Quiet Crisis in the Himalayas, 1980, by Jagdish P. Bhati and R. Swarup
Abstract: There will be no sustained development or meaning full growth without clear commitment to preserve the environment and, at the same time, promote rational use of natural resources. The aim of this study is to define a range of concerns to discuss causes or sources of environmental problems in the Himalayas, to sort out those aspects which most deserve the attention and are manageable. The program of development suggested in this study is that ‘development should be without destruction’, i.e. resource development should be directed towards working with and for the environment rather than against it. Strategies to solve agricultural problems must be developed in full knowledge of the web of linkages and effects that exist between this and other major problems. The urgency to study inter relationships between foods, climate and man is forwarded with a proper perspective. Limits to population growth, of both human and livestock, in relation to the carrying capacity of the resources are also probed and highlighted. Institutional inadequacies, political lethargy and the research gaps, and their role in stopping environmental degradation are also discussed. An integrated watershed management, taking into account the ‘Bottom-up’ ‘top-down’ and horizontal linkages may be a better alternative development strategy for the hill areas.
