1st Sagarmatha Sambaad in Nepal

Context

Union Minister for Environment addressed the first Sagarmatha Sambaad in Nepal, imparting a 5-point international action plan to protect fragile mountain ecosystems, with a focal point on the Himalayas.

Key Highlights From the Address

• “Sagarmatha”, which means ‘Head of the Sky’, symbolizes each the majesty and duty of protective mountain ecosystems. Sambaad (dialogue) is named after the world’s tallest mountain Sagarmatha (Mt. Everst).
• He emphasized the shared cultural and ecological bonds between India and its Himalayan neighbours.
• South Asia houses 25% of the global populace, contributing only 4% to historic CO₂ emissions. Yet, growing countries like India undergo disproportionate influences of climate trade.
• He called for transboundary cooperation under the International Big Cats Alliance for species like snow leopards, tigers, and leopards & also reiterated India’s development under Project Snow Leopard.

Five-Point Global Action Plan Proposed by way of India

• Enhanced Scientific Cooperation: Strengthening research collaboration, and monitoring cryospheric modifications, hydrological cycles, and biodiversity.
• Building Climate Resilience: Investing in climate model measures, early warning structures for disasters like Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), and weather-resilient infrastructure in mountain regions.
• Empowering Mountain Communities: Ensuring that the welfare, needs and aspirations of regional groups are at the heart of policy-making and their benefit from efficient livelihoods and sustainable tourism. Their traditional information is a useful resource.
• Providing Green Finance: Making available adequate and predictable climate finance as according to the UNFCCC and its Paris Agreement for mountain Nations to implement model and mitigation techniques effectively.
• Recognizing Mountain Perspectives: Ensuring that the precise vulnerabilities and contributions of mountain ecosystems are certainly featured in international weather negotiations and sustainable development agendas.

Importance of Himalayas

• Climate Regulator: The Himalayas act as a barrier in opposition to cold Central Asian winds and affect the Indian monsoon, ensuring rainfall throughout northern plains.
• Water Source: They are the beginning of major rivers like the Ganga, Indus, and Brahmaputra, helping water and food security for over 1000000000 people.
• Biodiversity Hotspot: Home to numerous flora and fauna, which include endangered species like the snow leopard and red panda.
• Cultural Significance: Sacred in Hinduism and Buddhism, the place hosts many pilgrimage sites like Amarnath, Badrinath, and Kailash Mansarovar.
• Strategic Importance: Serving as a natural frontier with China, Nepal, and Bhutan, the Himalayas are essential to India’s national security.

Initiatives Taken to Protect Himalayas

• National Mission on Sustaining Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE): Part of India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), it focuses on sustainable development, glacier monitoring, and biodiversity conservation in the Himalayan region.
• Secure Himalaya Project: Launched with UNDP help, it promotes conservation of high-altitude biodiversity and supports sustainable livelihoods in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Ladakh
• Project Snow Leopard: Aims to protect snow leopards and their habitat by community-based conservation and scientific studies in 5 Himalayan states.
• International Big Cats Alliance (IBCA): India-led initiative to foster international cooperation in protecting big cats like snow leopards and tigers throughout transboundary Himalayan regions.

Source: The DD News

UPSC Mains Practice Question

Q. Bring out the causes for more frequent landslides in the Himalayas than in Western Ghats. (2013)

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