ABSTRACT
Named the "Roof of the World", the Himalayan Range is the largest mountain range on the planet. Capped by the world's highest peak, Mount Everest, this range hosts the world's tallest 313 summits. This impressive mountain system crosses eight countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. The highest peaks create practically impenetrable borders. China is one of the only countries to maintain a paved mountain pass at an elevation as high as 16,000 feet. Recognizing that major environmental impacts, such as climate change and pollution, could threaten this natural barrier and reduce freshwater flows to the Himalayan population, governments, as well as environmental and conservation groups, have been working to address degradation rates and protect natural resources. It identified a number of challenges to preserving the Himalayan region, including establishing sustainable tourism, teaching ecosystem planning and biodiversity management, dealing with poor watershed management, and mitigating climate change impacts.
