A photo exhibition titled ‘Himalaya-Changing Landscapes’, was put on display from today at the historical Hanuman Dhoka temple complex on Kathmandu Durbar Square.

The outdoor exhibition by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), in association with the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), aims to draw attention to the impacts of climate change in the Himalayan region.

The Himalayan landscapes are changing. The repeat photographs show evidence fo fluctuations in the glaciers and glacial lakes in the wake of global climate change.

The Himalayan landscapes are changing. The repeat photographs show evidence fo fluctuations in the glaciers and glacial lakes in the wake of global climate change.
The exhibition showcases panoramic views of mountains and glaciers accompanied by images of the Himalayan people, as well as photographs of the scientists conducting glacier research in the 1950s.

According to ICIMOD, the black and white photographs taken almost 50 years ago by these scientists are of immense value in trying to understand the impacts of climate change on the world’s highest mountain range, the Himalayas. Mountain geographer Alton Byers revisited many of the sites of the original photographs in 2007 to take replicates so as to show the changing landscapes of the Himalayas.

Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Hisila Yami, who was the chief-guest at the event, inaugurated the photo exhibition.

Thanking ICIMOD for “bringing the whole of Himalayas into the ground and bringing the reality of the mountain to the people”, Minister Yami said that the government of Nepal will continue to work with ICIMOD to make the country’s tourism sustainable and eco-friendly.

“If we don’t cut down the adverse effects of climate change we won’t also be able to market our tourism products effectively,” she said.

Minister Yami also compared the Himalayan range seen from above while traveling by air to a “diamond necklace” and said that it is “really painful to see its shine go away”. She was referring to the receding snow-caps and glaciers in the Himalayan region due to global warming, something which the photo exhibition tried to throw a light on.

Slopes once white with ice are now barren rock, and small ponds have grown into huge lakes that threaten downstream communities in the event of an outburst.

Slopes once white with ice are now barren rock, and small ponds have grown into huge lakes that threaten downstream communities in the event of an outburst.
A fiery politician that she is, Minister Yami also took the opportunity to hit-back at the opposition parties for, what she said, “creating hurdles in the peace process”, and in the process caused some mirth.

“Just like the way monkeys here in Durbar square are destroying the pagodas of these ancient temples in Durbar square, the monkeys of the political parties are also trying to dismantle the peace process,” she said, and added that the government may take an inspiration from the photo exhibition to showcase how Nepalese politics has evolved in the past 50 years.

Dr Andreas Schild, Director General of ICIMOD, said that the changes taking place in the Himalayan region as shown in the photo exhibition “is just the tip of the iceberg.”

“The changes taking place are alarming, and the time to act is now,” he said, citing scientific evidence which shows that the effects of globalization and climate change are being felt in even the most remote Himalayan environments.

“While climate change is mostly caused by the highly industrialized parts of the world, the effects are taking their toll in the sensitive mountain areas. The signs are visible, but there is very little in depth knowledge and data available from the Himalayan region,” Schild said, adding that global measures of scientific co-operation and regional collaboration are needed to reduce this information gap.

It was also informed at the programme that the Nepal government, Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation and the Nepal Tourism Board have jointly created a special fund – the ‘Climate Neutral Planet Fund-Nepal’, to respond to the effects of the climate change.

The photo exhibition is on show 2-8 December at the Hanuman Dhoka temple complex. Entrance to the exhibition is free of charge. nepalnews.com ag Dec 02 08