Himalayan Forests in Changing World: Volume I: Understanding Structure, Function and Environmental Drivers

This first volume on Himalayan forests discusses the synthesis of Himalayan forest ecosystems. It begins with contextual foundations that establish the environmental background and climate patterns crucial for understanding these mountains. The chapters provide context through detailed examination of Himalayan climate dynamics and a novel leaf-based classification system, setting the framework for understanding major forest types and associations across elevational gradients. This book places particular emphasis on forest hydrological processes through critical review of water-forest interactions. This then further reveals topographic and climatic factors that govern forest distribution and crucial water regulation services these ecosystems provide to downstream communities. This book covers forest phenology, nutrient cycling, carbon dynamics and productivity and thus demonstrates the intricate functioning of these high-altitude ecosystems. 

By collating scattered research and enhancing understanding of ecological processes, hydrology and ecosystem functioning, this volume establishes a comprehensive knowledge foundation. The chapter on forest fire focuses on the nature of fire regime, and its ecological implications. The integration of traditional ecological approaches with cutting-edge methodologies provides both theoretical depth and practical applications. Essential for forest researchers, ecosystem ecologists, and graduate students, this volume serves as the definitive reference for understanding Himalayan forests in their unique environmental context.

Dr. S.P. Singh is amongst the best known Himalayan ecologists. His research interests range from the blade of a leaf to ecosystem services. He and his associates have studied almost all dimensions of forest ecosystems, including biomass and productivity, nutrient cycling, carbon budget, phenology, tree water relations, fire adaptations and ecosystem services. He has played a vital role in the recognition of Himalayan ecosystems as a global asset and developed the concept of ecosystem services in national accounting in India. Prestigious national academies such as Indian National Science Academy (INSA) have acknowledged Dr. Singh’s work by recognizing him as a Fellow of the Academy. He has chaired several national level committees advancing science education and Himalayan development. He has published over 200 research papers in peer-reviewed national and international journals of well-repute.

Dr. Rajesh Thadani is an ecologist with a Ph.D. and Masters in Forestry from Yale University, USA. He has taught at Yale and has extensive experience working in the Himalaya as the founder of CEDAR – a research based organization, and the Chief Executive of Chirag - a grassroots NGO. He has helped establish several non-profits in the Himalaya and is Chair of KGU, a not-for-profit company as well as of a prestigious Mumbai college. He is on the board of Himmotthan and NEIDA which together work in over one thousand villages of the Western and Eastern Himalaya. He has over 30 publications on Himalayan and temperate forests. He also has over 15 years work experience in the corporate sector having headed a prominent manufacturing company.