Charting New Pathways for Climate Resilience in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR)

Indian Himalayan Region Climate Change Conclave 2025, held from October 16 to 17 at the Imphal City Convention Centre

Imphal: The Indian Himalayan Region Climate Change Conclave 2025, held from October 16 to 17 at the Imphal City Convention Centre, marked a decisive strategic pivot in India’s approach to mountain development and climate adaptation. Organized by the Directorate of Environment and Climate Change, Government of Manipur, the two-day meeting convened under the critical theme: "Perspectives of Research, Practice, Policy, and Communication" . This event served not merely as a forum for dialogue but as a crucial step toward building collaborative efforts among the Himalayan states, promoting sustainable development, and responding effectively to escalating climate challenges.

Historically, the IHR discourse has often centered on the Western Himalayas, driven by concerns over the retreat of large glaciers that feed major river systems like the Indus and Ganges. While the region remains the source of many of Asia's major rivers, which sustain approximately 1.5 billion people , focusing the 2025 Conclave in Imphal—the capital of Manipur in the Eastern Himalayan Region—demands a comprehensive review of distinct regional vulnerabilities. The Eastern Himalayas, including Manipur, are profoundly influenced by the Asian summer monsoon and receive substantially more rainfall than snowfall, contrasting sharply with the western ranges influenced by Western Disturbances. This geographical and climatic distinction mandates attention to immediate climate impacts such as intensified rainfall, monsoon instability, and subsequent flooding, ensuring a more balanced, pan-Himalayan adaptive strategy.
In his inaugural address, Dr. Puneet Kumar Goel, Chief Secretary of Manipur, underscored the urgency of adopting a united approach through aligned policy, enhanced research, and widespread knowledge-sharing. He specifically highlighted Manipur’s inherent vulnerability, being surrounded by hills and valleys, and the observed trend of rising temperatures and frequent flooding, mirroring recent incidents in Imphal itself. These compounded challenges pose significant threats to critical sectors, including agriculture, water security, health, and livelihoods. The Chief Secretary reaffirmed the State Government's commitment to community-based and adaptive strategies, which include ongoing pilot projects that leverage traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) alongside modern scientific practices to bolster community resilience.
The proceedings of the Conclave were set against the backdrop of alarming global and regional meteorological reports published earlier in 2025. The Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update, published by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in May 2025, projected that global temperatures are expected to persist at or near record levels over the following five years . This trajectory significantly increases climate risks and heightens harmful impacts on societies, economies, and sustainable development, driving more intense droughts, extreme rainfall, and accelerated melting of ice sheets and glaciers .
A profound regional instability was evidenced by the unprecedented meteorological anomaly recorded in September 2025: the breaching of monsoon moisture over the high Himalayan barrier and onto the Tibetan Plateau. This highly unusual event was facilitated by the confluence of robust, often distinct, atmospheric systems. The season witnessed a record 19 Western Disturbances interacting with strengthened monsoonal advection, far exceeding the usual four to six such disturbances. This interaction amplified the vertical transport of air, pushing moisture-laden monsoon winds to altitudes exceeding 2,000 meters—significantly above the normal height—allowing moisture to penetrate the barrier. This synergy of meteorological events suggests that climate change is contributing to more intense disturbances and greater atmospheric unpredictability, potentially enabling "abrupt climate system mayhem". The occurrence necessitates an immediate and rapid recalibration of State Action Plans on Climate Change (SAPCCs) across the IHR to model and prepare for the enhanced potential for extreme, synergistic weather and associated transboundary hydrological impacts.
Furthermore, the discussion acknowledged the complex reality of glacial melt. While most glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region are unequivocally retreating , the immediate consequences for regional water supply remain opaque. Current projections suggest that meltwater supply is likely to increase until roughly the 2050s, followed by a sharp decline, contingent on the extent of global warming. This temporal dichotomy confirms that in the short-to-medium term, constraints on water security are often imposed by social changes—specifically, shifting patterns of water use and inadequate water management decisions—which frequently exert impacts on demand that are equal to, or greater than, environmental factors impacting supply. Consequently, policy emphasis must pivot toward structural and social solutions, such as community-managed water governance models, rather than solely focusing on upstream glacier dynamics.
