Guwahati: The 12th edition of the annual Eastern Himalayan Naturenomics Forum was presented by the Balipara Foundation in Assam’s Guwahati, focusing on the future of the Third Pole and the Eastern Himalayas.
The discussions highlighted the urgent need for action on climate change and the future of lives and livelihoods across the region.
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Bringing together 60 leaders from 15 countries, the discussions explored the critical global role the Third Pole plays in regulating climate systems and watersheds for billions of people across South and Southeast Asia through its glaciers.
With representatives from leading global and national corporations, experts from academia, policymakers, and conservation and development sectors, the forum hosted two days of discussions on critical issues related to sustainability and the environment in the Eastern Himalayas.
Insights from leading voices steered a pathway toward building a regenerative economy that protects the fragile ecosystems of the Third Pole.
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A key focus of the forum was the need to drive the valuation of ecosystems in the Eastern Himalayan region, both to attract business investments in the environment and to account for externalised environmental costs.
This would help promote better decision-making for ecosystems by businesses and policymakers.
In-depth panels explored pathways for catalysing the renewable energy transition, managing watersheds and water security, building sustainable livelihoods, managing agricultural lands sustainably in the Eastern Himalayas, eliminating plastic waste in rural areas, and protecting Asian elephants at a landscape level.
Speaking on the issue of Asian elephant conservation in the Northeast, divisional forest officer of the Guwahati Wildlife Division Pasupuleti Monica Kishore said, “The issue is not the elephants, it is the people. We are the ones who have failed in protecting them. The narrative needs to change. It is not about creating habitats for elephants, but about protecting the ecosystem.”
The forum concluded with the Balipara Foundation Awards, which celebrated the success stories of 14 community leaders, scientists and conservationists in protecting and restoring the biocultural heritage of the Eastern Himalayas, from Manipur’s Loktak Lake and Assam’s Deepor Beel to national parks in Bhutan and the Sundarbans.