National Mission For Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem - States and UTs covered under NMSHE

The National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) is one of eight missions outlined in the National Climate Change Action Plan (NAPCC). NMSHE was launched in June 2010 and formally approved by the Union Government in 2014. The NMSHE aims to facilitate the development of long-term policy measures. It aims to scientifically assess the Himalayan region’s vulnerability to climate change in all dimensions.

National Mission For Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE)

This topic of “National Mission For Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem” is important from the perspective of the UPSC IAS Examination. It falls under General Studies Paper 3 (Mains) and General Studies Paper 1 (Preliminary) of the UPSC Exam. 

In this article, we shall discuss the ‘National Mission For Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem.’ We shall learn about NMSHE, Its objectives, States, and UTs covered under NMSHE & More!

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Latest News About NMSHE

• According to a recent study, the Himalayan glaciers have lost ice ten times faster in the last few decades.
• The University of Leeds conducted a study on the rapid melting of Himalayan glaciers.
  • According to the study, the Himalayan glaciers have lost approximately 40% of their area in the last 400 to 700 years. It has shrunk from 28,000 square kilometers (km2) to approximately 19,600 km2.

What is the National Mission For Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem(NMSHE)?

The National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem is a multi-pronged, cross-sectoral mission. Apart from the polar areas, the Himalayas have the largest amounts of ice and snow on the planet. It supplies perennial rivers like the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra with fresh water. According to the NAPCC, the NMSHE has been established. NMSHE is one of the National Action Plan on Climate Change's eight missions (NAPCC).

National Mission For Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) is a national mission. It will focus on the rapid generation of four types of national capacities. They are concerned with the following:

• Institutional capabilities.
• Human and knowledge resources.
• Capacity for evidence-based policy development and governance.
• Continuous self-learning for balancing natural forces and human actions.

Know more about the Destruction of Ecosystems!

Objectives of the National Mission For Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE)

The National Mission For Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) has identified primary and secondary objectives, which are listed below:

Primary Objectives of NMSHE

The NMSHE mission’s most important and primary objectives are:

• To develop a long-term national capacity for monitoring the health of the Himalayan ecosystem.
• To help policy-making bodies in their policy-making functions.
• To help states in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) implement sustainable development actions.

These integrated objectives would include

• Scientific assessment of the Himalayan ecosystem’s vulnerability to short- and long-term weather and climate change in all its physical, biological, and sociocultural dimensions.
• Research for developing evidence-based policy measures to safeguard the delicate ecosystem of the Himalayas.
• Time-bound action programs at the state level in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR). This is to maintain ecological resilience and ensure the continued supply of key ecological services.

Secondary Objectives of NMSHE

The secondary objectives of the NMSHE identified within the overall primary objective are as follows:

• Create a network of academic institutions to study the Himalayan ecosystem.
• Create a database on the Himalayan ecosystem.
• Help Indian Himalayan states to sustain the Himalayan ecosystem.
• Evaluate policy alternatives for regional development plans.
• Study traditional knowledge systems for adaptation, mitigation, and coping strategies.
• Raise awareness among regional stakeholders.

Raising awareness among regional stakeholders about the importance of involving them in the design and implementation of the program.

Learn more about the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment!

Issues Addressed under NMSHE

The National Mission For Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) attempts to address the following serious concerns:

• Conservation and protection of Himalayan biodiversity.
• Himalayan Glaciers and their Hydrological Implications.
• Conservation & protection of wildlife in the Himalayan region.
• Planning for the sustainability of the Himalayan Ecosystem.
• Traditional knowledge societies and their livelihood.

Study the article on Montane Forest in India.

States and UTs covered under NMSHE

The National Mission to Sustain the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) covers the following eleven states and two UTs:

National Mission to Sustain the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE)

States

• Himachal Pradesh
• Uttarakhand
• Sikkim
• Assam
• Arunachal Pradesh
• Nagaland
• Manipur
• Mizoram
• Tripura
• Meghalaya
• West Bengal

UTs

• Jammu-Kashmir
• Ladakh

Learn more about the Grassland Ecosystem!

Controlling Ministries involved in NMSHE

The Ministry of Science and Technology has been designated the nodal agency for the National Mission to Sustain the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE).

