International Journal of Ecology and Environmental Sciences
Development of Ladakh: The Issue of Integrating a Renewable Energy and Tourism based Economy with Pastoralism and Ecology
Abstract
With less than 1% of geographical area (~6 M ha) under human use, Ladakh, the India’s new Union Territory is a cold desert where human presence (density 4.6/km2) is dwarfed by nature’s immensity. This article gives an outline of Ladakh, based on physiography, ecology, culture, natural resources, and discusses the sustainability issues involved in transforming the pastoral life style into one based on renewable energy and tourism. Uncertainties in view of the rapid climate change, which has already depleted several glaciers, pose challenges to sustainable development. Ladakh has a long history embedded in Buddhism in which humans along with their goats and sheep have lived together in a harmony with nature for thousands of years. The rangelands are rich in wild mammals (36 species), like snow leopards, and Tibetan argali. The region has a huge potential for the generation of renewable energy (e.g., solar energy estimated at 35 GW) from over 320 days of sunshine, and geo-thermal sources with implications for India’s carbon neutrality. However, harnessing the sources and transmitting electricity to economic centres through snow covered mountains is a daunting task. Tourism which contributes about 50 percent to the GDP, too has a some of caveats. So, addressing the conflict between infrastructural development for tourism and energy generation on one hand, and sustaining the integrity of rich culture and of rangeland ecosystems on the other, would be of critical importance in a changing climate which threatens the glaciers and other cryosphere components.
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