Man and Environment: the Central Himalayan case

Abstract

The effect of man as modifier of the mountain ecosystems and the way he himself is being affected by the modified ecosystem has been described in context of the Central Himalaya. The production in the agro-ecosystems is largely at the expense of the adjacent forest ecosystems. The forest management atleast in the past has not taken into account the considerations of protective role of forests. The results are that: (i) area under forest with adequate crown-density is negligible, (ii) forests over large areas have become even-aged and predominately of one or two shade-intolerant species, (iii) accelerated landslides have resulted in increased movements of silt and floods down stream. These forms of degradation have been intensified rather than checked by various "developmental activities".