Abstract
The Himalayan region is not only threatened by rapid changes in anthropogenic activities but also by global climate change. Given the uncertainties of magnitude and characteristics of climate change, prior knowledge of long-term changing distribution pattern of forests is of crucial importance. Owing to the heterogeneity of the Himalayan mountain system, knowledge on potential impacts on forests makes it a paramount concern in this region. Therefore, to understand vulnerability as a prerequisite for forest management, we systematically review and synthesize peer-reviewed literature on climate change impacts of the Himalayan forests (n = 118). Of the reviewed articles, 91.5% were published after 2009. Our findings emphasize that due to a wide variety of disciplinary domains, the conceptual, methodological, and subsequent findings (observed and predicted) vary greatly given the complexity of the theme of the review. Most assessments addressing climate change vulnerability of forests and forest-dependent people fail to acknowledge the importance of scalar and temporal aspects of vulnerability. In addition, despite the brevity of the phenomena, much lesser is known about adaptation potentials, planning and policy initiatives, and coordinated multi-disciplinary decision making for managing forest resources and dependent livelihood options under different climate change scenarios. This insufficiency of knowledge requires identification of more prioritized focused research efforts. Given the substantial debate surrounding research management and policy-making, we highlight the urgent need to deal with ecological and societal implications of climate change impacts on the Himalayan forests.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aase TH, Chapagain PS, Tiwari PC (2013) Innovation as an expression of adaptive capacity to change in Himalayan farming. Mt Res Dev 33:4–10. https://doi.org/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-12-00025.1
Agrawal A, Chhatre A (2006) Explaining success on the commons: community forest governance in the Indian Himalaya. World Dev 34:149–166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2005.07.013
Akhtar M, Ahmad N, Booij MJ (2008) The impact of climate change on the water resources of Hindukush-Karakorum-Himalaya region under different glacier coverage scenarios. J Hydrol 355:148–163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2008.03.015
Alekhya VVL, Pujar GS, Jha CS, Dadhwal VK (2015) Simulation of vegetation dynamics in Himalaya using dynamic global vegetation model. Trop Ecol 56:219–231
Allen CD, Breshears DD, McDowell NG (2015) On underestimation of global vulnerability to tree mortality and forest die-off from hotter drought in the Anthropocene. Ecosphere 6:1–55. https://doi.org/10.1890/ES15-00203.1
Anthwal A, Gupta N, Sharma A, Anthwal S, Kim KH (2010) Conserving biodiversity through traditional beliefs in sacred groves in Uttarakhand Himalaya, India. Resour Conserv Recycl 54:962–971. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2010.02.003
Arunachalam A, Sarmah R, Adhikari D, Majumder M, Khan ML (2004) Anthropogenic threats and biodiversity conservation in Namdapha nature reserve in the Indian Eastern Himalayas. Curr Sci 87:447–454
Arya N, Tewari B, Ram J (2012) The effect of natural and anthropogenic disturbance in forest canopy and its effect on species richness in forests of Uttarakhand Himalaya, India. Russ J Ecol 43:117–121. https://doi.org/10.1134/S1067413612020099
Aryal S, Cockfield G, Maraseni TN (2014) Vulnerability of Himalayan transhumant communities to climate change. Clim Chang 125:193–208. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-014-1157-5
Awasthi A, Uniyal SK, Rawat GS, Rajvanshi A (2003) Forest resource availabilty and its use by the migratory villages of Uttrarkashi, Garhwal Himalayas (India). For Ecol Manag 174:13–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-1127(02)00026-9
Axford JC, Hockings MT, Carter RW (2008) What constitutes success in Pacific Island community conserved areas. Ecol Soc 13:45
