Connecting Researchers for Transformation in Research Culture

Mountain ecosystems are globally important as centres of biological diversity and they are receiving increasing priority on global conservation agenda1. The Himalaya is recognized as one of the global biodiversity hotspots in view of its rich, unique biodiversity and vulnerability to perturbations. The goods and services emanating from this ecosystem are vitally important for ecological and economic security of a major part of the Indian subcontinent. Despite its global importance, the Himalaya is considered as a data-deficient region2. Recognizing the significance of the Himalaya as an important biological hotspot, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Government of India (GoI) launched the National Mission on Himalayan Studies (NMHS) as a Central Sector (CS) Grant-in-Aid Scheme in late 2015, with a vision to support the sustenance and enhancement of the ecological, natural, cultural and socio-economic capital assets and values of the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR).