Himalaya

By Autumn Jones

The climate differs between each

side of the Himalayan Mountains.
Rain, snow, and sleet are forms of
precipitation year round.
The land mass is 420,500 square
miles.
Located across five different
countries.
Latitude: 27 degrees North
Longitude: 86 degrees East
Since its a mountain range, the
elevation can go from 1,000 feet
above sea level to more than
29,000 feet.

http://kritikaltech.com/himalaya-worldmap/

Biome in Detail

This mountain range spans

across five countries. It reaches
northern Pakistan, Nepal,
Bhutan and the northwestern
and northeastern parts of
India. The exact latitude is 27
degrees 59' 17'' North. The
exact longitude is 86 degrees
55' 31'' East.
Because of the change in
elevation, the ecosystems are
diverse. They can range from
alluvial grasslands to
subtropical broadleaf forests to
alpine meadows.
As one goes up the mountain,
one will travel through many
biomes. The climate on one side
of the mountain is different than
the other side. The climate is
harsh year round. In the winter
it is usually always snowing
with very icy temperatures. In
the summer conditions milder,
but it still tends to snow
regularly.

Because of the climate,

the weather conditions are
sudden. There can be
floods, monsoons
snowstorms, high winds, as
well as other types of
precipitation.
The land mass is 420,500
square miles. Of that, only
115 miles is vegetation.
The mountains in general
go from northern India in
the plains, which are about
1,000 feet above sea level,
to Mount Everest at 29,028
feet above sea level.

www.zonehimalaya.net

Human Impacts
Over 750 million people currently live in the
Himalayas. As the population grows, forests are
being cleared to make room for farmland. The trees
are cleared in a process called logging, which is
cutting down trees to use as timber. Legal as well
as illegal logging takes place in all parts of the area.
This can lead to extreme erosion, destroying
Forests cover almost 10, 000 square
habitats (Conservation International).
feet of the Himalayas.

The total medicinal plant family,

genera and species in different plants.

The Himalayas has great variety of plants, in

fact 25% of Indias medicinal plants are found
there (K. Biswas). The plants in the meadows of
the mountains are often used for traditional
medicine. This damages the plants, as well as
has an effect on the biodiversity of the areas.
Those who take these important medicinal
plants almost always uproot the whole plant.
This makes regrowth either stunted or not
possible (Conservation International).

Poaching is one of the largest and worst

problems caused by humans in the Himalayas.
This is the illegal hunting of any animal for
money. Rhino, bears, tigers, and deer are some
of the most common animals that die from this
cruel activity. People often sell the animals fur,
bones, or parts of the animal that could be used
for medicine, such as glands.

Himalayan salt mines began in the

early 21st century.

Rhinos are killed for their horns which

can be sold for thousands of dollars.

Since there are huge amounts of mineral

resources, mining has been taking place for
hundreds of years. This affects the environment
by exposing chemicals, causing erosion, and
resulting in a loss of habitat. Thankfully, the
regions of Nepal & Bhutan in the Himalayas, is
kept at a minimum because of the cost. They also
mine less because they care about the
environment enough to try to protect it
(Greenpeace).

Plants
There are about 10,000 different species
of plants that grow in the Himalaya. There
are 5 families of plants that are native to
the Himalayan region, the
Tetracentraceae, Hamamelidaceae,
Circaesteraceae, Butomaceae, and
Stachyuraceae. A lot of the plants are
small perennial groundcover plants,
meaning they grow year-round. They
grow as well as reproduce slowly. To
protect themselves from the freezing
temperatures and wind, the plants often
grow close to the ground.

The rhododendron (Rhododendron

maximum) is a plant with very high
species diversity, especially in the
Himalayas.

Fish
There are three key drainage systems in
which fish come from in the Himalayas. The
Ganges, Indus, and Brahmaputra rivers are
where the fish species live. These creatures
have to adapt to the chilly waters that
result from melting glaciers. They tend to
move into deeper waters to try to protect
from the cold (Caltech).Because of such
cold water temperatures, only 30 of the
over 270 species are native to the area.

Reptiles

There are 47 different species

of roach trout (Rutilus
rutilus) that swim through the
waters.

A lot of research has not been done on

reptiles in the Himalayan area. However,
about 175 different species have been
found to live in the region (Conservation
International). Snakes, lizards, and
crocodiles are among these reptiles. In
frigid temperatures, reptiles are known
to hibernate or hide deep underground
(Sharad Singh Negi).
The monocled cobra (Naja
kaouthia) is a very common
species in the Himalayas.

Mammals
There are about 300 different species
of mammals that live in the area,
although only about 12 are native. Of
those 12, four are endangered. To try
to prevent extinction, there are
protected areas in the Himalayas
(Conservation International).

