Impact of climate change on the ecosystem of the central Himalayas, Nepal

Ganesh Paudel 1 , Subash Adhikari 2 , Bikesh Jojiju 3 , Rabindra Adhikari 4 , Namita Paudel Adhikar 5

1   Institute of Forestry, Tribhuvan University, Pokhara 33700, NEPAL
2   Provincial Policy and Planning Commission, Gandaki Province, NEPAL
3   Institute of Forestry, Tribhuvan University, Pokhara 33700, NEPAL
4   Institute of Forestry, Tribhuvan University, Pokhara 33700, NEPAL
5   Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, CHINA; Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, CHINA; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, CHINA

✉ Coressponding author: See PDF.

doi https://doi.org/10.26832/24566632.2021.0603015

doi

Abstract

The threats of climate change are found in both developed and developing countries. Since the impacts of climate change are global, irreversible, and pervasive, it is gaining worldwide attention. High mountains are the first indicators of climate change. However, the idea of what causes climate change effects on multiple ecosystem services remains scattered. This article is meant for information regarding the impacts of climate change on the ecosystem of Nepal. The result shows that climate change causes tree line shifting, change in land cover, extinction of species due to loss of habitat, imbalance in carbon sequestration on the terrestrial ecosystem while eutrophication of water bodies and extinction of endemic fish species was reported from the aquatic ecosystem. Tropical area is considered to be more affected by climate change in terms of Natural disasters and Health impacts. Moreover, different types of ecological modeling can be simulated in the context of Nepal for the prediction and future analysis of the impacts of climate change in the Ecosystem. Therefore, the impact of climate change is crucial and challenging.

Keywords:

Climate change, Ecosystem, Ecosystem services, Central Himalayas, Nepal

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Adhikari, N. P., Adhikari, S., Liu, X., Shen, L., & Gu, Z. (2019a). Bacterial Diversity in Alpine Lakes: A Review from the Third Pole Region. Journal of Earth Science, 30, 387–396.

Adhikari, N.P., Adhikari, S., & Paudel, G. (2019b). Bacterial Diversity in Aquatic Ecosystems over the Central Himalayas, Nepal: Progress and Future Perspectives. Janapriya Journal. Interdisciplinary Studies, 8, 200–211, https://doi.org/10.3126/jjis.v8i0.27319

Adhikari, N. P., Liu, Y., Liu, K., Zhang, F., Adhikari, S., Chen, Y., & Liu, X. (2019c). Bacterial community composition and diversity in Koshi River, the largest river of Nepal. Ecological Indicator, 104, 501–511, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.05.009

Adhikari, S., Zhang, F., Adhikari, N.P., Zeng, C., Pant, R.R., Ram, K., Liu, Y., Ahmed, N., Xu, J., Tripathee, L., Zhang, Q., Bhuiyan, M.A.Q., & Ahsan, M.A. (2021). Atmospheric wet deposition of major ionic constituents and inorganic nitrogen in Bangladesh: Implications for spatiotemporal variation and source apportionment. Atmospheric Research, 250, 105414, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2020.105414

Adhikari, S., Zhang, F., Zeng, C., Tripathee, L., Adhikari, N.P., Xu, J., & Wang, G. (2019). Precipitation chemistry and stable isotopic characteristics at Wengguo in the northern slopes of the Himalayas. Journal of Atmospheric Chemistry, 76, 289–313, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10874-020-09399-1

Aryal, A., Brunton, D., & Raubenheimer, D. (2014). Impact of climate change on human-wildlife-ecosystem interactions in the Trans-Himalaya region of Nepal. Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 115, 517–529, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-013-0902-4

Bajracharya, S.., Maharjan, S.., Shrestha, F., Sherpa, T., Wagle, & N., Shrestha, A. (2020). Inventory of glacial lakes and identification of potentially dangerous glacial lakes in the Koshi , Gandaki , and Karnali river basins of Nepal , the Tibet Autonomous Region of China , and India, ICIMOD and UNDP Research Report.

Beniston, M., Diaz, H. F., Bradley, & R. S. (1997). Climatic change at high elevation sites: an Overview. Climate Change, 36, 233–251, https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005380714349

Bhatta, L.D., van Oort, B.E.H., Stork, N.E., & Baral, H. (2015). Ecosystem services and livelihoods in a changing climate: Understanding local adaptations in the Upper Koshi, Nepal. International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & Management, 11, 145–155, https://doi.org/10.1080/21513732.2015.1027793

Bhattarai, K. R., Vetaas, O.R., & Grytnes, J. A. (2004). Fern species richness along a central Himalayan elevational gradient, Nepal Journal of Biogeography, 31, 389–400.

Bhattarai, U. (2017). Impacts of climate change on biodiversity and ecosystem services: Direction for future research. Hydro Nepal Journal of Water, Energy & Environment, 41–48.

Brath B; Friesen, T; Guerard, Y; Brissette, J.C; Lindman, C; Lockridge, K; Mulgund, S; & Walke, B. (2015). Climate Change and Resource Sustainability An Overview for Actuaries.

Dahal, P., Shrestha, N. S., Shrestha, M. L., Krakauer, N. Y., Panthi, J., Pradhanang, S.M., Jha, A., & Lakhankar, T. (2016). Drought risk assessment in central Nepal: temporal and spatial analysis. Nauralt Hazards, 80, 1913–1932, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-015-2055-5

Gaire, N. P., Koirala, M., Bhuju, D.R., & Borgaonkar, H. P. (2014). Treeline dynamics with climate change at the central Nepal Himalaya. Climate of Past, 10, 1277–1290, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-10-1277-2014

IPCC. (2007). Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Joshi, H. D., Dhimal, B., Dhimal, M., & Bhusal, C. L. (2011). Public health impacts of climate change in Nepal. Journal of Nepal Health Research Council, 9, 71–75.

