During the 1950s, Austrian and Swiss scientists conducted intensive studies of the Everest region in Nepal taking photographs of the glaciers, mountains and valleys. Around the same time, the Swiss glaciologist Fritz Müller spent eight months in the region at locations above 5000 metres, studying and photographing the Himalayan glaciers.

Now, fifty years later, the black and white photographs taken by these scientists are of immense value in trying to understand the impacts of climate change on the world’s highest mountain range, the Himalayas. Mountain geographer Alton Byers revisited many of the sites of the original photographs in 2007 to take replicates. The old and new photographs have now been united in a unique photo exhibition: Himalaya – Changing Landscapes, on show outside the Hanuman Dhoka temple in Kathmandu Durbar Square. The exhibition is part of the 25th Anniversary celebrations for ICIMOD and is promoted by the Nepal Tourism Board.

The Himalaya – Changing Landscapes photo exhibition aims to raise awareness of the impact of climate change and of the new challenges mountain people are facing. The stunning repeat panorama views of mountains and glaciers are accompanied by images of the Himalayan people, as well as photographs of the scientists conducting glacier research in the 1950s. The two-metre long photo panels are located outside the Hanuman Dhoka temple; entrance to the exhibition is free of charge.

Climate change is affecting people and the environment around the globe. This is especially evident in the Himalayas. The greater Himalayan region has the largest concentration of snow and ice outside the two poles. Warming in the Himalayan region has been much greater than the global average and the rising temperatures are leading to rapid melting of the glaciers. Weather patterns are becoming more unpredictable and extreme with prolonged dry spells and very strong storm events. This phenomenon is causing concern over the long-term reduction in total water supply, affecting the lives and livelihoods of the Himalayan people, especially in agriculture practices and long-term food security. Ten river systems originating in the Himalayas bring water to a mountain population of around 200 million, while the vast water basins downstream are home to a further 1.3 billion people. In total 1.5 billion people – a fifth of the world’s population - depend on the Himalayan rivers for their water supply. The lives and livelihoods of the people are likely to be severly affected by the shrinking of the glaciers.

In the words of Dr. Andreas Schild, Director General of ICIMOD; “What we see here at the Himalaya photo exhibition is just the tip of the iceberg. The changes taking place are alarming, and the time to act is now. Scientific evidence shows that the effects of globalisation and climate change are being felt in even the most remote Himalayan environments. While climate change is mostly caused by the highly industrialised parts of the world, the effects are taking their toll in the sensitive mountain areas. The signs are visible, but there is very little in-depth knowledge and data available from the Himalayan region. Global measures of scientific co-operation and regional collaboration are needed to reduce this information gap. What happens in this remote mountain region is a serious concern for the whole world”.

To respond to the effects of climate change, the Nepal Government, Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation, and the Nepal Tourism Board have jointly created a special fund: the ‘Climate Neutral Planet Fund-Nepal’. We believe this gesture will also help transmit a strong message to everyone to mitigate the challenges of climate change. Nepal Tourism Board's partnership with this Photo Exhibition is a further step on the part of the Board to raise awareness on this issue, which will be crucial for the prospects of tourism in the years to come.

The Himalaya – Changing Landscapes photo exhibition was first unveiled in a small format at the Mount Everest Base Camp (5300m) in April 2008, making it the highest photo exhibition in the world. The exhibition has already had European showings in Stockholm and in Barcelona. After Kathmandu the exhibition will travel back to Europe where it is expected to be shown in Germany, Switzerland and Italy in 2009. For future exhibition dates and locations please see HYPERLINK "http://www.changing-landscapes.com" www.changing-landscapes.com

During the 1950s, Austrian and Swiss scientists conducted intensive studies of the Everest region in Nepal taking photographs of the glaciers, mountains and valleys. Around the same time, the Swiss glaciologist Fritz Müller spent eight months in the region at locations above 5000 metres, studying and photographing the Himalayan glaciers.

