Indigenous Knowledge Must Be Integrated With Broader Plan For Holistic Conservation of the Himalayas

A few years ago, I had trekked to the Annapurna Base Camp. The trek was hard, the experience spectacular, and the memories linger on. The young man who had supported me had to literally drag me along some difficult paths. On our way back, we sat around campfire in Chhomrong, quietly enjoying the “end of the harsh trek”, when the lodge owner joined to tell us stories that stay with me even today.

He shared with us the story of a young man he knew, who had killed a swan among a pair that was swimming in a glacial lake near the Annapurna Base Camp. He said, the man had to face severe adversities and misfortune after the incident.

Similarly, he said, the mountains behaved strange when a foreign team carried animal body up to the basecamp for funeral ritual, after the death of their high-profile expeditioner. The weather which had been crystal clear earlier, changed immediately, and all was dark and stormy, till the animal body was carried down, and apology prayers were offered to calm the mountains. “The mountains know; they see. And we can feel their spirit,” he said. The Annapurna is considered “Goddess of Food and Nourishment”, by the locals. Similarly, the Everest, or Sagarmatha is “Mother of the Sky” in Nepali, and Chomolungma “Holy Mother” in Tibetan.

If we observe, the mountains seem to act as the hearts of the planet.

Just as blood flows through our bodies carrying nutrients and collecting waste, so do the rivers and water bodies for the Earth and in the end reaching the oceans, to be distilled to form clouds, blown back again to the mountains to shower as snow and rain, which again melt to flow downhill to hydrate the planet and people.

Man has always understood the significance of the mountains, and has safeguarded them since very early times. However, industrialization, modernization, and continuous pursuit for financial gains of the 20^th and 21^st century, have led to relegation of nature to a backdrop, almost as an afterthought.

We now stand in the post-modern era of digital transformation, artificial intelligence, space travel, and endless possibilities through human made technologies. But somewhere during the last two centuries we have lost our deep connection and resonance with nature. With fast paced development and little consideration for nature, there have been repercussions, as we become the first generation to witness to significant degradation of nature and the quality of our lives. And the mountains are where the impacts are seen the most.

The Himalayas are home to the highest mountain peaks and they also account for the third biggest deposit of ice and snow in the world, after Antarctica and the Arctic. Glaciers in these mountains are sources to the largest perennial river systems in South Asia, namely Indus, Yangtze and the Brahmaputra-Ganga. Almost a billion people in South Asia depend on these rivers for livelihood.

Nepal and the Himalayas are synonymous. The Himalayan range extends 880 km across the northern part covering 15 percent of the total land area of the country. It is home to: 8 of the highest peaks in the world including Mt. Everest – the highest one, 14 peaks above 8,000 m, and 1,310 peaks above 6,000 m. These snowclad peaks release around 6,000 rivers and rivulets and the mountains are home to 3,255 glaciers and 2,323 glacial lakes. The extreme geography of Nepal ranging from the highest point to 60 m below sea level in Terai near the foothills, renders it one of the most abundant countries in terms of biodiversity.  It is also home to people with diverse heritage and exotic cultures.

The Sherpa, Rai, Limbu, Tamang, Jirel, Thakali, Magar, Gurung and other Himalayan communities who follow Buddhism, Shamanism, Bon or indigenous cultures live in the highest mountainous regions of Nepal. Hindus of Khas heritage are dominant in the mid-hills and valleys. A mixed heritage of Madhesis including regional population, Tharu and hill migrants live in the flatlands. The strong connection of the mountain communities with the Himalayas is reflected in their indomitable spirit and their exotic lifestyles.

A young mountain system with some of the highest peaks on earth, the Himalayan region is extremely sensitive to global and local environment conditions. The communities that live here have understood this and protected their mountains closely through indigenous knowledge, collected through centuries, adopting simple and sustainable lifestyle in harmony with nature.

The communities live in awe of their mountains, extremely reverent of the peaks that are considered sacred. To them the mountains signify life, any slight disregard of which could bring grave danger and misfortune.

Despite local alert, the Himalayas face intense threat with the risk of global warming and climate change looming large. Studies and research have continuously warned of melting glaciers and receding snowline through images, satellite data, and scientific research. The Khumbu region alone for instance, has recorded snow recede by as much as 30 m per year and almost 50 m vertically in the last 50 years. Research has established that 13 percent of glacial snow has melted in the Khumbu region since the 1950s. If the melting continues at the same rate, researchers and glaciologists believe that there will be no glaciers left in the region by 2100.

This paints a grim picture of the beautiful mountains losing snow to be transformed into bare rocks in less than a century. However, the implications don’t end there. With the continued melting and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF), dreadful changes are anticipated for communities living in the region and downstream further leading to shortage of fresh water, and dire changes in agriculture, hydropower, tourism and livelihood of the people.

As anticipated, natural calamities like avalanches and blizzards, landslides, flooding, unpredictable weather conditions, drying of rivers and water bodies, are already causing damage to life and property across the country. The weather crises have also affected the tourism industry, causing stress, delays and last-minute cancellations, and amplifying negative perception.

Expeditioners and trekkers, adventurer still love Nepal. Trekkers in Nepal, who are initially attracted by the beautiful landscape and geography, have often shared experiences of having been overwhelmed by the rich mountain culture and people. They visit for the mountains, and they revisit for the people. Communities along the trekking trails are some of the most friendly, generous, resilient, loyal and hospitable people in the world, with smiles ever on and infectious positive attitudes, despite their hard life in the Himalayas.

The communities add value to the trekking and tourism experience of visitors, no doubt. They also keep the momentum running in the mountains, while tourism creates market for the local produce and human resources. contributing to the local economy.

As the world grapples with the extreme inconveniences of global warming and climate change, conservation of the Himalayan heritage is one of the most pressing issues of our times. The world recognizes and top international and national institutions have monitored and continuously made us aware; the problems are real and shall persist till significant changes are made worldwide in terms of sustainable and responsible living.

The Himalayas are a global heritage. They play a vital role in the ecosystem of the world. Prioritization in safeguarding of the Himalayas and the Himalayan heritage is crucial. In safeguarding the mountains, the people and the planet, one of the major work that can be done is collecting and documenting indigenous knowledge. Modernization and migration, may have caused such knowledge to be considered “far-fetched” and “obsolete”; but such “intangible heritage” are of extreme value and we must preserve every bit of it. Integration of such knowledge with broader conservation plan would definitely lead to holistic approach to conservation.