Bajpai O, Pandey J, Chaudhary LB (2016) Periodicity of different phenophases in selected trees from Himalayan Terai of India. Agrofor Syst 91:1–12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-016-9936-9
Baland JM, Bardhan P, Das S, Mookherjee D (2010) Forests to the people: decentralization and forest degradation in the Indian Himalayas. World Dev 38:1642–1656. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2010.03.007
Balooni K, Ballabh V, Inoue M (2007) Declining instituted collective management practices and forest quality in the central Himalayas. Econ Polit Wkly:1443–1452
Banerji G, Basu S (2010) Adapting to climate change in Himalayan cold deserts. International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management 2:426–448. https://doi.org/10.1108/17568691011089945
Baral HS, Sahgal B, Mohsanin S, Namgay K, Khan AA (2014) Species and habitat conservation through small locally recognised and community managed special conservation sites. J Threat Taxa 6:5677–5685 https://doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3792.5677-85
Barua A, Katyaini S, Mili B, Gooch P (2014) Climate change and poverty: building resilience of rural mountain communities in South Sikkim, eastern Himalaya, India. Reg Environ Chang 14:267–280. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-013-0471-1
Bawa KS, Joseph G, Setty S (2007) Poverty, biodiversity and institutions in forest-agriculture ecotones in the western Ghats and eastern Himalaya ranges of India. Agric Ecosyst Environ 121:287–295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2006.12.023
Berrang-Ford L, Pearce T, Ford JD (2015) Systematic review approaches for climate change adaptation research. Reg Environ Chang 15:755–769. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-014-0708-7
Bharti RR, Rai ID, Adhikari B, Rawat G (2011) Timberline change detection using topographic map and satellite imagery: a critique. Trop Ecol 52:133–137
Bhutiyani MR, Kale VS, Pawar NJ (2010) Climate change and the precipitation variations in the northwestern Himalaya: 1866–2006. Int J Climatol 30:535–548. https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.1920
Biswas O, Ghosh R, Paruya DK, Mukherjee B, Thapa KK, Bera S (2016) Can grass phytoliths and indices be relied on during vegetation and climate interpretations in the eastern Himalayas? Studies from Darjeeling and Arunachal Pradesh, India. Quat Sci Rev 134:114–132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2016.01.003
Bolch T, Kulkarni A, Kääb A, Huggel C, Paul F, Cogley JG, Frey H, Karg JS, Fujita K, Scheel M, Bajracharya S, Stoffel M (2012) The state and fate of Himalayan glaciers. Science 336:310–314. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1215828
Brandt JS, Haynes MA, Kuemmerle T, Waller DM, Radeloff VC (2013) Regime shift on the roof of the world: alpine meadows converting to shrublands in the southern Himalayas. Biol Conserv 158:116–127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2012.07.026
Bremer P, Jongejans E (2009) Frost and forest stand effects on the population dynamics of Asplenium Scolopendrium. Popul Ecol 52:211–222. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10144-009-0143-7
Briner S, Elkin C, Huber R (2013) Evaluating the relative impact of climate and economic changes on forest and agricultural ecosystem services in mountain regions. J Environ Manag 129:414–422. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2013.07.018
Chakraborty A, Joshi PK, Ghosh A, Areendran G (2013) Assessing biome boundary shifts under climate change scenarios in India. Ecol Indic 34:536–547. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2013.06.013
Chakraborty A, Joshi PK, Sachdeva K (2016) Predicting distribution of major forest tree species to potential impacts of climate change in the central Himalayan region. Ecol Eng 97:593–609. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2016.10.006
Chaturvedi RK, Gopalakrishnan R, Jayaraman M, Bala G, Joshi NV, Sukumar R, Ravindranath NH (2011) Impact of climate change on Indian forests: a dynamic vegetation modeling approach. Mitig Adapt Strateg Glob Chang 16:119–142. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-010-9257-7
