Amid China-India Border Row, Rapid Development Takes a Toll on Himalayan Wildlife, Environment

Feb 19, 2023 | Abhishek Sharma
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India and China’s 16th round of negotiations over their border conflict ended yet again last July without any breakthrough. As India boosts its military investments and infrastructure along its disputed border with China, the rapid rate of development has raised ecological and environmental concerns for local communities and wildlife in the Himalayan region.The government’s moves reveal a lack of understanding associated with unplanned development and disasters. A holistic approach recognising the security linkages in the region based on multi-stakeholder consultation should be the way forward. But this is not happening.

Sustaining defence personnel in the border region would require a vast land area, threatening protected areas such as wildlife sanctuaries in the Ladakh region, one of India’s 10 vital “biogeographic zones”.