Himalayan environment conference in Shimla

SHIMLA - Scores of environmentalists and conservationists came together to discuss the challenges faced by the Himalayas here on Monday.

Over 200 delegates from India, Nepal and Malaysia are participating in a three-day conference.

Jointly organised by the Institute of Integrated Himalayan Studies and Himalayan Mountain Forum, the meet is a follow-up of the Himalayan Chief Ministers conclave which was hosted at Shimla in October last year.

Vandana Shiva, an expert on environmental issues urged the Himalayan nations to come together and conserve the Himalayas.

She also said that the academic research conducted in the universities along with the knowledge of the Himalayan communities should be integrated to save the mighty Himalayas.

“Many, many reasons why the Himalayan regions need to come together. Firstly, the Himalayas is not a broken system. It is not that the Himalayas stops and Himachal stops. It carries on to Uttarakhand, it carries on to Jammu and Kashmir, so we need to see it in its integrity and we need to defend that integrity. But the other part of it is the Himalayan communities have such a distinctive culture. They are the true environmentalists of our times,” she said.

“The Himalayan communities have been conservationist communities and it is time to integrate research that happens in universities with the knowledge of the people in the community,” she added.

S P Bansal, Director of the Institute of Integrated Himalayan Studies (IIHS), Himachal Pradesh said a committee would be constituted to make Himachal a ‘Green State’.

“Already our Chief Minister has announced that in Himachal we are going to establish a very important committee, which will look after… to make Himachal as a Green State. And in this direction we will discuss the various issues…” Bansal added. (ANI)