Environmental Change and Development in Ladakh, Indian Trans-Himalaya

The Trans-Himalayan region of Ladakh has witnessed important changes linked to its geo-strategic importance, the rapid development of means of communication with other parts of India, socio-economic transformation processes and the effects of climate change. The sixteen chapters document these key changes, ranging from melting glaciers and extreme weather events to the exponential increase in infrastructure, tourist and military activities. The book examines the impact these changes are having on the environment and on the socio-economics and identity of Ladakhi communities. The book also attempts to evaluate the likely direction of future changes, identify some of the main environmental challenges faced by Ladakh in the 21st century, and provide perspectives for sustainable development of the high mountain region.

Blaise Humbert-Droz is an independent researcher focussing on biodiversity conservation, the impact of human-induced changes on biotic communities and environmental protection. With a special interest in India’s Trans-Himalayas, he has been conducting yearly environmental surveys in the region since the mid-1990s, initiating Ladakh high-altitude wetland conservation Project with WWF International (1999), drafting Ladakh Biodiversity Action Plan with Ladakh Ecological Development Group for India’s National Biodiversity Plan (2004) and IUCN’s resolution for the protection of Ladakh wetlands (2008). His main research interests and publications centre on human impacts on wetlands and grasslands in semi-arid zones, using waterbirds as environmental indicators. He is a member of IUCN Species Survival Commission (Goose Specialist Group) since 2008 and of the International Association for Ladakh Studies since 2005.

Juliane Dame is a postdoctoral researcher in Geography with a focus on society and environment at the Department of Geography, University of Bonn. She is especially interested in food security, water governance, and climate change adaptation, using conceptual approaches from agri-food studies, political ecology and environmental governance. Juliane has worked in theTrans-Himalayan region of Ladakh since her PhD, which she gained from Heidelberg University in 2012. Her thesis on “Food security in high mountain regions” has received the Wilhelm-Lauer award in 2013. Between 2013 and 2021, she was leader of a Junior Resarch Group on “Environment and Health in Arid Regions” at  the interdisciplinary Heidelberg Center for the Environment (HCE). The regional focus of empirical studies within the group was on Ladakh, India, as well as arid regions in Chile. She is a member of the International Association for Ladakh Studies since 2007, host of the IALS conference in 2013, and a current member of the association’s advisory board.

Tashi Morup is Projects Director of Ladakh Arts & Media Organisation (LAMO), which he joined in 2008 after many years of working as a journalist. Down To Earth, a science magazine brought out by the Centre for Science and Environment in New Delhi, is among many publications he wrote for, mainly highlighting environmental issues. Folk songs of Ladakh has also been one of his research interests with a particular focus on environmental and water perspectives. In 2022 he translated from Ladakhi to English the book Singing Ice: Ladakhi folk songs about mountains, glaciers, rivers, and steams, brought out by Susan Schuppli et al., with the support of The British Council Creative Commissions Programme. In 2014, he made Kharyok – a film on music of Old Town Leh supported by India Foundation for the Arts. He is a member of the International Association for Ladakh Studies since 2003. Tashi brought out a book to commemorate the centenary celebrations of the 19th Kushok Bakula Rinpoche, Monk, Politician and Statesman (LAMO 2017). He is the principal researcher and creator of the “Walks in Leh” book series. He is a core member of Vikalp Sangam, a national federation of environmental groups, and has held key positions, at the local level, in Ladakh Cultural Forum and the International Association of Ladakh Studies.