Where worlds collide

I had been in Nepal last week and got opportunity to meet my old friend Tariq who is the leader of WWF-Eastern Himalaya Conservation Project stationed at Nepal. He gave me a brouchure which was worth reading and to know the potential of this lesser known and difficult landscape including North Eastern Indian Part. The most important part of the reading material is the compilation of the almost 300 new species and their relevant references as annexure. The PDF version of the brochure is available on net, the link of the same is mentioned below. Small pieces of excerpts have also been shared.

At least 353 new species have beendiscovered in the Eastern Himalayasbetween 1998 and 2008, equating toan average of 35 new species findsevery year for the last 10 years. Thediscoveries include 242 plants, 16amphibians, 16 reptiles, 14 fish, 2birds and 2 mammals, and at least 61new invertebrates.

The Eastern Himalayas is at the crossroads of two continental platesrepresented by the lowland Indo-Malayan Realm and to the north, the elevatedPalearctic Realm. The meeting of these worlds has created one of thebiologically richest areas on Earth. Spanning Bhutan, the north-eastern Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, North Bengaland Sikkim, the far north of Myanmar (Burma), Nepal and Tibet, the region includes four ofthe Global 200 ecoregions, critical landscapes of international biological importance. TheHimalayas are home to an estimated 10,000 plant species, 300 mammal species, 977 birdspecies, 176 reptiles, 105 amphibians and 269 freshwater fish. The region also has the highestdensity of the Bengal tiger and is the last bastion for the charismatic greater one-horned rhino.Even today the rugged, and largely inaccessible landscape of the Eastern Himalayas, hides thereal extent of the region’s biodiversity, with extraordinary new species continuing to bediscovered year-on-year. Between 1998 and 2008, at least 353 new species have beendiscovered in the Eastern Himalayas, 35 new species finds on average every year for the last10 years .The extent of the new species finds place the Eastern Himalayas on a par with more wellknownbiological hotspots such as Borneo.This report celebrates these unique and fascinating species discoveries. It also highlights themany vital habitats that face growing pressures as a consequence of unsustainabledevelopment in the region. Despite protection efforts, in the last half-century, this area ofSouth Asia has faced a wave of pressures as a result of population growth and the increasingdemand for commodities by global and regional markets. The host of threats include forestdestruction as a result of unsustainable and illegal logging, agriculture, unsustainable fuelwood collection, overgrazing by domestic livestock, illegal poaching and wildlife trade,mining, pollution, hydropower development, and poorly planned infrastructure. The region isalso among the most vulnerable to global climate change, which will amplify the impacts ofthese threats.Only 25% of the original habitats in the region remain intact. For the unique species of theEastern Himalayas, this means that today 163 are considered globally threatened.

No mountain range on Earth can match the awe-inspiring Himalayas. Hometo all of the world’s highest peaks, many standing above 8,000m, they includethe tallest, the formidable Sagarmatha (Mount Everest) at 8,848m. Their storyis one of fascination and intrigue, which continues to captivate the world.The 3,000km-long Himalayan mountain range, “abode of snow” in Sanskrit, was born from amassive tectonic collision 40-50 million years ago. The energy dissipated by the monumentalmeeting of India and Eurasia was far-reaching and shaped many of Asia’s most distinctivegeographical features, including the formation of the Tibetan Plateau; the highest on Earth.Even today, the relentless movement of the plates continues to push the Himalayas furtherskyward.The Eastern Himalayas spanning Bhutan, the north-eastern Indian states of ArunachalPradesh, Assam, North Bengal and Sikkim, the far north of Myanmar (Burma), Nepal andTibet forms a wall that separates the lowlands of the Indian subcontinent from the high, dryTibetan Plateau. Climatic variability and altitudinal gradation have forged the region intoAsia’s land of contrasts, encompassing some of nature’s most magnificent spaces, from theworld’s highest mountains and several of the world’s deepest gorges, to subtropical jungles,temperate forests, tall grasslands, savannas and rich alpine meadows.A myriad of cultures and faiths including Buddhists, Hindus, Christians and animists, havelived closely with the natural environments of the Eastern Himalayas for millennia. Many ofthese communities live in isolation; their customs, lifestyles and livelihoods have been shapedby their environment, and they remain deeply dependent on the resources nature provides.Where worlds collideA global biodiversity hotspot1, the Eastern Himalayas is one of the biologically richest areason Earth. Because the region sits at the biogeographical crossroads of two continental plates,it contains an incredible wealth of biodiversity from both worlds. The Indo-Malayan Realmin the lowlands of the Eastern Himalayas is home to Asian elephants, clouded leopards, wildwater buffalo, gaur, hornbills, cobras and geckos. The elevated Palearctic Realm to the northincludes the snow leopard, red pandas, black bears, wolf, golden langurs and a diverseassemblage of alpine ungulates, like takins.The Eastern Himalayas hotspot2 includes four Global 200 ecoregions3, critical landscapes ofinternational biological importance, four World Heritage sites, two Endemic Bird Areas4, andseveral global centres for plant diversity5. The Himalayas harbour a staggering 10,000 plantspecies, from tropical to temperate, from alpine to tundra; 300 mammal species, 977 birdspecies, 176 reptiles, 105 amphibians and 269 types of freshwater fish6. A third of all plantsand reptiles are endemicI, as are 40% of all amphibians7.The world’s northernmost tropical rainforests can be found in the Eastern Himalayas8 andnearly half of the flowering plants9 and bird species known from India10. The plant life ofArunachal Pradesh is considered among the most diverse in the world, ranking second only toSumatra in Indonesia and greater than Borneo, Brazil and Papua New Guinea11.Importantly, the region comprises 17 landscapes for the Bengal tiger12, Asia’s largestcarnivore, with the densest population of Bengal tigers in the world. The Eastern Himalayasare also the last bastion for the charismatic greater one-horned rhino, which once enjoyed arange spanning the entire length of the Himalaya foothills, from Pakistan to Myanmar13 butare now restricted to a few corners of India, Bhutan and Nepal.People and wildlife form a rich mosaic of life stretching across a remarkable and unparalleled.

(Source:http://www.worldwildlife.org/what/wherewework/easternhimalayas/WWFBinaryitem13235.pdf