12th Eastern Himalayan Naturenomics Forum 2024
26th-27th November 2024
Guwahati, Assam, India
The Future of the Third Pole and the Eastern Himalaya
Located at the intersection of South, Central, and East Asia, the massive Tibetan Plateau is often considered to be Earth’s “Third Pole.” A land of large glaciers, permafrost, and heavy snow, the plateau feeds a vast network of rivers, including major waterways like the Ganges, Indus, Mekong, Yangtze, and Yellow. These rivers, which together make up Asia’s “water tower,” provide water to nearly 40% of the world’s population.
The Third Pole region is the world’s third largest repository of ice, after North and South Poles. It contains the largest ice mass outside the polar regions, provides freshwater resources to more than two billion people, regulates the climate, protects biodiversity and is socioeconomically important.
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The Third Pole is Vital for Himsagar (Eastern Himalaya)
The Himsagar (Eastern Himalaya) located within the vast region stretching from the Pamir Mountains, covering the Indo-Malayan realm to the Indian Ocean, plays a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance and showcasing rich forest diversity.
The Third Pole's glaciers and water reservoirs are crucial for preserving the Eastern Himalayan region's ecosystems and providing habitat for over 5000 plants and animals. For instance, Red Pandas primarily inhabit bamboo-filled temperate forests in the Himalayan foothills, which depend on water from the Third Pole. Any disruption to this water supply, like decreased glacier melt caused by climate change, could lead to habitat loss for Red Pandas. While the urgency of regional approaches to protecting natural assets like the Amazon or the Congo Basin or the Great Barrier Reef in Australia have rightly been well understood, the Himsagar (Eastern Himalaya) have not been part of the global conversation.
The Eastern Himalayan Naturenomics™ Forum 2024 will extensively explore discussions surrounding the third pole and its critical significance in the Himsagar region, encompassing ecology, communities, and forests. Recognizing a significant gap in ecological evaluations while navigating the delicate balance between development and action in the region, there is an urgent need to integrate LEEWAC into regional plans to amplify positive outcomes. The forum is poised to drive robust discussions and foster actionable outcomes that will positively impact the region's ecological sustainability and the well-being of its inhabitants.
Read MoreOur Esteemed Speakers

QUEEN DIAMBI KABATUSUILA
Queen of the Bakwa Luntu people of the Dimbelenge territory of the Democratic Republic of Congo
Congo

DR. PRAVEER SINHA
CEO, Tata Power
New Delhi, Delhi, India

ASHWIKA KAPUR
International wildlife & nature filmmaker
Kolkata, West Bengal, India

RUMA DEVI
Indian traditional handicraft fashion designer and social worker, Rajasthan
Barmer, Rajasthan, India

DEV BAJPAI
Executive Director, Legal & Corporate Affairs and Company Secretary, Hindustan Unilever Limited
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

DEEPAK SHARMA
MD & CEO, Schneider Electric
Bangalore, Karnataka, India

DR. VIBHA DHAWAN
Director, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)
New Delhi, Delhi, India

DR. SONALI GHOSH (IFS)
Field Director, Kaziranga National Park, Assam
Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India

BITTU SAHGAL
Environmental activist, writer, Founder of Sanctuary Nature Foundation
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

VIVEK MENON
Founder and Executive Director, Wildlife Trust of India
Delhi, India

USHA LACHUNGPA
Retd. Principal, Chief Research Officer, Department of Forest and Environment, Govt. of Sikkim
Sikkim, India

DR. EKLABYA SHARMA
Strategic Advisor and Dishtinguished Senior Research Fellow, ATREE
Bangalore, Karnataka, India

DR. JITENDRA VIR SHARMA
Director Land Resources Division, TERI
New Delhi, Delhi, India

DR. VISHWAS CHITALE
Senior Programme Lead, Climate Resilience, Council on Energy, Environment and Water
Delhi, India

KIM SHARMA
Actor, India
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Dr. Dhrupad Choudhury
Senior Adviser, The Indigenous Partnership for Agrobiodiversity and Food Sovereignty (TIP)
Rome

SANDEEP TIWARI
Deputy Chief of Conservation, Wildlife Trust of India
India

DR, SARALA KHAILING
Sr. Fellow & Regional Director, Ashoka Trust for Rsearch in Ecology and Environment
Darjeeling, West Bengal, India

S RAMADORAI
"Former CEO & MD of Tata Consultancy Services, Chairman Mission Karmayogi Bharat"
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

RITURAJ PHUKAN
"Founder and president of the Indigenous People's Climate Justice Forum "
Nagaon, Assam, India