Chawla A, Yadav PK, Uniyal SK, Kumar A, Vats SK, Kumar S, Ahuja PS (2012) Long-term ecological and biodiversity monitoring in the western Himalaya using satellite remote sensing. Curr Sci 102:1143–1156
Chettri S, Krishna AP, Singh KK (2015) Community forest management in Sikkim Himalaya towards sustainable development. International Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development 14(1):89–104
Chitale VS, Behera MD, Roy PS (2014) Future of endemic flora of biodiversity hotspots in India. PLoS One 9:e115264. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0115264
Cook ER, Anchukaitis KJ, Buckley BM, D'Arrigo RD, Jacoby GC, Wright WE (2010) Asian monsoon failure and megadrought during the last millennium. Science 328:486–489. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1185188
Corlett RT, Westcott DA (2013) Will plant movements keep up with climate change? Trends Ecol Evol 28:482–488. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2013.04.003
Demske D, Tarasov PE, Leipe C, Kotlia BS, Joshi LM, Long T (2016) Record of vegetation, climate change, human impact and retting of hemp in Garhwal Himalaya (India) during the past 4600 years. The Holocene 26:1661–1675
Dubey B, Yadav RR, Singh J, Chaturvedi R (2003) Upward shift of Himalayan pine in western Himalaya, India. Curr Sci 85:1135–1136
Gaire NP, Koirala M, Bhuju DR, Carrer M (2017) Site- and species-specific treeline responses to climatic variability in eastern Nepal Himalaya. Dendrochronologia 41:44–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dendro.2016.03.001
Gairola S, Rawal RS, Todaria NP (2008) Forest vegetation patterns along an altitudinal gradient in sub-alpine zone of west Himalaya, India. African J Plant Sci 2:42–48
Gómez JM, González-Megías A, Lorite J, Abdelaziz M, Perfectti F (2015) The silent extinction: climate change and the potential hybridization-mediated extinction of endemic high-mountain plants. Biodivers Conserv 24:1843–1857. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-015-0909-5
Gopalakrishnan R, Jayaraman M, Bala G, Ravindranath NH (2011) Climate change and Indian forests. Curr Sci 101:348–355
Gottfried M, Pauli H, Futschik A, Futschik A, Akhalkatsi M, Barančok P, Alonso JLB, Coldea G, Dick J, Erschbamer B, Calzado MRF, Kazakis G, Krajči J, Larsson P, Mallaun M, Michelsen O, Moiseev D, Moiseev P, Molau U, Merzouki A, Nagy L, Nakhutsrishvili G, Pedersen B, Pelino G, Puscas M, Rossi G, Stanisci A, Theurillat JP, Tomaselli M, Villar L, Vittoz P, Vogiatzakis I, Grabherr G (2012) Continent-wide response of mountain vegetation to climate change. Nature Clim Change 2:111–115. https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1329
Grêt-Regamey A, Brunner SH, Kienast F (2013) Mountain ecosystem services: who cares? Mt Res Dev 32:S23–S34. https://doi.org/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-10-00115.S1
Gupta RK (1978) Impact of human influences on the vegetation of the western Himalaya. Vegetatio 37:111–118
Haines-Young R, Potschin M, Kienast F (2012) Indicators of ecosystem service potential at European scales: mapping marginal changes and trade-offs. Ecol Indic 21:39–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2011.09.004
Horner GJ, Baker PJ, Nally RM, Cunningham SC, Thomson JR, Hamilton F (2010) Forest structure, habitat and carbon benefits from thinning floodplain forests: managing early stand density makes a difference. For Ecol Manag 259:286–293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2009.10.015
Inman M (2010) Settling the science on Himalayan glaciers. Nature Reports Climate Change:28–30. https://doi.org/10.1038/climate.2010.19
IPCC (2014) Summary for Policymakers. In: Field CB, Barros VR, Dokken DJ, Mach KJ, Mastrandrea MD, Bilir TE, Chatterjee M, Ebi KL, Estrada YO, Genova RC, Girma B, Kissel ES, Levy AN, MacCracken S, Mastrandrea PR, Whit LL (eds) Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Part A: Global and Sectoral Aspects. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom, and New York, NY, USA, pp 1–32
Johnston M, Hesseln H (2012) Climate change adaptive capacity of the Canadian forest sector. Forest Policy Econ 24:29–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2012.06.001
