The Himalayan region is one of the "Hot Spots Of Biodiversity". The beauty of nature and the rich biodiversity in Uttarakhand has compelled me to visit it again and again.The 2013 floods created an havoc there ,but in 2015 the Roads to Dhams opened again.opened

1. Himalayas
Hot Spot of Biodiversity
Case Study–AVisit toValley of Flowers
Uttarakhand
Indrani Kailas
PGT Biology-KVAshok Nagar, Chennai

2. Hi, I am Indrani, your BiologyTeacher with a case study of Bio diversity in Himalayas.
Himalayas are one of the hot spots of Bio Diversity.
I visitedValleyOf Flowers in Uttarakhand in 2010 after dreaming about it for nearly 30 years and
was spell bound.
But I could also feel the gravity of sixth extinction taking place.
This small state with its rivers, conifer forests, rich bio diversity and pilgrimage sites is really over
exploited.
In the following slides and notes, I have tried to take you along with me on a journey to this valley
of flowers and also experience the problems that the area is facing.
I have included 2 case studies of involvement of residents in preserving the nature and bio
diversity.
One of them is recent where residents are working to keep the valley clean and the other one
happened a few years back called the Chipko Movement in the same area.
Peoples movement is always a powerful movement.
So children gear up to play your role and always remember in Mahatma Gandhi’s words
"Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed.”

3. Himalayas: Hot Spot of Biodiversity
Valley of Flowers Uttarakhand

4. VALLEY OF FLOWERS IS LOCATED 300 KMS
NORTH OF RISHIKESH, NEAR BADRINATH
Valley of Flowers National Park
is a national park, located in West
Himalaya, in the state of
Uttarakhand and is known for its
meadows of endemic alpine
flowers and the variety of flora
and fauna.
It is famous for its picturesquee
breathtaking beauty.

5. On the way to
Govindghat by bus and
enjoying on the banks
of river Alaknanda with
hope and determination
for the wonderful trek
toVOF

6. Trekking to
Ghangaria (17Km)
was a challenge.
With tough and
rough pathway,
ponies and rains
on the way ,
it took 7 hours.

7. Ghangharia ,the base camp on the banks of
river Bhundyar Ganga for the trek toVOF
(that later joins alaknanda which in turn joins the Ganga)

8. Ghangaria- Base camp of the valley

9. Now for the last lap-just 3 Km more!

10. Enter the Valley of Flowers

11. WOW ! I am speechless.

12. Agar firdaus bar roo-e zameen ast, Hameen
ast-o hameen ast-o hameen ast"
this is a famous Persian couplet by a sufi poet, and musician Amir
Khusro which means......
"IfThere Is Paradise On Face OfThe Earth,
It IsThis, It IsThis, It IsThis”

13. HimalayanPotentilla
InulaGrandiflora
Blue poppies
Aster albescence

14. I am mesmerized .The botanist in me takes over
as I collect leaves and flowers for my herbarium.

15. EDC(Eco Development Committee)
Bhundyar valley
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loPhnpxa0Hg
‘Conservation works when it
pays’. This is one example where
local people can be involved in
protection of protected area.
They need to be informed about
their role in protection and
benefit that can be earned from
it. By involving them in the
management, they can do
wanders for protection of a park.

16.  THEVOF tourism generates lot of waste.The
picture shows the sacks full of plastic bottles,
food wrappers and raincoats made of thin
polythene, thrown by pilgrims and tourists.
 In 2011, a group of trekkers saw the sacks piled
at Govindghat and informed their friend Anis
Ahmad,
 Anis Ahmad a waste dealer worked out a deal
with EDC. EDC was paying the transportation
cost. But Ahmad gave EDC Rs 3,000 for each
truck of waste and transported it for free. He
collected 111 tonnes of waste and sold it to a
recycler in Delhi.
 EDC Bhyundar hires youngsters to provide
information to visitors to theValley of Flowers
National Park.They are also trained to work as
guides, accountants, cashiers and computer
operators at the EDC.
Initiative to keep VOF Clean

17. The Chipko Movement
Watch the Documentary Clipping about this movement in the last slide: 2:00 minutes
hi Deforestation has always been a major problem.
DevelopmentVs Conservation is a dilemmaUttarakhand faces.

18. AMRITA DEVI BISHNOI
-The inspiration behind Chipko aandolan.
The sacrifice made by Amrita Devi and others
is a heart-rending example of their love for
nature.The Maharaja of Jodhpur wanted to
build a palace and required wood for it.
To procure this his men went to the village of
Jalnadi to fell the trees.
When Amrita Devi saw this she rushed out to
prevent the men and hugged the first tree, but
the axe fell on her and she died on the spot.
Before dying she uttered the now famous
couplet of the Bishnois, ‘A chopped head is
cheaper than a felled tree’. People from 83
surrounding villages rushed to prevent the
men from felling the trees and by the end of
the day more than 350 had lost lives.

19. Rains and roadslides are common
here .After the severe 2013 floods,
the road to theValley was badly
damaged; many pedestrian bridges
got swept away and as a result the
tourists were barred from heading
towards theValley.
It opened only in June 2015.

20. I sit down on the sandy river bank at Harshil,
as the mighty Ganga flows in front.
Emerging from the gigantic glacier,‘Gomukh,
flowing merrily with force & energy.
Wide sandy shore on the sides with pebbles,
The tall conifers with deep green needles.
The snow capped mountains forming a background
Overwhelmed by nature ,I gaze at this panoramic view.
Then close eyes to feel the fresh cool mountain breeze.
A sudden sound awakens me from my blissful slumber
to see a tirade of stones falling from the top one after
another.
Mighty Ganga,the perennial river

21. Mighty Ganga,
a Perennial River
A big sound of dynamite and the smaller
ones of the falling stones
jolt me roughly into the reality to see the
hidden but inevitable truth
I open my eyes and feel a lump in my throat.
The magical moment is lost and peace has been
pierced by a multitude of thoughts
deforestation,soil erosion,green house gases ,
global warming and melting Gomukh!
The question looms large
“Mighty Ganga ,will it be perennial ?”

22.  a) What do you think of the tourists’ behaviour?
 b) How will you support the boy?
 c) suggest two ways to handle plastic bottle problem
in the valley.
Value Based Questions for AISSCE
You happen to visit VOF and see a local Garhwali boy (EDC
volunteer) trying to stop a tourist from throwing plastic bottle
.The tourists are loudly making fun of the boy.

23. This case study was aimed at creating an awareness about the
importance of Biodiversity in the Hot Spot Of biodiversity ,”The Himalayas”.
Indiscriminate over exploitation ,building dams, roads and habitations has
lead to habitat loss endangering the ecological ,species & genetic diversity.
The effort to slow down this works beautifully when local people
participate in it.
People and Government together can preserve this wonderful
gift of nature for the future generations
As the vibrant energetic youngsters your values,
thoughts and actions are very important.
ThankYou
Food For Thought ……

24. ॐ सर्वे भर्वन्तु सुखिनः
सर्वे सन्तु ननरामयाः ।
सर्वे भद्राखि पश्यन्तु
मा कश्श्िद्ुःिभाग्भर्वेत् ।
ॐ शाश्न्तः शाश्न्तः शाश्न्तः
Om, May All become Happy,
May All be Free from Illness.:
MayAll See what is Auspicious,:
May no one Suffer.:
Om Peace, Peace, Peace.
Preserve Nature,
And Nature will preserve Us,
Simplify Life,
And make the Nature thrive,
PlantTrees,
And make our planet Green.
Hope you enjoyed this lesson.
Next watch the video clipping.
ThankYou. Indrani Kailas