Negative Impacts
Despite its apparent remoteness and inaccessability, the Himalayas have not been spared human-induced biodiversity loss. People have immigrated to the Himalayas for biodiversity and productive ecosystems. The steadily increasing population in the hotspot has led to extensive clearing of forests and grasslands for cultivation, and widespread logging. Both legal and illegal logging often occurs on extremely steep slopes, resulting in severe erosion. Although logging has a general limit on slopes exposed to monsoons, people farm crops such as barley, potato and buckwheat at high elevations in the inner valleys and transmontane regions, and in some areas, such as Jumla, Kashmir, Lahoul, and Ladakh, there are major agriculturally based population centers well above this elevation. The land is also often cleared in the summer months for livestock; the use of fire to clear land poses an additional threat to forest land, as fires sometimes spread out of control. The conversion of forests and grasslands for agriculture and settlements has led to large-scale deforestation and habitat fragmentation in Nepal, and in the Indian States of Sikkim, Darjeeling, and Assam. The Himalayan biome is ever growing more polluted, due to the growing popularity of climbing the mountains. When people go up, all their supplies are left on the mountain because it takes too much energy to bring it down again. If someone dies, their body is left on the mountain. Poaching is also a big problem in the Himalayas, which was described with all of the endangered species.
Positive Impacts
-Terracing is an example of a positive human impact and helps to both minimize damaging erosion and slow down the speed of water run-off so that it may be sucked up by the soil and nurture crops.
-Endangered Species Act has also help the region much like any other biome in the world.
-Creation of the National Parks, for example, Jim Corbett National Park, Namdhpha National Park, or Kaziranga National Park.
-Many of the largest projects target communities living in and around forested areas, with the idea that decreasing poverty and increasing awareness and ownership over resources will result in greater biodiversity conservation.
-No laws besides Endangered Species Act but there are organizations that help to protect various aspects of the Himalayas, for example, Indian Rhino Vision 2020 and The Bhutan Biological Conservation Complex.
-Endangered Species Act has also help the region much like any other biome in the world.
-Creation of the National Parks, for example, Jim Corbett National Park, Namdhpha National Park, or Kaziranga National Park.
-Many of the largest projects target communities living in and around forested areas, with the idea that decreasing poverty and increasing awareness and ownership over resources will result in greater biodiversity conservation.
-No laws besides Endangered Species Act but there are organizations that help to protect various aspects of the Himalayas, for example, Indian Rhino Vision 2020 and The Bhutan Biological Conservation Complex.