Joshi PK, Rawat A, Narula S, Sinha V (2012) Assessing impact of climate change on forest cover type shifts in western Himalayan eco-region. J For Res 23:75–80. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-012-0235-7
Kala CP (2000) Status and conservation of rare and endangered medicinal plants in the Indian trans-Himalaya. Biol Conserv 93:371–379. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3207(99)00128-7
Keenan RJ (2015) Climate change impacts and adaptation in forest management: a review. Ann For Sci 72:1–23. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13595-014-0446-5
Kelkar U, Narula KK, Sharma VP, Chandna U (2008) Vulnerability and adaptation to climate variability and water stress in Uttarakhand state, India. Glob Environ Chang 18:564–574. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2008.09.003
Kerry J, Pruneau D, Blain S, Langis J, Barbier PY, Mallet MA, Vichnevetski E, Therrien J, Deguire P, Freiman V, Lang M, Laroche AM (2012) Human competences that facilitate adaptation to climate change: a research in progress. International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management 4:246–259. https://doi.org/10.1108/17568691211248711
Kilroy G (2015) A review of the biophysical impacts of climate change in three hotspot regions in Africa and Asia. Reg Environ Chang 15:771–782. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-014-0709-6
Klein JA, Harte J, Zhao X-Q (2004) Experimental warming causes large and rapid species loss, dampened by simulated grazing, on the Tibetan plateau. Ecol Lett 7:1170–1179. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2004.00677.x
Kok M, Lüdeke M, Lucas P, Sterzel T, Walther C, Jansses P, Sietz D, de Soysa I (2016) A new method for analysing socio-ecological patterns of vulnerability. Reg Environ Chang 16:229–243. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-014-0746-1
Kothari A (2006) Community conserved areas: towards ecological and livelihood security. Parks 16:3–13
Kumar A, Ram J (2005) Anthropogenic disturbances and plant biodiversity in forests of Uttaranchal, central Himalaya. Biodivers Conserv 14:309–331
Kumar P (2012) Assessment of impact of climate change on rhododendrons in Sikkim Himalayas using Maxent modelling: limitations and challenges. Biodivers Conserv 21:1251–1266. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-012-0279-1
Landauer M, Juhola S, Söderholm M (2015) Inter-relationships between adaptation and mitigation: a systematic literature review. Clim Chang 131:505–517. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-015-1395-1
Lemieux CJ, Gray PA, Douglas AG, Nielsen G, Pearson D (2014) From science to policy: the making of a watershed-scale climate change adaptation strategy. Environ Sci Pol 42:123–137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2014.06.004
Liang E, Dawadi B, Pederson N, Eckstein D (2014) Is the growth of birch at the upper timberline in the Himalayas limited by moisture or by temperature? Ecology 95:2453–2465. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1904.1
Lindner M (2000) Developing adaptive forest management strategies to cope with climate change. Tree Physiol 20:299–307
Lindner M, Fitzgerald JB, Zimmermann NE, Reyer C, Delzon S, van der Maaten E, Schelhaas MJ, Lasch P, Eggers J, van der Maaten-Theunisse M, Suckow F, Psomas A, Poulter B, Hanewinkel M (2014) Climate change and European forests: what do we know, what are the uncertainties, and what are the implications for forest management? J Environ Manag 146:69–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2014.07.030
Locatelli B, Evans V, Wardell A, Andrade A, Vignola R (2011) Forests and climate change in Latin America: linking adaptation and mitigation. Forests 2:431–450. https://doi.org/10.3390/f2010431
Lwasa S (2015) A systematic review of research on climate change adaptation policy and practice in Africa and South Asia deltas. Reg Environ Chang 15:815–824. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-014-0715-8
