The Central Indian Himalayas comprises the administrative regions of the newly-created state of Uttaranchal, encompassing the regions of Doon, and Garhwal & Kumaon Himalayas. Spread over an area of about 52,000 sq kms, the Himalayas in this region are a series of large parallel ranges with an average height of over 4,000 metres, with some over 6,000 metre peaks. The region is very rich in vegetation- high altitude alpine meadows (like the Valley of Flowers) where flowers of different hues bloom every spring, and conifer forests with deodar, pine, spruce, fir. This region also forms the head of the massive rivers Ganga & Yamuna, catering to the populous Indian plains.

Pragya is working with the indigenous communities residing in the Chamoli district of the state. The district is one of the most well-known and has probably has the maximum number of visitors - tourists, pilgrims and adventurers alike.

Depleting Natural Resources ~ The multiple tribes inhabiting the region are primarily dependent on agriculture and animal rearing for a living; they also depend on wild resources to a great extent for their food security, as well as for supplementing family income through sale of these in primary or value added forms. These resources are, however ,fast depleting with increasing pressure on land. The growing population is forcing conversion of more and more of the steep, forested slopes to agricultural land, severely affecting the ecosystem balance. The high altitude pasturelands are also getting degraded due to overgrazing and irresponsible collection of non timber forest products.


Disappearing Medicinal Plant Species ~ ~ In its pastures and rangelands, grow in abundance, a wide variety of wild plant species of economic value which form a large component of the wild resources used for consumption as well as trade by the host communities. These include valuable medicinal species like Podophyllum hexandrum, Dactylorhiza hatagirea, Arnebia euchroma . Others like Datisca, Rubia cordifolia, are used for dyes and tans; some others like Betula utilis and Cannabis savita are famous for their fibre. These economic species are now being threatened by uncontrolled grazing and excessive collection, as well as moving settlements of nomadic tribes. Exogenous factors like climate change, commercial harvesting, and tourist influx are also impacting the biodiversity of the grasslands in an adverse manner.


Endless Stream of Visitiors ~ That the region is of interest to a diverse category of visitors has in recent years onset a host of problems, since the visitation has far exceeded the carrying capacity of the region.It has led to problems of sanitation, pollution of water sources, waste accumulation. These have put a severe strain on the region’s already poor infrastructure.Environmental Sanitation measures are negligible which is also leading to health issues among the region’s inhabitants as well as visitors.

Interventions in this region need to focus on a balanced development of the region, and counter the adverse impacts of current development trends. Initiatives must address the growing scarcity of wild resources for the indigenous population. Infrastructure, and commercial and tourism development needs to be planned taking into account the community needs as well as the carrying capacity of the region. Pragya is working on appropriate management of the natural resources in the region focussing on the preservation of medicinal and herbal plants, as well as devising appropriate technology solutions for the problems of energy, water & waste management .