National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem
Also called: NMSHE · Topic: Climate Change: Causes, Evidence and the Global Response · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) is one of the eight missions of India's National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), launched in 2008. It studies the Himalaya's glaciers, forests, wildlife and other living things so that India can understand how climate change affects these mountains. It helps Himalayan states set up climate cells, which are small state teams that track climate risks and plan responses. It also records the traditional knowledge of mountain people. This matters because Himalayan glaciers feed the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra, and warming is shrinking them quickly.
Example
South Lhonak Lake in north Sikkim is a lake formed by a melting glacier. In 2023 it burst its banks and caused a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF), a sudden flood of water from such a lake. Watching glaciers and the new lakes they leave behind is the kind of work NMSHE supports.
Don't confuse with
- ICIMOD: it is a regional body that studies the whole Hindu Kush Himalaya across several countries. NMSHE is India's own national mission under the NAPCC.
Related concepts
- National Action Plan on Climate Change
- National Solar Mission
- Green India Mission
- Panchamrit
- Carbon Credit Trading Scheme