The rich and varied biodiversity of the Himalayas is threatened by climate change. A study carried out in the western Himalayas by scientists of the Zoological Survey of India has predicted the loss of about 73% of the Himalayan brown bears (Ursus arctos isabellinus) habitat by the year 2050. “These losses in habitat will also result in loss of habitat from 13 protected areas (PAs), and eight of them will become completely uninhabitable by the year 2050, followed by loss of connectivity in the majority of PAs. Furthermore, simulation suggests a significant qualitative decline in remaining habitats of the species within the protected areas of the landscape,” Lalit Sharma, head of the wildlife section of ZSI and the lead author of the study, told The Hindu. 

Some studies predict that over the Indian region, warming could be about 2.1 to 2.6°C in the 2050s and 3.3 to 3.8°C in the 2080s.