Now, fifty years later, the black and white photographs taken by these scientists are of immense value in trying to understand the impacts of climate change on the world’s highest mountain range, the Himalayas. Mountain geographer Alton Byers has revisited many of the sites of the original photographs and taken replicates, illustrating the changes in the landscape. The old and new photographs have now been united in a unique photo exhibition: Himalaya – Changing Landscapes, currently on show at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Barcelona. The exhibition is part of the 25th Anniversary celebrations for ICIMOD and has been organised in partnership with the BBVA Foundation.

“Only five decades have passed between the old and the new photographs and the changes are dramatic. Many small glaciers at low altitudes have disappeared entirely and many larger ones have lost around half of their volume. Some have formed huge glacial lakes at the foot of the glacier, threatening downstream communities in case of an outburst”, says Byers.

The Himalaya – Changing Landscapes photo exhibition aims to raise awareness of the impact of climate change and of the new challenges facing the mountain people. The stunning repeat panorama views of mountains and glaciers are accompanied by images of the Himalayan people and their stories, as well as photographs of the scientists conducting glacier research in the 1950s. The four-metre long photo panels making up the exhibition are located outside the Barcelona International Convention Centre, and entrance is free for conference participants and the general public alike.

Climate change is affecting people around the globe, and this is especially evident at the top of the world around Mount Everest and the high peaks of the Himalayan mountain range. The greater Himalayan region has the largest concentration of snow and ice outside the two poles. Warming temperatures cause rapid melting of the glaciers, severely affecting the people downstream. Ten river systems originating in the Himalayas bring water to a mountain population of around 200 million, while the vast water basins downstream are home to a further 1.3 billion people. In total 1.5 billion people – a fifth of the world’s population - depend on the Himalayan rivers for their water supply.

The Hindu Kush-Himalayan region is the highest, most complex mountain region in the world. It extends more than 3500km over eight countries, from Afghanistan in the north-west to Myanmar in the south-east. The area ranges from the high plateau of Tibet and other mountain areas of China to the Ganges Basin in India, and has the upland watersheds of the ten major Asian river systems.

Warming in the Himalayan region has been much greater than the global average. Weather patterns are becoming more unpredictable and extreme – dry seasons become dryer and wet seasons wetter. This phenomenon is causing concern over the long-term reduction in total water supply, affecting the lives and livelihoods of the Himalayan people, especially in agriculture practices and long-term food security.

In the words of Dr. Andreas Schild, Director General of ICIMOD; “What we see here at the Himalaya photo exhibition is just the tip of the iceberg. The changes taking place are alarming, and the time to act is now. Scientific evidence shows that the effects of globalisation and climate change are being felt in even the most remote Himalayan environments. While climate change is mostly caused by the highly industrialised parts of the world, the effects are taking their toll in the sensitive mountain areas. The signs are visible, but the in-depth knowledge and data from the Himalayan region is largely missing. Global measures of scientific co-operation and regional collaboration are needed to reduce this information gap. What happens in this remote mountain region is a serious concern for the whole world”.

The Himalaya – Changing Landscapes photo exhibition was first unveiled in a customised format at the Mt. Everest Base Camp (5300m) in April 2008, making it the highest photo exhibition in the world. After Barcelona the exhibition will travel to Kathmandu for ICIMOD’s 25th Anniversary celebrations. For future exhibition dates and locations please see www.changing-landscapes.com.

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and the World Agroforesty Center , China ( ICRAF-China) alert the global community to the impacts of climate change on the Himalayan water resources.

A joint ICIMOD/ICRAF-China seminar on Asian Water Towers is being held as part of the World Water Week in Stockholm to raise awareness amongst the international community, and to identify policy options strengthening the adaptation and resilience of the mountain people. High level representatives from Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal and Pakistan are presenting their analysis from their respective points of view.

Global climate change is causing rapid melting of snow and glaciers in the Himalayan region. The Greater Himalaya has the largest concentration snow and Ice outside the two poles. Water from the Himalayan river systems flows into water basins with a total population of almost 1.3 billion. Warming in the Himalayan region has been much greater than global average. Both increasing and decreasing rain fall patters have been detected in the area. Weather patterns are becoming more unpredictable and extreme – dry seasons become dryer and wet seasons wetter. This phenomenon is causing concern over the long term reduction in total water supply, affecting lives and livelihoods of the Himalayan people, especially in agriculture practices and long term food security.

