E-Book Overview
In the 1970s and 1980s many institutions, agencies and scholars believed that the Himalayan region was facing severe environmental disaster, due primarily to rapid growth in population that has caused extensive deforestation, which in turn has led to massive landsliding and soil erosion. This series of assumptions was first challenged in the book: The Himalayan Dilemma (1989: Ives and Messerli, Routledge). Nevertheless, the environmental crisis paradigm still commands considerable support, including logging bans in the mountain watersheds of China, India, and Thailand, and is constantly being promoted by the news media. Himalayan Perceptions identifies the confusion of misunderstanding, vested interests, changing perceptions, and institutional unwillingness to base development policy on sound scientific knowledge. It analyzes the large amount of new research published since 1989 and totally refutes the entire construct. It examines recent social and economic developments in the region and identifies warfare, guerrilla activities, and widespread oppression of poor ethnic minorities as the primary cause for the instability that pervades the entire region. It is argued that the development controversy is further confounded by exaggerated reporting, even falsification, by news media, environmental publications, and agency reports alike.
E-Book Content
Himalayan Perceptions In the 1970s and 1980s many institutions, agencies, and scholars believed that the Himalayan region was facing imminent environmental disaster. They argued that rapid growth in population had caused extensive deforestation, which in turn had led to massive landsliding, soil erosion and widespread flooding downstream in northeast India and Bangladesh. This series of assumptions was first challenged in the book The Himalayan Dilemma (1989: Ives and Messerli, Routledge). Nevertheless, the environmental crisis paradigm still exerts considerable support and continues to be promoted by the news media. Himalayan Perceptions discusses the evolving attitudes toward environmental change, the confusion of misunderstanding, vested interests, and institutional unwillingness to base development policy on sound scientific knowledge. It brings together and analyses the extensive amount of new research published since 1989 and totally refutes the entire construct of the environmental crisis paradigm. This is followed by examination of recent social and economic developments in the region and it identifies widespread oppression of poor ethnic minorities, which leads to civil unrest, guerrilla activities and warfare, as the primary cause for the instability that pervades the entire region. It is argued that the development controversy is further confounded by exaggerated reporting, even falsification, by news media, environmental publications, and agency reports alike. Highly illustrated with numerous photographs and detailed examples, Himalayan Perceptions will prove an invaluable resource for all those interested in the Himalayan region. Jack D. Ives is Senior Advisor on Sustainable Mountain Development to The United Nations University, Tokyo, and Honorary Research Professor, Carleton University, Canada. Routledge Studies in Physical Geography and Environment This series provides a platform for books which break new ground in the understanding of the physical environment. Individual titles will focus on developments within the main subdisciplines of physical geography and explore the physical characteristics of regions and countries. Titles will also explore the human/environment interface. 1 Environmental Issues in the Mediterranean J. Wainwright and J.B. Thornes 2 The Environmental History of the World Humankind’s changing role in the community of life J. Donald Hughes 3 History and Climate Change A Eurocentric perspective Neville Brown 4 Cities and Climate C