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Increase in vegetation in upper Himalayas poses potential risks
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Vegetation in the Hindu Kush Himalayas. Snow and glacier melt from these mountains feed the 10 largest river systems in Asia, supplying more than 1.4 billion people with water. A study has found increasing vegetation cover in the upper reaches of the mountains and calls for greater inquiry into how this may impact the region's water cycle.
PHOTO: DARREN JONES
Debarshi Dasgupta India Correspondent In New Delhi, Debarshi Dasgupta
Vegetation, spurred on by global warming, is expanding into the upper reaches of the Himalayas, including in the Everest region, a new study has found.
A team of researchers led by academics from the University of Exeter in Britain has documented, using satellite data from 1993 to 2018, a significant increase in vegetation cover across four height categories ranging from 4,150m to 6,000m above sea level in the Himalayan mountains.
