Himalayan plunder: Ecology changing for the worse due to loss of forest cover, drying springs

Himalayan plunder: Ecology changing for the worse due to loss of forest cover, drying springs

Subject : Environment

Section: Ecosystem

Context: Whether caused by natural forces or due to human activities, land subsidence, landslides, soil erosion, drying springs and changing river courses have relegated the Himalayan ecology from being pristine to perishing and deforestation and drying up of springs appear to be the major contributors to these natural hazards.

More on the News:

• A decline of 902 square kilometres in forest cover was recorded in hill districts of the country as compared to 2019, found the State of Forest Report, 2021. The loss is much more pronounced in the Himalayan states that reported an overall loss of 1,072 sq km of forest cover.
• Western Himalayas’ dense forest cover will decrease from 61 per cent in 2000 to 16.8 per cent in 2100; and in eastern Himalayas from 2 per cent in 2000 to 38.7 per cent in 2100, said the study.
• Unplanned urbanization, commercial timber extraction, capitalistic development projects, mining and quarrying were identified as the troublesome forces of modern development.
• One such grievous impact of deforestation is soil erosion. In the Himalayan region, the impact of soil erosion can be felt differently in the western and eastern parts.
• Due to higher rainfall in the northeastern hills as compared to the northwestern hills the former is more vulnerable to soil erosion—22.3 per cent of the area as compared to 12.6 per cent of the area respectively.
• The other trend changing the Himalayan ecology is the drying of springs. The Indian Himalayan region is home to three million of the five million springs across the country. And even those are under threat.
• Any change in spring hydrology has clear ramifications on river hydrology, whether in the headwater regions, where springs manifest themselves as sources of rivers or in the lower-reach plains of river systems where they contribute almost invisibly as base flows to river channels.
• Depletion has meant disturbances in the water security inside forests and national parks and their fringe areas as well.
• Therefore, a changed Himalayan landscape caused by human activities and warming means transformed natural ecosystems through biological invasions and reduced native biodiversity.

Carrying capacity

Carrying capacity is the maximum number, density, or biomass of a population that a specific area can support sustainably. This likely varies over time and depends on environmental factors, resources, and the presence of predators, disease agents, and competitors over time.