Kafle, G., & Savillo, I. (2009). Present status of Ramsar sites in Nepal. International Journal of Biodiversity and Conservation, 1, 146–150.

Karki, R., Talchabhadel, R., Aalto, J., & Baidya, S.K. (2015). New climatic classification of Nepal New climatic classification of Nepal. Theoretical & Applied Climatology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-015-1549-0

Karn, P. K. (2014). The Impact of Climate Change on Rice Production in Nepal, South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics. https://doi.org/10.13140/2.1.3464.5122

Lamsal, P., Kumar, L., Atreya, K., & Pant, K.P. (2017). Vulnerability and impacts of climate change on forest and freshwater wetland ecosystems in Nepal: A review. Ambio, 46. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-017-0923-9

Malla, G. (2009) Climate Change and Its Impact on Nepalese Agriculture. Journal of agriculture and environment, 9, 62–71, https://doi.org/10.3126/aej.v9i0.2119

Mclaughlin, J.F., Hellmann, J.J., Boggs, C.L., & Ehrlich, P.R. (2002). Climate change hastens population extinctions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 99(9), 6070-6074.

Meen, P., & Chhetri, B. P. (2010). Effects of Climate Change: the Global Concern. Proceedings of the 4th AMCDRR, 25-28.

Merisiers, O. (2016). Ecosystem dynamics based on plankton functional types for global ocean biogeochemistry models. Global Change Biology, 11.11, 2016-2014, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2005.01004.x

Mooney, H., Larigauderie, A., Cesario, M., Elmquist, T., Hoegh-guldberg, O., Lavorel, S., Mace, G. M., Palmer, M., Scholes, R., & Yahara, T. (2009). Biodiversity , climate change , and ecosystem services. Current opinion in environmental sustainability 46–54, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2009.07.006

NAPA. (2010). Climate Change Vulnerability Mapping for Nepal, National Adaptation Programme of Action ( NAPA.

Nepal, S., Flügel, W. A., & Shrestha, A. B. (2014). Upstream-downstream linkages of hydrological processes in the Himalayan region. Ecological Processess, 3, 1–16, https://doi.org/10.1186/s13717-014-0019-4

Paudel, N., Adhikari, S., & Paudel, G. (2017). Ramsar Lakes in the Foothills of Himalaya, Pokhara- Lekhnath , Nepal: an overview. Janapriya Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 6, 134–147.

Regmi, H. (2007). Effect of unusual weather on cereal crop production and household food security. Journal of Agriculture and Environment, 8, 20–29.

Sharma, B. P., Adhikari, S., Paudel, G., & Adhikari, N. P. (2020). Microbial Diversity in the Glacial Ecosystem of Antarctic, Arctic, and Tibetan Plateau: Properties and Response to the Environmental Condition. Janapriya Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 9, 231–250, https://doi.org/10.3126/jjis.v9i1.35239

Sharma, E., Chettri, N., Tse-ring, K., Shrestha, A. B., Jing, F., Mool, P., & Eriksson, M (2009). Climate Change Impacts and Vulnerability in the Eastern Himalayas. ICIMOD, 32, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-88246-6

Shrestha, A. B., Wake, C. P., Mayewski, P. A., & Dibb, J. E. (1999). Maximum temperature trends in the Himalaya and its vicinity: An analysis based on temperature records from Nepal for the period 1971-94. Journal of Climate, 12, 2775–2786.

Sigdel, S. R., Zhang, H., Zhu, H., Muhammad, S., & Liang, E. (2020). Retreating Glacier and Advancing Forest Over the Past 200 Years in the Central Himalayas. Journal of Geophysical. Research: Biogeosciences, 125, 1–14, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JG005751

Tsering, K., Sharma, E., Chettri, N., & Shrestha, A. (2010). Climate Change Impact and Vulnerability in the Eastern Himalayas. Synthesis Report, ICIMOD. 110.

UNDP. (2009). Nepal Country Report Global. Assessment.

Upadhyay, T. P., Sankhayan, P. L., & Solberg, B. (2005) A review of carbon sequestration dynamics in the Himalayan region as a function of land-use change and forest/soil degradation with special reference to Nepal. Agriculture Ecosystem. Environment, 105, 449–465, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2004.09.007

White, G. C., & Beissinger, S. R. (2008). Impact of a Century of Climate Change on Small-Mammal Communities in Yosemite National Park, USA 261–264.

Xu, J., Grumbine, R. E., Shrestha, A., Eriksson, M., Yang, X., Wang, Y. U. N., & Wilkes, A. (2009). The Melting Himalayas: Cascading Effects of Climate Change on Water, Biodiversity, and Livelihoods, 23, 520–530, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01237.x

Published

2021-09-25

How to Cite

Paudel, G., Adhikari, S., Jojiju, B., Adhikari, R., & Adhikar, N. P. (2021). Impact of climate change on the ecosystem of the central Himalayas, Nepal. Archives of Agriculture and Environmental Science, 6(3), 360-366. https://doi.org/10.26832/24566632.2021.0603015

Issue

Section

Review Articles