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
Programme Agenda
Featured
26 September 2024
17 OCT 2024
18 OCT 2024