Ma M, Singh RB, Hietala R (2012) Human driving forces for ecosystem services in the Himalayan region. Environ Econ 3:53–57
Madhura RK, Krishnan R, Revadekar JV, Mujumdar M, Goswami BN (2014) Changes in western disturbances over the western Himalayas in a warming environment. Clim Dyn 44:1157–1168. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-014-2166-9
Mandal G, Joshi SP (2015) Eco-physiology and habitat invasibility of an invasive, tropical shrub (Lantana camara) in western Himalayan forests of India. For Sci Technol 11:182–196. https://doi.org/10.1080/21580103.2014.990062
Mandal RA, Laake PV (2005) Carbon sequestration in community forests: an eligible issue for CDM (a case study of Nainital, India). Banko Janakari 15. https://doi.org/10.3126/banko.v15i2.353
Meenawat H, Sovacool BK (2011) Improving adaptive capacity and resilience in Bhutan. Mitig Adapt Strateg Glob Chang 16:515–533. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-010-9277-3
Menon A, Levermann A, Schewe J, Lehmann J, Frieler K (2013) Consistent increase in Indian monsoon rainfall and its variability across CMIP-5 models. Earth System Dynamics 4:287–300. https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-4-287-2013
Messier C, Puettmann KJ, Coates KD (2013) Managing forests as complex adaptive systems: building resilience to the challenge of global change. Routledge, London
Mishra M, Upadhyay DK, Mishra SK (2012) Establishing climate information service system for climate change adaptation in Himalayan region. Curr Sci 103:1417–1422
Morin MB, Kneeshaw D, Doyon F, Goff HL, Bernier P, Yelle V, Blondlot A, Houle D (2015) Climate change and the forest sector: perception of principal impacts and of potential options for adaptation. For Chron 91:395–406
Müller M, Schwab N, Schickhoff U, Bohner J, Scholten T (2016) Soil temperature and soil moisture patterns in a Himalayan alpine Treeline ecotone. Arct Antarct Alp Res 48:501–521
Murthy I, Alipuria AK, Ravindranath N (2012) Potential for increasing carbon sink in Himachal Pradesh, India. Trop Ecol 53:357–369
Nautiyal MC, Nautiyal BP, Prakash V (2004) Effect of grazing and climatic changes on alpine vegetation of Tungnath, Garhwal Himalaya, India. Environmentalist 24:125–134
Negi GCS, Samal PK, Kuniyal JC, Kothyari BP, Sharma RK, Dhyani PP (2012) Impact of climate change on the western Himalayan mountain ecosystems: an overview. Trop Ecol 53:345–356
Negi P (2012) Climate change, alpine treeline dynamics and associated terminology: focus on northwestern Indian Himalaya. Trop Ecol 53:371–374
Negi VS, Maikhuri RK, Rawat LS (2011) Non-timber forest products (NTFPs): a viable option for biodiversity conservation and livelihood enhancement in central Himalaya. Biodivers Conserv 20:545–559. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-010-9966-y
Nicotra AB, Beever EA, Robertson AL, Hofmann GE, O'Leary J (2015) Assessing the components of adaptive capacity to improve conservation and management efforts under global change. Conserv Biol 29:1268–1278. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12522
Pandey KP, Adhikari YP, Weber M (2016) Structure, composition and diversity of forest along the altitudinal gradient in the Himalayas, Nepal. Appl Ecol Environ Res 14:235–251. https://doi.org/10.15666/aeer/1402_235251
Pandey R, Jha S (2012) Climate vulnerability index-measure of climate change vulnerability to communities: a case of rural lower Himalaya, India. Mitig Adapt Strateg Glob Chang 17:487–506. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-011-9338-2
Panigrahy S, Anitha D, Kimothi M, Singh S (2010) Timberline change detection using topographic map and satellite imagery. Trop Ecol 51:87–91
Polanski S, Fallah B, Befort DJ, Prasad S, Cubasch U (2014) Regional moisture change over India during the past millennium: a comparison of multi-proxy reconstructions and climate model simulations. Glob Planet Chang 122:176–185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2014.08.016
Polsky C, Neff R, Yarnal B (2007) Building comparable global change vulnerability assessments: the vulnerability scoping diagram. Glob Environ Chang 17:472–485. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2007.01.005