However, the NMSHE mission requires the valuable cooperation of the Indian Himalayan States, the Planning Commission, and the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to achieve its goals.

Learn more about the Himalayan serow!

Initiatives and Activities under NMSHE

International Initiatives under the National Mission For Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) are as follows:

• Indo-Swiss Bilateral Cooperation
• Partnership with ICIMOD on Regional Cooperation in the Himalayan Ecosystem

Other Initiatives Initiatives under the National Mission For Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) are as follows:

• Inter-University Consortium on Cryosphere and Climate Change.
• Himalayan Sustainable Development Forum (HSDF).
• The study of South Lhonak Glacial Lake in terms of Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF).

Learn more about the Important Mountain Passes In India and Himalayas!

List of Institutions under NMSHE

The government designated the following agencies and institutions to work on Himalayan Ecosystem issues as part of the National Mission to Sustain the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE):

List of Institutions under NMSHE
Nodal Institution	Their Task Force
Govind Ballabh Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment	Forest Resources and Plant biodiversity
Wildlife Institute of India	Microflora and fauna, as well as wildlife life and Animal Population.
Jawaharlal Nehru University	Systems of Traditional Knowledge
National Institute of Hydrology	Water, ice, snow, resources, including glaciers.
Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology	Natural and geological riches

Learn more about the Secure Himalaya project!

NMSHE Deliverables

The National Mission For Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem is a one-of-a-kind mission. It should create self-sustaining knowledge networks. These should be capable of permanently contributing to national efforts to sustain a fragile Himalayan ecosystem. However, the deliverables of NMSHE are special. They will include:

• Identification and networking of all academic institutions in the Himalayan region for Himalayan ecosystem research.
• Creation of an observational network. This is for monitoring and forecasting changes in the Himalayan ecosystem.
• Establishment of a framework for regional cooperation with neighboring countries in the field of Himalayan glaciology.
• Annual Status Reports on the Health of Himalayan Ecosystem Subcomponents.
• Bi-annual Advisories to the Himalayan Sustainable Development Forum for Climate Change Action in the Indian Himalayan States.
• Conducting 25 capacity-building programs to connect innovations from traditional and modern knowledge systems.
• Creation of a synergistic mechanism with other NAPCC National Missions.

About Himalayan Ecosystem

• The Himalayan ecosystem is fragile, and it is home to a diverse range of wildlife and rainforests.
• The Himalayas are the world's highest and youngest fold mountain ranges.
• The Himalayan region supplies water and hydroelectric power to many Indian subcontinent.
• Many rivers originated and passed through the Himalayan region, including the Indus and its tributaries, as well as the Yamuna, the Ganga, the Kali, the Koshi, the Brahmaputra, and others.
• The Indian Himalayas cover an area of about 5 lakh km2, are home to over 51 million people practicing hill agriculture, and are vulnerable.
• The Himalayan region is one of the most seismically active in the world due to its young, fragile, and malleable geological structure caused by the ongoing Himalayan upliftment.

Also, Study the Difference between the himalayan region and the peninsular plateau here!

Relevance of NMSHE to the UN SDGs

Goal 13 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires immediate action to combat climate change and its consequences.

• Furthermore, it is inextricably linked to all 16 other Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
• The NSHME would help to empower the development of management plans to sustain and protect Himalayan glaciers and mountain ecosystems by the UN SDGs.

Also, Study the Longitudinal division of the Himalayas here!

Conclusion

If properly implemented, the National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) would provide a time-bound action plan for long-term, self-sustaining national activity. Following the mission’s completion, maintaining the Himalayan ecosystem will become a shared social obligation.

UPSC Previous Year Questions

Q1. Explain the mechanism and occurrence of cloudburst in the context of the Indian subcontinent. Discuss two recent examples. (UPSC Mains 2022, GS Paper 3).

Q2. Discuss the vulnerability of India to earthquake-related hazards. Give examples, including the salient features of major disasters caused by earthquakes in different parts of India during the last three decades. (UPSC Mains 2021, GS Paper 3).

Check out the test series for the UPSC IAS Exam here.

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