The sloth bear (Ursus ursinus)

lives mainly in the lowlands of
the area.

Birds

The lammergeyer (Gypaetus

barbatus), or bearded vulture
soar at high altitudes all around
the mountains (Laxmi Raj
Joshi).

Birds in the area use migration to their

advantage in the colder months. They
also keep warm because of their
feathers (Caltech). This hotspot is
home to some of Asia's largest birds,
but many are threatened by human
activities. For example, there has been
a lack of trees to nest in and low
sources of food.

Amphibians
Most of the amphibians found in the
Himalayas are frogs and toads. There
are a little over 100 species, 40 of
which are native to the area. Like
reptiles, amphibians adapt to the cold
Alpine biome by hibernating (Caltech).
The amphibians tend to live in low
places, but some can live at elevations
more than 3,000 feet high.

A species of flying frog

(Rhacophorus suffry) was
discovered in the Himalayas in
2007.

Conservation
Actions

The Great Himalayan National Park

lets animals roam freely.

Ever since the 1920s, wildlife

sanctuaries have been made as
protected areas in the Himalayas. In
fact, over 20 national parks have been
made in Nepal alone. These areas keep
important mammals, like elephants
and tigers safe from danger caused by
humans.

Grants have been giving to help

conserve the Himalaya biome. A grant
is amount of money given by the
government or other organizations to
fund education or research. The grants
help to create and manage national
parks and to educate the
community.In2005, over $3 million
were given in order to preserve the
growing biodiversity in the Himalayas.

Inhabitants take advantage of the

resources in their ecosystem.

The World Wildlife Fund launched a

campaign in 2009 called Climate for
Life. This project was meant to bring
awareness about climate change in the
Himalayas. As it was a non-profit
organization, they organized events
and asked for volunteers. It was an
eight month campaign.

Those who live in the Himalayas are

working to help their community by
performing small-scale farming and
managing the environment. They
depend on the resources they have,
available to them and serve to protect
them. Freshwater and agriculture are
important to the people of the
Himalayas.

Future
Outcomes

In the entire hotspot, 15% is

under some form of protection.
This protection has to be kept up
in the future by continually
adding national parks or wildlife
sanctuaries. With the
biodiversity being so high,
animals and plants are equally
threatened (Conservation
International).
The protected area of the
Himalayas needs to expand in a
way that protects biodiversity
over many, many years Natural
resources must continue to be
sustainable and the way people
meet the basic needs of life
should be protected (Judith
Curry).

The snowy mountains are

threatened over being too heavily
mined.

Vocabulary
Alpine- of or relating to
high mountains
Biodiversity- range
of organisms in an
environment

Elevation- height
above a given point

Sustainable- able to
be taken care of

Erosion- condition in which the

earth's surface is worn away by
the action of water and wind

Sanctuary- a place
where wildlife is
protected

Works Cited
Curry, Judith. "Himalayan Melt impacts." Climate Etc.
N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Jan. 2014.
<http://judithcurry.com/2013/08/07/himalayan-meltimpacts/>.
"Warm and Cold Blooded Animals." Warm and Cold
Blooded Animals. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Jan. 2014.
<http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/image_galleries/ir_
zoo/coldwarm.html>.
Negi, Sharad Singh. Himalayan Wildlife, Habitat and
Conservation. New Delhi: Indus Pub., 1992. Print.
Himalaya. Biodiversityhotspots.org. 17 March 2009
<http://www.biodiversityhotspots.org/xp/hotspots/hi
malaya/Pages/default.aspx>.
Zurick, David. "Himalaya." World Book Student. 19
March 2009
<http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=
ar257040>.
World Atlas. Rand Mackinly and Company 1999 Revised
Edition
T, Patrick. "Himalayan Alpine Biome." Himalayan Alpine
Biome. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Jan. 2014.
<http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/himalayanalpine.ht
m>.
" Himalaya." Overview. 2013 CONSERVATION
INTERNATIONAL, n.d. Web. 07 Jan. 2014.
<http://www.conservation.org/WHERE/PRIORITY_ARE
AS/HOTSPOTS/ASIAPACIFIC/HIMALAYA/Pages/impacts.aspx>.

Pictures
http://www.wired.com/images_blo
gs/wiredscience/2011/01/himalay
as-karakoram-glacier-flickr.jpg
http://www.mrwallpaper.com/wal
lpapers/himalaya-sunset.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/dj4D_5CqqsU/UZrAR49J1xI/AAAA
AAAAA4g/5516y7uaW5k/s1600/
Winter+Desktop+Wallpaper+Himal
aya+Mountain+Fresh.jpg
seriouslyfish.com
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px
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hillpost.in
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www.greathimalayannationalpark.c
om