Ten large river systems originate from the high Himalayan mountains. The river basins of these systems provide water for 1.3 billion people in the basins, and around 200 million people in the upstream. The developed world produces green house gases in far bigger quantity than the Himalayan countries. Yet the people in the Himalayan region are paying the price of climate change in the form of extreme weather events such as flash floods, glacial lake outburst floods, high intensity rain fall and extreme drought.

Strengthening the resilience of the mountain population, without jeopardizing economic growth, means that substantial efforts will have to be made in adaptation. This means large investments, and also long term institutional cooperation.

Says Dr. Andreas Schild, Director General of ICIMOD, “The signs of global climate change are visible, but the in-depth knowledge and data from the Himalayan region is largely missing. There is an urgent need to increase scientific co-operation and regional collaboration to reduce this information gap.” For the policy orientation the following lines of action should be considered:

Increasing the capacity to manage risk and hazards affecting the most vulnerable people.

Increasing the regional and transboundary cooperation to improve early warning systems.

Promoting integrated river basin and water management schemes.

Strengthening policies which enable the storage of surplus water during the monsoon, and improving the availability of water during dry season (watershed development, afforestation, infrastructure for water storage and hydro electricity).

Promoting the exchange of scientific data thus reducing uncertainty, and clarifying the relation between economic growth, pollution and the receding cryosphere in the Himalayas.

The Hindu Kush-Himalayan region is the highest, most complex mountain region in the world. It extends more than 3500km over eight countries, from Afghanistan in the north-west to Myanmar in the south-east. The region ranges from the plateau regions of Tibet and other mountain areas of China, to the Ganges Basin in India, and has the upland watersheds of the ten major Asian river systems.

In addition to the seminar an ICIMOD photo exhibition titled Himalaya – Changing Landscapes is also presented at the World Water Week. The exhibition aims to raise awareness of the impact of climate change on the Himalayan glaciers by showing repeat photographs, taken fifty years apart, of the mountains and valleys in the Mount Everest region in Nepal.

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) showcased a photo exhibition ‘Himalaya: Changing Landscapes’ at the Stockholm World Water Week, 17-23 August 2008, to raise awareness of the impact of global warming and climate change in the Himalayan region, and complementing the seminar ‘Himalayan Water Towers: Resources Under Threat?’ held on 21 August.

The exhibition displayed repeat panoramas of mountains, valleys, and glaciers in the Khumbu region of Nepal in the 1950s and in 2007; scientific teams conducting research in the 1950s; and portraits of mountain people. The photos provided a striking illustration of the impacts of climate change and glacial melting in the Himalayas over the last half century. A sound installation illustrated this symbolically: melting water from three tubes of ice caused a small hammer to hit Tibetan singing bowls every couple of minutes, which attracted much attention.

During the 1950s and 1960s, Austrian and Swiss scientists conducted intensive studies of the Everest region of Nepal. The glaciers, mountains, and valleys of the Khumbu were meticulously photographed and measured by these teams. Around the same time, the Swiss glaciologist Fritz Müller spent eight months in Khumbu at locations above 5000 meters, studying and photographing the mighty Himalayan glaciers.

Now, fifty years later, the hundreds of black and white photographs taken by these climber scientists are of immense value in trying to understand the impacts of climate change on the world’s highest mountain range, the Himalayas.

Mountain geographer Alton Byers has revisited many of the sites of the original photographs and taken replicates, illustrating the changes in the climatic, cultural and physical landscapes of the Khumbu that have occurred over the past half century.

The old and new panorama photographs have now been united in a unique photo exhibition: Himalaya –Changing Landscapes. The exhibition has been put together as part of the 25th Anniversary celebrations for the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), a regional knowledge and learning centre working for the mountains and people of the Himalayas.

The exhibtion can be seen from August 17 - 23 at the World Water Week 2008 in Stockholm.

www.changing-landscapes.com