The Himalayan Dilemma: Reconciling Development and Conservation

by Ives,Jack D.

• ISBN13: 9780415011570
• ISBN10: 0415011574
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1989-03-15
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

The Himalayas have experienced a population explosion which has stripped the mountain forests, causing erosion, landslides, and massive damage downstream in the Ganges plain . . . or so it is claimed by the dubious Theory of Himalayan Environmental Degradation. In this book, renowned authorities Jack D. Ives and Bruno Messerli dissect and dismember the theory, showing how its mistaken assumptions have misguided development policy and foreign aid for decades. They challenge received notions of the causes and effects of deforestation, and argue that mountain subsistence farmers, far from being a source of the region's problems, are in fact an integral part of the solution.

Table of Contents

The Theory of Himalayan Environmental Degradation: what is the nature of the perceived crisis?

The Himalayan Region: a geographical overview

When did Deforestation Occur? An historical perspective on Himalayan forestcover changes

Perceived Pressures on the Himalayan Forests and Their Role as Environmental Shield

Mountain Slope Instability: natural processes or human intervention?

The Himalayan-Lowland Interactive System: do land-use changes in the mountains affect the plains?

The Human Dimension: what are the facts?

Two Approaches to the Population Pressure - land productivity decline problem in the Himalaya

Crisis, Pseudo-crisis, or Supercrisis?

Research Strategy for the Himalayan Region

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.