DR. DIVYA SHARMA
Executive Director, India Chair / Wholetime Director, India board of directors, Climate Group
New Delhi, Delhi, India

PRABHJOT SODHI
Senior Programme DirectorSenior Programme Director Centre for Environment Education
New Delhi, Delhi, India

MAYALMITH LEPCHA
Sikkim Indigenous Lepcha Women’s Association and Affected Citizens of Teesta
Dzongu, Sikkim, India

ANUJ SHARMA
FounderFounder ALSiSAR IMPACT & Co-Founder Earth Analytics India Ltd.
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

KAUSHIK DEKA
Executive Editor, India Today Magazine
New Delhi, Delhi, India

ITTISHA SARAH
Co-Founder of the Northeast Waste Collective
Assam, India

MADHURI NANDA
Director - South Asia at Rainforest Alliance
Delhi, India

DR. NARAYAN SHARMA
Professor, Department of Environmental Biology and Wildlife Sciences, Cotton University, Guwahati
Guwahati, Assam, India

DR. PRANAB J PATAR
President (Hon), Assam Science Society - Delhi & NCR Chapter
Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India

SASHIDHAR VEMPALA
Chief Sustainability Officer - HUL
Gurgaon, Haryana, India

Rajesh Thadani
Executive Director, Centre for Ecology Development and Research (CEDAR), India

Dr. Fawzia Tarannum
Founder, Earthwise Environment and Sustainability Solutions

Nusrat Pathan
Head - CSR, HDFC Bank Limited

RAVI SINGH
Secretary General and CEO of WWF
Delhi, India

SHEKHAR GUPTA
Editor-in-Chief and Chairman, ThePrint
Delhi, India

ANIL CHOUDHRY
Former MD and Country President, Schneider Electric
Delhi, India

PANKAJ SHARMA
Former Official at the Assam Forest Department
Guwahati, Assam, India

BHASKAR JYOTI PHUKAN
Managing Director, Numaligarh Refinery Limited
Guwahati, Assam, India

MRINAL TALUKDAR
Journalist, Author, and Consulting Editor, DY 365
Guwahati, Assam, India

SUCHANDRA KUNDU
Founder, Society for Heritage and Ecological Research (SHER)
Sundarbans & Kolkata, India

JOYDIP KUNDU
Founder, Society for Heritage and Ecological Research (SHER)
Sundarbans & Kolkata, India

VAISHNAVI PRABHAKARAN
Head - Sustainability at Tata Power
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

ABHEJIT AGARWAL
Head - Sustainability & CSR, Axis Bank
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

ARUN PANDHI
Founder & Managing Director, P-Green Solutions
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Dr. Binish Desai
Founder, Chief Innovation Officer, ReArtham Environmental Services, India

CHIME PADEN WANGDI
Senior Advisor, Tarayana Foundation, Bhutan
Bhutan

DASHO BENJI DORJI
Bhutanese environmentalist and diplomat
Bhutan

LOBSANG SANGAY
Senior Visiting Fellow at East Asian Legal Studies Program, Harvard Law School, USA

AMBASSADOR ERIC GARCETI
26th United States Ambassador to the Republic of India
United States of America

DR. CHATCHOTE THITARAM
Associate Dean in Research, Innovation and International Affairs; Professor of Practice, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Thailand

CHRISTINA LIPPAI
Executive Director, Wildlife Friendly Enterprises Network
United States of America

MARK TEGENFELDT
Office Director - General Development Office, USAID/India
United States of America

HER EXCELLENCY LINDY CAMERON
British High Commissioner to the Republic of India
United Kingdom

DAVID ABENSOUR
Chief Technology Officer, Agilisys Ltd
United Kingdom

DR. RICHARD MILBURN MBE - ,
Co-Founder, Tunza Games
London, United Kingdom

PROF. JIANCHU XU
Kunming Institute of Botany and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming University
China

RUNA KHAN
Founder of Friendship NGO, Bangladesh
Bangladesh

JESSICA CHEAM - ,
Founder and Managing Director of Eco-Business, Asia Pacific
Singapore

SPENCER LOW - ,
Chief Sustainability Officer, SATS
Singapore

PING MANONGDO - ,
Country Director Philippines and Assistant Director, Partnerships, Eco-Business
Philippines

DR. PEMA GYAMTSHO - ,
Director General, Directorate, ICIMOD
Bhutan

VASUMATHI SRIKANTH -,
Chief Operating Officer, Public Risk Management (PRISM) Institute
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

SHRIKANT MANGALAM - ,
Founder and President, Public Risk Management (PRISM) Institute
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
REACH US
Guwahati, Assam.
Timing will be 10-5:30 pm.