Transcript Document

Climate Witness Story
A Window to the
Himalayas
- Chungda Sherpa
Date
Namaste!
My name is Chungda Sherpa
I am from Nepal and I am here to
share my story of life in the
Himalayas with you
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My Hometown
I come from a small village
called Ghunsa
It is located in
Kangchenjunga in the
north-eastern side of
Nepal
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My Profession
I am a hotel owner by
profession and run a small
lodge in Ghunsa
I am also a farmer and
own a small plot of land to
feed my family
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My home in Kangchenjunga is
blessed with beauty…
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Be it in the landscape…
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In its people…
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In its forests and rivers…
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And in its wildlife…
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But I fear that this beauty may
completely fade one day…
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With climate change already
posing a threat to my region’s
biodiversity and livelihoods
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Glacial Lakes
When I was young, the Kangchenjunga glacier was large and massive. It
has retreated a lot now.
I can now see glacial lakes forming which could grow larger over time and
become GLOFs posing a threat to our lives and our property.
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Formation of glacial
lakes in Kagchenjunga
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Snow Melts
I remember snow being nearly 5-6 feet deep earlier but now it has gone
down to 3-4 feet. Even the ice which used to be thick even during spring is
now thinning out.
A clear sign of the snow melt can be seen in Thango Peak; earlier it used
to be covered in snow all year round but today it stands bare and rugged.
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A rugged Thango peak
which used to be fully
covered in snow 3-4
years ago
Impact on Livelihoods
Erratic monsoons has proved harmful for our crops, especially potatoes,
and we are observing a lot of diseases in potatoes which were not present
earlier.
I used to be a herder before but left that profession since I lost many of
my livestock. They died because water sources dried up and pasturelands
got degraded.
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Pasturelands are
degrading slowly due to
climate vulnerabilities
which directly impact
community livestock.
Impact on Snow Leopards
I am the Chairperson of the Snow Leopard Conservation Committee and I
have been monitoring snow leopards for the past ten years.
Today, snow leopards are moving upwards from their present habitat due
to receding tree-lines and snow lines. Sighting of snow leopards has in
effect become very difficult.
We may lose many of our snow leopards if the habitat continues to shrink
with the snow melts.
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In Closing
Remote communities like ours live with the impacts of climate change on
a day-to-day basis; we need help to adapt.
More research on glaciers in Kangchenjunga will help us know in greater
detail the extent of the impact of climate change.
If the Himalayas live, we all live.
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Thank you!
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