Poudel M, Thwaites R, Race D, Dahal GR (2014) REDD+ and community forestry: implications for local communities and forest management—a case study from Nepal. Int For Rev 16:39–54. https://doi.org/10.1505/146554814811031251
Rao KS, Semwal RL, Maikhuri RK, Nautiyal S, Sen KK, Singh K, Chandrasekhar K, Saxena KG (2003) Indigenous ecological knowledge, biodiversity and sustainable development in the central Himalayas. Trop Ecol 44:93–111
Räsänen A, Juhola S, Nygren A, Nygren A, Kakonen M, Kallio M, Monge AM, Kanninen M (2016) Climate change, multiple stressors and human vulnerability: a systematic review. Reg Environ Chang 16:2291–2302. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-016-0974-7
Rashid I, Romshoo SA, Chaturvedi RK, Ravindranath NH, Sukumar R, Jayaraman M, Lakshmi TV, Sharma J (2015) Projected climate change impacts on vegetation distribution over Kashmir Himalayas. Clim Chang 132:1–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-015-1456-5
Rasul G (2014) Food, water, and energy security in South Asia: a nexus perspective from the Hindu Kush Himalayan region. Environ Sci Pol 39:35–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2014.01.010
Rawal RS, Pandey B, Dhar U (2003) Himalayan forest database—thinking beyond dominants. Curr Sci 84:990–994
Rawat PK, Tiwari PC, Pant CC (2012) Climate change accelerating land use dynamic and its environmental and socio-economic risks in the Himalayas. International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management 4:452–471. https://doi.org/10.1108/17568691211277764
Rayamajhi S, Smith-Hall C, Helles F (2012) Empirical evidence of the economic importance of central Himalayan forests to rural households. Forest Policy Econ 20:25–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2012.02.007
Reyer CPO, Bugmann H, Nabuurs G-J, Hanewinkel M (2015) Models for adaptive forest management. Reg Environ Chang 15(8):1483–1487. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-015-0861-7
Rijal A, Smith-Hall C, Helles F (2011) Non-timber forest product dependency in the central Himalayan foot hills. Environ Dev Sustain 13:121–140. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-010-9252-x
Rosenzweig C, Elliott J, Deryng D, Ruanea AV, Müllere C, Arneth A, Boote KJ, Folberth C, Glotter M, Khabarov N, Neumannk K, Piontek F, Pugh TAM, Schmid E, Stehfest E, Yang H, Jones JW (2014) Assessing agricultural risks of climate change in the 21st century in a global gridded crop model intercomparison. PNAS 111:3268–3273. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1222463110
Saha D, Sundriyal RC (2012) Utilization of non-timber forest products in humid tropics: implications for management and livelihood. Forest Policy Econ 14:28–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2011.07.008
Saha S, Bisht NS (2007) Role of traditional ecological knowledge in natural resource management among Monpas of North-western Arunachal Pradesh. Indian Forester 133:155–164
Saran S, Joshi R, Sharma S, Padalia H, Dadhwal VK (2010) Geospatial modeling of Brown oak (Quercus semecarpifolia) habitats in the Kumaun Himalaya under climate change scenario. Journal of the Indian Society of Remote Sensing 38:535–547
Schickhoff U, Bobrowski M, Böhner J, Böhner J, Bürzle B, Chaudhary RP, Gerlitz L, Heyken H, Lange J, Müller M, Scholten T, Schwab N, Wedegärtner R (2014) Do Himalayan treelines respond to recent climate change? An evaluation of sensitivity indicators. Earth Syst Dynam Discuss 5:1407–1461. https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-6-245-2015
Seidl R, Lexer MJ (2013) Forest management under climatic and social uncertainty: trade-offs between reducing climate change impacts and fostering adaptive capacity. J Environ Manag 114:461–469. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2012.09.028
Semwal RL, Nautiyal S, Sen KK, Ran U, Maikhuri RK, Rao KS, Saxeana KG (2004) Patterns and ecological implications of agricultural land-use changes: a case study from central Himalaya, India. Agric Ecosyst Environ 102:81–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-8809(03)00228-7
