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Climate Change Impacts on High-Altitude Ecosystems pp 177–187Cite as

High-Altitude Plants in Era of Climate Change: A Case of Nepal Himalayas

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Abstract

Biodiversity is the combination of all life-forms at genetic, species, and ecosystem level. Nepal has variation in biodiversity due to variation in geography, altitudinal range, and climate. But global climate is changing naturally, affecting various aspects of life. Long-term impacts of changes in climatic patterns have impacts on the forest resources. Decrease in snowfall and snow cover in the Himalayan region affects the Nomad groups to feed their livestock. Global warming had resulted in shifting of vegetation toward higher altitude, change in phenology, extinction of species, and behavioral change. Temperatures in summer have exceeded the tolerating capacity of the valuable timber species of the higher altitude. High-elevation ecosystems of Himalayan region are the most vulnerable ecosystems of the world. Various observations from the past experimental studies, current ecophysiological and ecological understanding show that forests are highly sensitive to climate change. A slight increase in the mean annual temperature of 1 °C is sufficient enough to bring substantial changes in the growth and regeneration capacity of many tree species. Hence, appropriate measure for the mitigation of anthropogenic greenhouse gases causing climate change is recommended.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Amrit Campus, Tribhuvan University, Thamel, Kathmandu, Nepal

    Anup KC

  2. Central Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

    Ambika Ghimire

Authors
  1. Anup KC
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  2. Ambika Ghimire
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anup KC .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, Ege University, Bornova, Izmir, Turkey

    Münir Öztürk

  2. Faculty of Forestry, University Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia

    Khalid Rehman Hakeem

  3. Faculty of Forestry, University Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia

    I. Faridah-Hanum

  4. Department of Geogaraphy, Balikesir University, Balikesir, Turkey

    Recep Efe

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KC, A., Ghimire, A. (2015). High-Altitude Plants in Era of Climate Change: A Case of Nepal Himalayas. In: Öztürk, M., Hakeem, K., Faridah-Hanum, I., Efe, R. (eds) Climate Change Impacts on High-Altitude Ecosystems. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12859-7_6

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