The selection of Imphal as the host city compelled participants to confront the acute, localized vulnerabilities prevalent in the Eastern IHR, characterized by rapid ecosystem degradation and significant socio-economic fragility. A primary focus was the environmental crisis gripping Loktak Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Northeast India. Despite its designation as a Ramsar site (wetland of international importance) in 1990, the lake is currently listed under the Montreaux Record, indicating profound ecological change caused by both climate change and human-induced threats. Climate variability acts as a formidable risk multiplier within this fragile system. High-intensity hailstorms and floods experienced in May 2024 severely exacerbated existing pollution, resulting in the lake becoming inundated with silt, sewage, plastic, and various debris. This contamination has halted fishing activities, impacting local livelihoods and causing widespread fish mortality due to foul-smelling water and pollution. Furthermore, hydrological studies project that the broader northeastern Indian region will face warmer and wetter conditions in the coming years, potentially causing streamflows into Loktak Lake to spike during monsoon seasons, thereby increasing the risk and severity of flooding. This cycle represents a vicious feedback loop: intense climate events increase the transport of pollutants into critical wetlands, and the resulting ecological degradation reduces the natural flood buffering capacity of the ecosystem, which in turn intensifies the impact of future extreme weather, threatening the local economy based on fishing and tourism.
The physical manifestation of this crisis includes the deterioration of the unique floating islands, or phumdis, which constitute the sole habitat for the endemic brown-antlered deer. The alteration of monsoon flood timings due to climate change directly harms these habitats, linking physical climate shifts to severe biodiversity loss and undermining cultural heritage and national park tourism revenue. To effectively intervene, collaborative international and local efforts are underway, including paleoecological assessments of lake sediments, aimed at reconstructing the history of deterioration over the past 150 years and quantifying pollution loads (sewage, fertilizers, plastics) to establish a much-needed pre-human disturbance ecological baseline.
The ecological vulnerability of Manipur is compounded by high population density, over-reliance on natural resources, and inherent socio-economic fragility. Climate change is causing demonstrable shifts in species distribution, forcing organisms to migrate to higher altitudes, which threatens the survival of endemic species that lack the capacity to relocate due to their specialized habitat requirements and limited distribution. The vulnerability nexus extends directly to human health and societal stability. As affirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO), climate change intensifies extreme weather events, which function as risk multipliers that worsen food insecurity, facilitate the spread of vector-borne diseases, and place immense pressure on already fragile health systems . These cumulative climate-sensitive health risks are disproportionately borne by the most vulnerable and disadvantaged communities in low-resource settings .
A strategic assessment of the Eastern Himalayas reveals that environmental degradation—driven by climate stress alongside unsustainable land use, habitat fragmentation, deforestation, and illegal wildlife trade —is intrinsically linked to socio-economic instability and potential conflict. The confluence of rising youth unemployment, persistent poverty, and the collapse of environmental resources provides the impetus for illegal natural resource exploitation, including the wildlife trade, which is largely driven by demand from markets in China and Southeast Asia. This situation accelerates conflict over increasingly scarce resources, particularly water and land. Addressing climate adaptation in Manipur, therefore, cannot be separated from strategies aimed at conflict mitigation and socio-economic stabilization.
The Conclave highlighted a consensus that effective regional policy is severely hampered by fundamental gaps in research, data collection, and the synthesis of existing knowledge. A persistent challenge identified across the IHR is the dearth of consistent, high-altitude field measurements, particularly concerning the cryosphere. Currently, there are virtually no weather stations in India situated above 4,000 meters, which is the altitude range where most glaciers originate. Consequently, climate data for the uppermost reaches of the Himalayas are largely derived from satellite studies. While satellite data are invaluable for macro-level analysis, a critical reliance on them without corresponding ground-level verification risks generating scientifically incomplete policy interventions that are inadequate at the catchment level. Crucially, there is also an acute lack of data concerning permafrost—the ice layer beneath the ground—which critically influences both water flows and slope stability. The thawing of permafrost leads to soil surface loss of strength, which can cause subsidence and destroy vital infrastructure such as roads. This knowledge deficit must be urgently addressed. If accurate, localized data on demographics, water demand, and scarcity are not consistently collected , water management decisions—especially those related to streamflow impacts from changing glacial melt —will continue to be misaligned with local socio-economic realities. The Conclave emphasized that central institutions, particularly the National Mission on Himalayan Studies (NMHS), alongside state governments, must urgently invest in physical monitoring infrastructure to address these crucial data lacunae.