Shahabuddin G, Rao M (2010) Do community-conserved areas effectively conserve biological diversity? Global insights and the Indian context. Biol Conserv 143:2926–2936. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2010.04.040
Shankar U, Lama SD, Bawa KS (1998) Ecosystem reconstruction through ‘taungya’ plantations following commercial logging of a dry, mixed deciduous forest in Darjeeling Himalaya. For Ecol Manag 102:131–142. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-1127(97)00152-7
Sharma E, Bhuchar S, Xing M, Kcithyari BP (2007) Land use change and its impact on hydro-ecological linkages in Himalayan watersheds. Trop Ecol 48:151–161
Sharma J, Chaturvedi RK, Bala G, Ravindranath NH (2013) Challenges in vulnerability assessment of forests under climate change. Carbon Management 4:403–411. https://doi.org/10.4155/cmt.13.35
Sharma SK, Deml K, Dangal S, Rana E, Madigan S (2015) REDD+ framework with integrated measurement, reporting and verification system for community based Forest management systems (CBFMS) in Nepal. Curr Opin Environ Sustain 14:17–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2015.01.003
Sheikh MA, Kumar M (2010) Nutrient status and economic analysis of soils in oak and pine forests in Garhwal Himalaya. J Am Stud 6:117–122
Shrestha UB, Gautam S, Bawa KS (2012) Widespread climate change in the Himalayas and associated changes in local ecosystems. PLoS One 7:e36741. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0036741
Singh JS (2006) Sustainable development of the Indian Himalayan region: linking ecological and economic concerns. Curr Sci 90:784–788
Singh JS, Rawat YS, Chaturvedi OP (1984) Replacement of oak forest with pine in the Himalaya affects the nitrogen cycle. Nature 311:54–56. https://doi.org/10.1038/311054a0
Singh JS, Singh SP (1987) Forest vegetation of the Himalaya. Bot Rev 53:80–192
Singh N, Ram J, Tewari A, Yadav R (2015) Phenological events along the elevation gradient and effect of climate change on Rhododendron arboreum Sm. In Kumaun Himalaya. Curr Sci 108:106–110 https://doi.org/10.18520
Singh PC, Panigrahy S, Parihar JS, Dharaiya N (2013) Modeling environmental niche of Himalayan birch and remote sensing based vicarious validation. Trop Ecol 54:321–329
Singh RK, Bhowmik SN, Pandey CB (2011) Biocultural diversity, climate change and livelihood security of the Adi community: grassroots conservators of eastern Himalaya Arunachal Pradesh. Indian J Tradit Knowl 10:39–56
Singh SP, Singh JS (1992) Forests of the Himalayas: structure, function and impact of man. Gyanodaya Prakashan, Nainital, India
Singh SP, Thadani R (2015) Complexities and controversies in Himalayan research: a call for collaboration and rigor for better data. Mt Res Dev 35(4):401–409
Sinha B (2002) Pines of Himalayas. Energy and. Environment 13:873–881
Sohn JA, Saha S, Bauhus J (2016) Potential of forest thinning to mitigate drought stress: a meta-analysis. For Ecol Manag 380:261–273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2016.07.046
Spittlehouse DL, Stewart RB (2004) Adaptation to climate change in forest management. Journal of Ecosystems and Management 4:2–11
Stephens SL, Agee JK, Fulé PZ, North MP, Romme WH, Swetnam TW, Turner MG (2013) Managing forests and fire in changing climates. Science 342:41–42. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1240294
Telwala Y, Brook BW, Manish K, Pandit MK (2013) Climate-induced elevational range shifts and increase in plant species richness in a Himalayan biodiversity epicentre. PLoS One 8:e57103. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0057103
Tewari A, Bhatt J, Mittal A (2016) Influence of tree water potential in inducing flowering in Rhododendron arboreum in the central Himalayan region. iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry 9:842–846. https://doi.org/10.3832/ifor1525-008
Thadani R, Ashton PMS (1995) Regeneration of banj oak (Quercus leucotrichophora A. Camus) in the central Himalaya. For Ecol Manag 78:217–224. https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-1127(95)03561-4
