The Himalayan Dilemma: Reconciling Development and ConservationPsychology Press, 1989 - 295 pages 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. |
Contents
WHAT IS THE NATURE OF THE PERCEIVED CRISIS | 1 |
A GEOGRAPHICAL OVERVIEW | 16 |
3 WHEN DID DEFORESTATION OCCUR? A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE ON HIMALAYAN FORESTCOVER CHANGES | 43 |
4 PERCEIVED PRESSURES ON THE HIMALAYAN FORESTS AND THEIR ROLE AS ENVIRONMENTAL SHIELD | 67 |
NATURAL PROCESSES OR HUMAN INTERVENTION? | 88 |
DO LANDUSE CHANGES IN THE MOUNTAINS AFFECT THE PLAINS | 123 |
WHAT ARE THE FACTS? | 145 |
8 TWO APPROACHES TO THE POPULATION PRESSURELAND PRODUCTIVITY DECLINE PROBLEM IN THE HIMALAYA | 175 |
9 CRISIS PSEUDOCRISIS OR SUPERCRISIS? | 208 |
10 RESEARCH STRATEGY FOR THE HIMALAYAN REGION | 238 |
POSTSCRIPT | 272 |
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Other editions - View all
The Himalayan Dilemma: Reconciling Development and Conservation Jack D. Ives,Bruno Messerli Limited preview - 2003 |
The Himalayan Dilemma: Reconciling Development and Conservation Jack D. Ives,Bruno Messerli No preview available - 1989 |
The Himalayan Dilemma: Reconciling Development and Conservation Jack D. Ives,Bruno Messerli No preview available - 2016 |
Common terms and phrases
agencies altitude annual Bhutan Brahmaputra Chapter Chipko Movement climatic crops cultivated deforestation denudation rates discussion district downstream Dwarahat effects estimates extensive Figure flooding fodder forest cover forestry fuelwood Ganges grass grazing Gurung Himalaya Himalayan Environmental Degradation Himalayan region Hrabovszky and Miyan human impacts important increase India indicate instance irrigation Kathmandu Khumbu Khumbu Himal km² Kosi Kumaun land land-use landslide linkages livestock Mahabharat Lekh major Messerschmidt Middle Mountains million monsoon natural Nepal Nepalese occurred panchayat percent personal communication plains population growth poverty Pradesh precipitation problem processes production programme rainfall recent reduced result rivers Sapta sector sediment sediment load Sherpa situation slopes soil erosion streamflow subsistence farmers summer monsoon supercrisis Terai Theory of Himalayan Tibetan traditional trees uncertainty University of Berne Uttar Pradesh Valley vegetation village watershed women World Bank Yunnan