Eastern Himalayas

Sitting at the juncture between Asia and the Indian subcontinent, the Eastern Himalayas includes Bhutan, northeastern India and southern, central and eastern Nepal. Previously classified as a region within the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot, the Eastern Himalayas Region now stretches across the Indo-Burma and Himalaya hotspots, with the latter being identified as a new hotspot in 2005.

Among the important globally threatened mammals found here are Asia’s three largest herbivores—Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), greater one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) and wild water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis)—and its largest carnivore, the tiger (Panthera tigris), as well as several large birds such as vultures, adjutant storks and hornbills.

The top predators, large herbivores and specialized pollinators that inhabit the Eastern Himalayas play critical roles in maintaining the health of the varied ecosystems.

Throughout the rugged landscape, traditional village-level and other community-level institutions have played dominant roles in protecting community resources. Even today, most local communities are heavily dependent on forest products, natural resources and ecological services for their livelihoods and daily subsistence. However, chronic collection of non-timber forest products; harvest of trees for fuel, fodder and lumber; and conversion of forests for agriculture have contributed to ecosystem degradation and habitat loss across the Himalayas.

We aim to strengthen the role of communities and local groups in biodiversity conservation and restoration in key sites and landscapes in the Eastern Himalayas.

Our support to civil society in this region began in 2005 guided by an ecosystem profile developed with stakeholders. An important component of the strategy is building of alliances and coalitions among civil society groups to scale up their ability to address landscape conservation issues and influence national policies in favor of biodiversity.

Our support focuses primarily on 60 key biodiversity areas, many of which are found in five large landscapes: Terai Arc Landscape, Bhutan Biological Conservation Complex, Kangchenjunga-Singalila Complex, Kaziranga-Karbi Anlong Landscape and North Bank Landscape. The Kangchenjunga-Singalila Complex, for example, includes five priority sites and represents a complex of trans-boundary reserves in eastern Nepal and Sikkim and Darjeeling in India.

Four strategic directions guide our investments:

1. Build on existing landscape conservation initiatives to maintain and restore connectivity and to protect wide-ranging threatened species in priority corridors with a particular emphasis on the Bhutan Biological Conservation Complex, Kangchenjunga-Singalila Complex and North Bank Landscape.
2. Secure the conservation of priority site outcomes (key biodiversity areas) in the Eastern Himalayas with a particular emphasis on the Bhutan Biological Conservation Complex, Kangchenjunga-Singalila Complex and North Bank Landscape.
3. Leverage partnerships among donor agencies, civil society and government institutions to achieve priority biodiversity conservation outcomes over the long term.
4. Develop a small grants program to safeguard globally threatened species in the Eastern Himalayas.

More Maps

Conservation Outcomes and Priority Areas for CEPF Investment. Map (PDF, 2.8 MB)