A cornerstone of the Imphal Declaration is the official commitment to integrating traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) with modern practices to enhance community resilience, as championed by the Manipur State Government. This integration is not merely a token gesture but a necessary mechanism for providing the context-specific, practical solutions often missing from centralized scientific reports. Effective climate response strategies require a rigorous, holistic assessment of TEK practices that identifies and leverages their integrated benefits and inherent synergies . This approach ensures that local, long-tested knowledge—which has guided ancestral communities in adapting to environmental change over millennia —is effectively incorporated into contemporary climate-smart frameworks and village models . The necessity for this integration is further underscored by the acknowledgment that a major research gap across the Eastern IHR is the lack of a "consolidated handbook of proven biodiversity conservation or climate adaptation techniques" tailored to the region. The National Mission on Himalayan Studies (NMHS), which provides financial support for innovative, demand-driven action research across the IHR , explicitly targets the construction of a body of knowledge encompassing both scientific and traditional dimensions. This mission structure validates indigenous and local knowledge as a critical data source for adaptation, directly aligning national research policy with successful community coping strategies. By facilitating this synergy, the mission seeks to strengthen technological innovations that lead to the sustainable management of natural resources, thereby ensuring ecological, water, and livelihood security at local, regional, and national levels.
The Conclave provided a dedicated platform for translating complex climate risks into actionable practice and aligning state-level policies with broader national and transboundary frameworks. Climate change impacts inherently disregard administrative boundaries, a fact particularly salient in the IHR, which spans 12 Indian states and serves as a critical transboundary zone with neighboring countries. Previous high-level IHR summits recognized the urgent need to "Develop a charter of regional cooperation for climate change and disaster risk reduction". Similarly, the WWF advocates for a shared vision and plan involving Bhutan, India, and Nepal for the conservation and sustainable development of the Eastern Himalayas . The Imphal Conclave, due to its location, implicitly highlighted the necessity of moving beyond fragmented state-centric State Action Plans toward a truly cooperative federal and transboundary governance model. The IHR's strategic and ecological importance demands that sustainable mountain development principles be institutionalized, recognizing mountain areas as specific development zones requiring dedicated policy attention. This is being progressively achieved through frameworks like the NITI Aayog's ongoing SDG localization efforts across the North Eastern Region (NER), which promote cooperative federalism and standardized monitoring systems. Such high-level planning is essential for holistic management of shared resources, particularly in complex river basins like the Brahmaputra.
At the practice level, the effectiveness of community-based adaptation (CBA) was reaffirmed as the most critical pathway for improving resilience among the most vulnerable mountain populations . Local populations in the Eastern Himalayas have historically utilized strategies such as community-managed areas (social forestry and joint forest management) to enhance their natural resource base and adaptive capacity . Manipur's pilot projects, which focus on ecosystem restoration and sustainable livelihoods by integrating traditional knowledge, are prime examples of this crucial localization. The Adaptation Policy Framework (APF) offers a methodology to formalize these practices by building on existing knowledge of vulnerable systems—such as agriculture, water resources, and disaster management—to identify and promote "win-win" adaptation strategies. Implementing the APF clarifies adaptation measures, ensures a comprehensive implementation plan, and significantly enhances overall adaptive capacity.
A critical component of the practice dimension is the socio-economic reality of migration. Migration is often a profound, long-standing livelihood strategy in the Eastern Himalayas, but its patterns are now changing in response to accelerating climate shifts and other pressures . Remittances sent home by seasonal or permanent migrants often constitute a crucial financial safety net, allowing families to invest in coping strategies like food security and building more climate-resilient housing . However, climate change also drives rapid displacement; in 2023 alone, over 20 million people globally were internally displaced by sudden-onset weather events, underscoring the crisis aspect of climate-related migration. Policymakers recognize that health systems must adapt to be migrant-inclusive and climate-resilient to effectively address the evolving health needs of displaced populations, a necessity amplified by the potential for 216 million internal climate migrants by 2050. The Conclave's focus on creating resilient livelihood opportunities is therefore a strategic policy measure to address the dual pressures of climate vulnerability and displacement.
The policy discussions in Imphal firmly established that IHR projects must not operate in isolation but must align with India's central development agenda. Specifically, NMHS grants and subsequent regional strategies must complement national priorities such as "Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE)" and "Self-Reliant Bharat," while also fulfilling India's international commitments, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The year 2025 represents a critical juncture globally, as countries finalize their next cycle of NDCs ahead of COP30. NDCs are nationally owned, politically backed pledges that serve as robust tools for integrating climate action with national development priorities and investment plans. By mandating that regional climate projects adhere to NMHS standards and align with the LiFE campaign, policymakers ensure that localized ecological protection in the IHR becomes an integral, financially supported component of India's overarching climate sustainability narrative. This policy-multiplier effect is further reinforced by the NITI Aayog’s SDG localization drive in the NER, guaranteeing that adaptation practices developed in Imphal—such as water conservation and agroecology models —are systematically monitored and evaluated through national SDG frameworks.