Tiwari A, Fan Z-X, Jump AS, Li SF, Zhou ZK (2017) Gradual expansion of moisture sensitive Abies spectabilis forest in the trans-Himalayan zone of central Nepal associated with climate change. Dendrochronologia 41:34–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dendro.2016.01.006
Turner AG, Annamalai H (2012) Climate change and the South Asian summer monsoon. Nature Clim Change 2:587–595. https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1495
Upgupta S, Sharma J, Jayaraman M, Kumar V, Ravindranath NH (2015) Climate change impact and vulnerability assessment of forests in the Indian western Himalayan region: a case study of Himachal Pradesh, India. Climate Risk Management 10:63–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2015.08.002
Upreti N, Tewari JC, Singh SP (1985) The oak forests of the Kumaun Himalaya (India): composition, diversity, and regeneration. Mt Res Dev 5:163–174. https://doi.org/10.2307/3673255
Vetter D, Rücker G, Storch I (2013) Meta-analysis: a need for well-defined usage in ecology and conservation biology. Ecosphere 4:1–24. https://doi.org/10.1890/ES13-00062.1
Wani AM, Raj AJ, Kanwar M (2013) Impact of climate change on forests of eastern Himalayas and adaptation strategies for combating it. International. J Agric For 3:98–104. https://doi.org/10.5923/j.ijaf.20130303.05
Wellstead A, Rayner J, Howlett M (2014) Beyond the black box: Forest sector vulnerability assessments and adaptation to climate change in North America. Environ Sci Pol 35:109–116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2013.04.002
Xu J, Grumbine E, Shrestha A, Eriksson M, Yang X, Want Y, Wilkes A (2009) The melting Himalayas: cascading effects of climate change on water, biodiversity, and livelihoods. Conserv Biol 23:520–530. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01237
Xu Z, Hu T, Zhang Y (2011) Effects of experimental warming on phenology, growth and gas exchange of treeline birch (Betula utilis) saplings, eastern Tibetan plateau, China. Eur J Forest Res 131:811–819. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-011-0554-9
Zhang Y, Gao J, Liu L, Wang Z, Ding M, Yang X (2013) NDVI-based vegetation changes and their responses to climate change from 1982 to 2011: a case study in the Koshi River basin in the middle Himalayas. Glob Planet Chang 108:139–148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2013.06.012
Zonunsanga R, Rao CUB, Rinawma P (2014) Degradation of land and forest resources: the story of shifting cultivation and loss of biodiversity in north-East India. In: Singh M, Singh RB, Hassan MI (eds) Climate change and biodiversity. Springer, Japan, pp 259–267. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-54838-6_20
Acknowledgements
AC would like to acknowledge HSBC Climate Scholarship of TERI University for funding her doctoral research and the support from DAAD-framework project titled, “Land use related biodiversity in India” and the infrastructural support at the University of Freiburg, Germany. PKJ and KS would like to acknowledge the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Government of India (GoI) for their support (Project Serial Number: R&D/NNRMS/2/2013-14). PKJ is also thankful to the Department of Science and Technology—Promotion of University Research and Scientific Excellence (DST-PURSE) for the support. SS is acknowledging the fruitful discussions with his colleagues of the Task Force “Forest Adaptation and Restoration Under Global Change” at the International Union of Forestry Research Organizations (IUFRO), Vienna, Austria. Authors are highly thankful to the anonymous reviewers and the editorial board for providing valuable suggestions and comments on the previous versions of the present manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Editor: Shuaib Lwasa
Electronic supplementary material
ESM 1
(DOCX 81 kb)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Chakraborty, A., Saha, S., Sachdeva, K. et al. Vulnerability of forests in the Himalayan region to climate change impacts and anthropogenic disturbances: a systematic review. Reg Environ Change 18, 1783–1799 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-018-1309-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-018-1309-7