Himalayan Forests in a Changing World, Volume 2 Climate Impacts, Biodiversity and Human Interactions

About this book

This second volume on Himalayan forests provides critical insights into Himalayan forests' response to the dual pressures of anthropogenic and natural stressors during the unprecedented environmental change. It examines forest reactions to physical disturbances, climatic shifts and the extreme temperature regimes that characterise treelines, thus predicting ecosystem responses under changing conditions. Through detailed analyses of treeline dynamics, fire ecology and wildlife distributions, this volume demonstrates forest ecosystem resilience and vulnerability to environmental stressors and provides insights into the interaction of biotic and abiotic factors. A distinctive focus on human-forest relationships examines both direct benefits and ecosystem service flows that sustain Himalayan communities. From livelihood transitions and shifting cultivation practices to silvicultural approaches, this volume bridges ecological science with practical applications. Coverage of chronic disturbance patterns and forest recovery trajectories provides frameworks for understanding long-term ecosystem dynamics.

This volume is a reference for conservation practitioners, climate researchers and forest managers. It addresses contemporary challenges in mountain ecosystems.

Contents

Chapter 1. Ecology of Himalayan Treeline
Chapter 2. Treeline Shifts in Himalaya: A Meta-Analytical Perspective
Chapter 3. Climate Change and Forests in the Himalayas
Chapter 4. Forest Fire Ecology
Chapter 5. Large-scale Gradients in Himalayan Bird Diversity and the Role of Biogeography, Evolution and Anthropogenic Influences
Chapter 6. Dynamics of Megafauna in the Himalayan Forest Ecosystem
Chapter 7. Forests, fields and futures: Livelihood transitions in the Himalayas
Chapter 8. Farming the forest or foresting the farm? Shifting cultivation in the highlands of North-East India
Chapter 9. Chronic disturbance in Himalayan Forests - from Degradation to Forest recovery
Chapter 10. Silvicultural and Himlayan Forests
Chapter 11. Sustaining Humans: Himalayan Forests and Ecosystem Services

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Biography

Dr S. P. Singh is easily among the top Himalayan ecologists. His research systems range from a leaf blade to inherently fragile and disaster-prone Himalayan landscapes and regions. He, along with his associates have studied almost all dimensions of the Himalayan forest ecosystems, including biomass and productivity, nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, phenology, tree water relations, forest fire adaptation, and ecosystem services. He is widely known for his research on the pine and oak forest ecosystems. Coordinating a team of researchers, he has recently added critical knowledge on the Himalayan treelines. He developed the concept of incorporating Himalayan ecosystem services in national accounting at the country level. National academies, such as the Indian National Science Academy (INSA), have acknowledged Prof. Singh's work by recognising him as their Fellow. He has published ~250 research articles, supervised 35 doctoral students, and coauthored a major book on the ecology of Himalayan forests way back in 1992. He held several major positions, such as Vice Chancellor of Garhwal University and advisor, Planning Commission.

Dr Rajesh Thadani works on regeneration ecology, impacts of chronic disturbance, and ecosystem services emanating from Himalayan forests. He has an MF and PhD in Forest ecology and physiology from the Yale School of the Environment and is particularly interested in the oak-pine forests of the central Himalayas. He is the Founder Executive Director, and currently a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Ecology Development and Research (CEDAR), a research and advocacy organisation, and Chair of Himmotthan and North East Initiative Development Agency (NEIDA), which together promote sustainable rural livelihoods in over 2,000 villages across the Indian Himalayas from Ladakh in the west to Arunachal in the east. He helped establish and is the Chair of Kumaon Grameen Udyog, a Himalayan social enterprise, and is the President of Jai Hind College in Mumbai.