Protection of Cultural Diversity in the Himalayas

The highest mountain range in the world is much more than the physical mass that most of the world recognizes. Stretching in an immense arc of 2500 kms in length, along the boundaries and covering parts of 5 Asian countries, the rugged terrain of the Himalaya range is broken intermittently by valleys and plateaux that have allowed habitation. Although a tremendously difficult terrain, the Himalayas are thus inhabited by a sizeable population of 65.57 million belonging to different indigenous tribes. Of this, 36.32 million reside in India (25% in western Himalayas, 54% in central Himalayas and 21% in eastern Himalayas), 27.07 million in Nepal and 2.18 million in Bhutan1.