matter profoundly how unique their home is. Life draws them into the more immediate concerns of need, and I understand that there are many of those – basic infrastructure, healthcare, education and a much sought after peace from the [...]

The Hindu: Challenges include retreating glaciers, formation of huge glacial lakes, less snow, more rock It was in 1985 that Apa Sherpa, who scaled Mount Everest for the 21st time in May 2011, came face to face with climate change. His entire village Thame was washed away in a massive glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) [...]

NepaliTimes: Nepal’s need to generate hydropower must not destroy the potential of its rivers for adventure tourism. Durga Shrestha of Sakhuwa village is worried. There is talk of a new hydropower project on the Bhote Kosi and he is concerned his adventure tourism job will go. The 102MW Middle Bhote Kosi project is a subsidiary [...]

M & C News: A prominent Tibetan writer on Tuesday appealed for better environmental and cultural protection of Asia’s holiest peak, Mount Kailash, from rapidly developing commercial tourism. ‘I think the current tourism model has destroyed Tibet, destroyed the environment,’ Tsering Woeser told the German Press Agency dpa by telephone. ‘There are two problems: mining [...]

PTI: International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, promotes sustainable livelihood of the people living in mountainous areas and the extended Himalayan Region. Current status of major activities is: (a) Linking natural resource management to local livelihoods Enhancing Livelihoods and Reducing Poverty of Mountain People by Linking High Value Products and Services (HVPS) to Value Chain [...]

Express Travel World: Governments, local communities and the tourism trade are part of one vicious circle that surrounds the lifeline of India’s national parks. While it is impossible to put the entire responsibility on a single entity, it is necessary to be accountable for the loopholes that have lead to India trailing on its path [...]

TheTibetPost: This is part two in a series of three articles called Cleaning Up Dharamshala – When Garbage Builds Bridges. In the spirit of World Environment Day on June 5, The Tibet Post International explores the pioneering waste management projects taking place in His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s town of residence, McLeod Ganj. For a [...]

IBN Live: The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has issued new guidelines for eco-tourism projects located in forest areas with the overall objective of preservation and management of evergreen forests. The Union Environment Ministry had issued the directive to the states to prepare and sent the new set of policy guidelines based on [...]

PTI: Geodynamically active and ecologically sensitive Himalaya; apart from having the inherent environmental problems of natural occurrence such as, earthquakes, landslides, soil erosion and flash floods; is confronted with a range of other problems of anthropogenic origin. They include: accelerated soil erosion, rain water runoff, increasing incidence of landslides, siltation and pollution of water bodies, [...]

MydigitalFC.Com: Last week, the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) published on their website a draft before issuing the final guidelines for eco-tourism in and around protected areas. These guidelines have mainly two objectives: Provide alternative livelihood opportunities for local communities and have low-impact tourism that protects the ecological integrity of wilderness areas, secures wildlife [...]