The fourth pillar of the Imphal Conclave focused on overcoming the pervasive disconnect between high-level scientific research and on-the-ground action, stressing the need for effective capacity building and targeted public communication. A core objective of the Conclave was to reinforce communication channels for wider public engagement and to ensure that the entire spectrum of evolving knowledge—both scientific findings and cultural knowledge—is readily accessible to communities at every level . The complex scientific projections regarding climate risks, such as the modeling of streamflow alterations resulting from glacial mass balance changes or the sharp decline in meltwater projected post-2050 , often remain inaccessible to the practitioners and local policymakers who need to implement anticipatory strategies.
Effective communication must therefore function as a two-way street. It must translate intricate research into digestible, region-specific policy directives, while simultaneously documenting and disseminating stories of successful local adaptation—and critically, detailing adaptation failures—for the broader learning of the community . This fulfills the "science-policy-practice connect" objective mandated by the NMHS, strengthening the network of practitioners and policymakers working on real-world solutions. Furthermore, policy discussions highlighted that capacity building is fundamentally required for practitioners, governmental bodies, and funding donors to ensure they can effectively utilize and implement community-based adaptation strategies .
The socio-economic stability of the North Eastern Region is acutely sensitive, with the majority of the population relying on climate-sensitive sectors like agriculture, water resources, and forestry. Climate change exacerbates the vulnerability of these livelihoods. In response, the Conclave emphasized that sustainable mountain development requires strategic diversification into alternative livelihood options, empowering local communities—particularly women, whose economic impact must be enumerated and valued—and maximizing the region’s potential for local innovation.
Specific studies conducted by the Indian Himalayan Central University Consortium (IHCUC) focus precisely on these areas: developing eco-friendly and cost-effective tourism, implementing agroecology strategies with robust marketing links, and identifying sustainable livelihood opportunities to curb climate- and poverty-driven migration. By concentrating research on reducing dependence on fragile, agro-based systems, policymakers are directly addressing the socio-economic vulnerabilities that compound climate risk. Since economic instability, population increase, and high dependence on natural resources are significant constraints in Manipur , the integrated focus on watershed management, sustainable tourism, and agroecology models serves as both a climate mitigation strategy and an economic stabilization effort.
The Indian Himalayan Region Climate Change Conclave 2025 in Imphal successfully reframed the IHR climate narrative, compelling a simultaneous focus on the long-term cryosphere crisis of the West and the immediate, intense monsoon-driven and biodiversity threats of the East. The following strategic recommendations synthesize the necessary pathways for coordinated action and investment in the immediate term (2025-2030). Given the acceleration of intense monsoon events and the observed meteorological instability (September 2025 breach) , regional flood and landslide risk mitigation must be prioritized. This includes implementing "Smart & Precision Water Management" strategies and institutionalizing community-managed water governance models. These actions are essential to enhance resilience against erratic monsoons and address recurring urban flood scenarios, such as those recently witnessed in Imphal. There is an urgent mandate to secure and restore 7 million hectares of critical forests, wetlands, and grasslands across the Eastern Himalayas . Priority must be given to conservation and rehabilitation efforts in threatened ecosystems, exemplified by Loktak Lake. These interventions must be guided by rigorous scientific data, utilizing detailed ecological reconstructions to establish valid conservation baselines and inform targeted modern intervention strategies. Developing landscape approaches to conservation, including establishing connectivity corridors between protected areas, will enhance ecosystem resilience, facilitate species conservation, and improve carbon storage .
A dedicated investment road map must be launched to close the critical data gaps identified in 2025. This involves the urgent establishment of field weather stations above the 4,000-meter altitude mark and initiating coordinated, regional, demand-driven research on permafrost stability and catchment-level hydrological changes. The use of NMHS grants for State Government Projects (SGPs) must be strategically targeted to address state-specific vulnerabilities and capacity deficits in high-altitude monitoring. The commitment to develop a Charter of Regional Cooperation for climate change and disaster risk reduction must be formalized immediately. This mechanism is necessary to manage transboundary resources (water, biodiversity) and ensure coordinated, multi-state disaster preparedness, moving beyond decentralized, state-only responses to climate events. The NMHS framework must be utilized to rigorously enforce the integration of climate change and gender equality as mandatory cross-cutting themes in all research proposals for 2025-2026.
This ensures that adaptation strategies directly address the heightened vulnerabilities faced by women and marginalized communities and promote equity in the distribution of climate resilience benefits . In line with the global focus following the 2025 Declaration on Climate Change and Health , health systems across the IHR must be systematically prepared to handle the projected increase in climate-sensitive health risks, including heat stress, exacerbated vector-borne diseases, and the long-term mental and physical health needs of populations displaced by climate events . This includes making health systems robust enough to be inclusive of migrant and displaced populations, as called for by the WHO.