Environmental and ecological crisis in the eastern Himalayan Landscapes in India: A photo essay

The Eastern Himalayas in India demonstrate vast ecological diversity in its varied range of flora and fauna. The local communities also form an integral part of the ecological landscape, deriving various services from the forest and mountain ecosystems. Recently, however, due to severe anthropogenic pressure and unplanned developmental activities, the Eastern Himalayans have displayed signs of rapid habitat destruction. Climate change, too, has a considerable impact on the local communities in the Eastern Himalayas. This photo essay aims to discuss the nature of the challenges in the Eastern Himalayas which pose a palpable threat to the local ecology and environment, and to establish how a more sustainable approach is necessary to salvage this ecologically unique region. The photographs demonstrate the diversity of the Eastern Himalayan region and how different factors, natural and anthropogenic, play together to affect the natural landscape. Bringing local communities into protected area management will also have a significantly positive impact on sustainable biodiversity conservation in the trans-boundary Himalayan landscapes.