This site uses cookies, as explained in our terms of use. If you consent, please close this message and continue to use this site.
The role and importance of cryosphere services in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) remain largely undefined and consequently unrecognized, despite the growing demand as pointed out in a recent review by researchers at ICIMOD. The review identifies various knowledge gaps in the cryosphere’s contributions to high-mountain communities, which are among the world’s most vulnerable societies.
1 min Read
The review brings the much needed discussion on cryosphere services and their importance to the spotlight. The high-mountain societies that live in the vicinity (within approximately 30 km) of glaciers, ice, snow, permafrost, and glacier lakes are often directly dependent on the cryosphere for their livelihoods and affected by cryosphere-related hazards.
The knowledge about the physical basis of cryospheric change in the HKH has greatly improved in recent years. However, very little is known about which social groups are most affected and how, and how politics and power influence societal responses to changes in the cryosphere.
“Any research on cryospheric changes in the HKH is only partially useful if the information about impacts on mountain communities as well as downstream users of cryosphere services does not exist,” said Anna Sinisalo, an author of the review.
One of the key messages of the study is the need to facilitate more dialogue among scientists, users of cryosphere services, and decision makers to achieve a deeper understanding about cryosphere services and their resilience. Such dialogues are important in formulating ways to address the needs of the different types of users and ensure the sustainability of cryosphere services in the HKH.
Read in detail: Contributions of the cryosphere to mountain communities in the Hindu Kush Himalaya: a review
Share
Stay up to date on what’s happening around the HKH with our most recent publications and find out how you can help by subscribing to our mailing list.
RELATED CONTENTS
On 3 August 2017, in the pre-dawn hours of 4:30 am, the community-based flood early warning systems (CBFEWS) at ...
In the aftermath of the Great Earthquake of 25 April that ripped through north-central Nepal, ICIMOD put together ...
ICIMOD, as a regional intergovernmental learning and knowledge sharing centre in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region, has taken various steps ...
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) has tried to build capacity to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest ...
Glaciers in the upper Indus supply more than half of the river water and are experiencing significant melting. There is ...
Responding to a request from the Ministry of Home Affairs, ICIMOD has deployed a task force made up of GIS ...
In 2018, the Department of Soil Conservation and Watershed Management (DSCWM) under Nepal’s Ministry of Forests and Environment listed Shardu ...
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development’s (ICIMOD) Strategic Committee Meeting of Upper Indus Basin (UIB) Network was held 17 ...