Commemorating 30 years Special Publication On the occasion of ICIMOD’s 30th anniversary High-Altitude Rangelands and their Interfaces in the Hindu Kush Himalayas About ICIMOD The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, ICIMOD, is a regional knowledge development and learning centre serving the eight regional member countries of the Hindu Kush Himalayas – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan – and based in Kathmandu, Nepal. Globalization and climate change have an increasing influence on the stability of fragile mountain ecosystems and the livelihoods of mountain people. ICIMOD aims to assist mountain people to understand these changes, adapt to them, and make the most of new opportunities, while addressing upstream-downstream issues. We support regional transboundary programmes through partnership with regional partner institutions, facilitate the exchange of experience, and serve as a regional knowledge hub. We strengthen networking among regional and global centres of excellence. Overall, we are working to develop an economically and environmentally sound mountain ecosystem to improve the living standards of mountain populations and to sustain vital ecosystem services for the billions of people living downstream – now, and for the future. ICIMOD gratefully acknowledges the support of its core donors: the Governments of Afghanistan, Austria, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Norway, Pakistan, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Commemorating 30 years of commitment for mountains and people High-Altitude Rangelands and their Interfaces in the Hindu Kush Himalayas Special Publication On the occasion of ICIMOD’s 30th anniversary Editors Wu Ning Gopal S Rawat Srijana Joshi Muhammad Ismail Eklabya Sharma International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Nepal, November 2013 Copyright © 2013 International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) All rights reserved, Published 2013 Published by International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, GPO Box 3226, Kathmandu, Nepal ISBN 978 92 9115 291 9 (printed) 978 92 9115 292 6 (electronic) Library of Congress Control Number 2013–310101 Production team A. Beatrice Murray (Consultant editor) Amy Sellmyer (Editor) Dharma R. Maharjan (Graphic designer) Asha Kaji Thaku (Editorial assistance) Photos Photos: Cover, pp 1, 89-90, 155-156 – Gopal S Rawat; pp 2 – Yi Shaoliang; pp 120 – Muhammad Islam; pp 137, 149, 152 – Zhu Dan; pp 138 – Wu Ning Printed and bound in Nepal by Quality Printers Pvt. Ltd., Kathmandu, Nepal Reproduction This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part and in any form for educational or non-profit purposes without special permission from the copyright holder, provided acknowledgement of the source is made. ICIMOD would appreciate receiving a copy of any publication that uses this publication as a source. No use of this publication may be made for resale or for any other commercial purpose whatsoever without prior permission in writing from ICIMOD. Note The views and interpretations in this publication are those of the author(s). They are not attributable to ICIMOD and do not imply the expression of any opinion concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries, or the endorsement of any product. This publication is available in electronic form at www.icimod.org/himaldoc Citation: Ning, Wu; Rawat, GS; Joshi, S; Ismail, M; Sharma, E (2013) High-altitude rangelands and their interfaces in the Hindu Kush Himalayas. Kathmandu: ICIMOD About this Volume The high-altitude rangelands in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region share boundaries with several other ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, and agricultural land. At present, most of the high-altitude rangelands and their interfaces are suffering from degradation, desertification, and soil erosion, which are further aggravated by climatic and anthropogenic factors. However, there is a lack of knowledge and information on the ecological role of high-altitude rangelands and especially their interfaces; more information is needed as a basis for developing and implementing plans for conservation and sustainable management of these fragile ecosystems at a regional, and even global scale. This volume has been compiled as a first step in addressing this knowledge gap. It contains a collection of papers and scholarly articles by ecologists, natural resource managers, and other professionals working on the high-altitude rangelands of the HKH region. It is divided into four sections. The first section focuses on a review of high-altitude rangelands and their interfaces. It discusses the definition of ecosystem interface at a landscape scale and provides detailed information on alpine ecosystem interfaces considering the current state of knowledge on the biophysical features and major conservation issues and management strategies in the transboundary landscapes of the HKH region. The second section highlights the distribution patterns and climatic parameters of one of most important alpine ecotones, the timberline, which is considered as an interface between grasslands and forests in high-altitude regions, the carbon and nutrient supply mechanism for timberline formation, and climate change and human disturbance leading to shifting of timberline ecotone. The third section focuses on wetlands in the region, in particular the causes of peatland degradation under overgrazing and emission dynamics of greenhouse gases from peatlands impacted by climate change. The final section provides an overview of the ecosystem services provided by the high-altitude rangelands. This edited volume has been prepared as a special contribution to mark ICIMOD’s 30th Anniversary. It is hoped that findings and recommendations given in this volume will be of interest to scientists, policymakers, students, and researchers. Acronyms and Abbreviations AICC Agriculture Information Communication Centre AIMS Afghanistan Information Management Service AKHS Aga Khan Health Services APP Agricultural Perspective Plan BBCH Biologische Bundesanstalt, Bundessortenant und Chemische Industries BNP Broghil National Park BSAs biologically significant areas CAS Chinese Academy of Sciences CBD Convention on Biological Diversity CBOs community-based organizations CEMP Comprehensive Environmental Monitoring Plan CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species CKNP Central Karakoram National Park CLDP Community Livestock Development Project CLMGC Committee for Land Management Geodesy and Cartography CV coefficients of variation DLSO District Livestock Services Office DOC dissolved organic carbon ETH Swiss Federal Institute of Technology FAO Food and Agriclture Organization GBPIHED GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development GHG greenhouse gas GHNP Great Himalayan National Park GIS geographic information system GLOF glacial lake outburst flood GoI Government of India GoN Government of Nepal GoP Government of Pakistan GPS global positioning system GWP global warming potential HAR high-altitude rangeland HKH Hindu Kush Himalayan region ICIMOD International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development IGBP International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme IGSNRR Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research IHR Indian Himalayan region IRS Indian Remote Sensing IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature KNP Khunjerab National Park KPL Karakoram-Pamir Landscape KSL Kailash Sacred Landscape KSLCDI Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation and Development Initiative KWS Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary LHI large herbivore initiative LISS Linear Imaging Self Scanning Senors MoE Ministry of Environment MoPE Ministry of Population and Environment MPF mountain perspective framework MSS multispectral scanner NASA nepal animal science association NCBB national centre for biodiversity and bio-safety NDVI normalized difference vegetation index NEE net ecosystem CO2 exchange NGO non-governmental organization NSC non-structural carbohydrate NTFPs non-timber forest products PCA principal component analysis PES payment for ecosystem services PKR Pakistani rupee PMD Pakistan Metrological Department PRA participatory rural appraisal PRA/PLA participatory rural appraisal/participatory learning and action RCF regional cooperation framework RECAST Research Centre for Applied Science and Technology RPIP rangeland policy implementation plan RRN relative radiometric normalization SCOPE Scientific Committee on Problems on the Environment SES social ecological system TAR Tibet Autonomous Region TLDP third livestock development project TNR Taxkorgan Nature Reserve TU tribhuvan university UNEP United Nations Environment Programme VDC Village Development Committee Foreword Rangeland ecosystems stretch across about 2 million km2 of the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region, cover nearly 60% of the geographical area, and provide numerous goods and services directly to the local pastoral societies and indirectly to millions of other. The rangelands interface with other ecosystems such as forests and wetlands to form ecosystem interfaces (or ecotones) at high altitudes, which are being affected by climate change and anthropogenic pressures throughout the HKH region. This is leading to a reduction in the provision of ecosystem goods and services, which not only threatens the livelihoods of local people, but also ultimately threatens the sustainability of the whole region.