Advances in Asian Human-Environmental Research – serie

This book focuses on irrigation sources together with water management for agricultural development in Uttar Pradesh state of India. Being the most populous state of the country, it bears a burden of feeding about 199 million people of which major section relies on agriculture for their subsistence. This study makes comparison in the growth trends in the irrigated area, crop land use patterns and crop productivity at the district level in different periods of time. The book emphasizes on irrigation water management to optimize crop yields in order to increase Water Productivity of crops in low productivity regions of the state applying suitable technology.This book appeals to researchers and students in geography and planning working on the topics of agriculture as well as irrigation and water management aspects.

This book offers an overview of recent literature on land degradation and its interrelationship with socio-economic development processes in the developing world. It provides an in-depth analysis of land degradation as a physical process, with an emphasis on the local and regional scales. The volume contains a detailed case-study of ravine formation processes in the Chambal valley, a unique but least studied part of the world. Using multi-scale and multi-disciplinary approaches, and combining spatial socio-economic data with remote sensing data, this book provides an in-depth analysis of the causes and implications of land degradation.

This book offers an overview of recent literature on land degradation and its interrelationship with socio-economic development processes in the developing world. It provides an in-depth analysis of land degradation as a physical process, with an emphasis on the local and regional scales. The volume contains a detailed case-study of ravine formation processes in the Chambal valley, a unique but least studied part of the world. Using multi-scale and multi-disciplinary approaches, and combining spatial socio-economic data with remote sensing data, this book provides an in-depth analysis of the causes and implications of land degradation.

This volume uses an innovative and interdisciplinary approach to assess various issues resulting from human-environment interactions in relation to sustainable development. The book encompasses theoretical and applied aspects, using both thematic and regional case studies from India, to highlight the impact of human-environment interactions at various spatio-temporal scales, with each study focusing on a particular anthropogenic issue, particularly in an Indian context. The book's three focal themes (e.g. habitat linkages, ekistics and social ecology, hazard and environmental management) elaborate the essential components of human-environment interactions with nature, its impact on the surrounding natural and social environments, and management techniques through research innovations. Readers will learn how maladjustments, disturbances and disasters are often inevitable byproducts of human-environment systems, and what conceptual and practical strategies can be applied towards sustainable coexistence. The book will be of interest to students, academics and policymakers engaged in environmental management, human-environment interactions and sustainable development.

This volume uses an innovative and interdisciplinary approach to assess various issues resulting from human-environment interactions in relation to sustainable development. The book encompasses theoretical and applied aspects, using both thematic and regional case studies from India, to highlight the impact of human-environment interactions at various spatio-temporal scales, with each study focusing on a particular anthropogenic issue, particularly in an Indian context. The book's three focal themes (e.g. habitat linkages, ekistics and social ecology, hazard and environmental management) elaborate the essential components of human-environment interactions with nature, its impact on the surrounding natural and social environments, and management techniques through research innovations. Readers will learn how maladjustments, disturbances and disasters are often inevitable byproducts of human-environment systems, and what conceptual and practical strategies can be applied towards sustainable coexistence. The book will be of interest to students, academics and policymakers engaged in environmental management, human-environment interactions and sustainable development.

This monograph examines contemporary environmental challenges facing Nepal, this landlocked country’s representativeness in the wider South Asian context is both distinct and generalizable. In large part, this is because of its extremes of physiographical structure- plains, hill ranges, mountainous massifs - and wide range of altitudinal terrains, which represent and replicate South Asian and East Asian continental conditions differing as markedly as humid tropical lowlands, sub-tropical hill ranges and temperate to sub-arctic mountainous environments. Associated forest regimes, in which deforestation and reforestation patterns have evolved in recent times, and differing densities of settlement and cleared agricultural landscapes in each of these altitudinal zones, add to the environmental diversity of Nepal. Associated fauna and exotic species are in various states of endangerment especially Bengal tigers, one horned rhinos, wild elephants, crocodile, musk deer, and peasants, to name a few- so that their forested and mountainous habitats as ‘Wild Life Reserves’ also deserve our attention, and are featured in this monograph’s remit.

The city of Leh is located in the high mountain desert of Ladakh in the Indian Himalayas and access to water has always been limited there. In recent years, the town has experienced high rates of urbanisation on the one hand, and tourist numbers have increased exponentially on the other, which has implications for the water supply of the people living there. Through several years of on-site research, challenges on various levels were documented and current governance approaches were analysed. This research forms the basis for future approaches to sustainable development.

The city of Leh is located in the high mountain desert of Ladakh in the Indian Himalayas and access to water has always been limited there. In recent years, the town has experienced high rates of urbanisation on the one hand, and tourist numbers have increased exponentially on the other, which has implications for the water supply of the people living there. Through several years of on-site research, challenges on various levels were documented and current governance approaches were analysed. This research forms the basis for future approaches to sustainable development.

There is a need of strengthening the global and local response to cope with the threat of climate change and adverse effects of rising anthropogenic activities in the mountain ecosystem. This book provides an up-to-date and comprehensive scientific and technical knowledge based on climate and land cover change impact assessment, adaptation and mitigation strategies in the Indian Himalayan watershed. The text updates the understanding scientific analysis to promote evidence-based policy formulation at regional and local levels. It can be used as reference materials with regards to climate and land cover change for those new learners interested in the mountainous region. This comprehensive book covers a wide range of potential research areas including climate change scenarios, science and its applications, adaptation to climate change-theory and assessment, water resources, agriculture, forest, biodiversity, and ecosystems, indigenous knowledge etc.

There is a need of strengthening the global and local response to cope with the threat of climate change and adverse effects of rising anthropogenic activities in the mountain ecosystem. This book provides an up-to-date and comprehensive scientific and technical knowledge based on climate and land cover change impact assessment, adaptation and mitigation strategies in the Indian Himalayan watershed. The text updates the understanding scientific analysis to promote evidence-based policy formulation at regional and local levels. It can be used as reference materials with regards to climate and land cover change for those new learners interested in the mountainous region. This comprehensive book covers a wide range of potential research areas including climate change scenarios, science and its applications, adaptation to climate change-theory and assessment, water resources, agriculture, forest, biodiversity, and ecosystems, indigenous knowledge etc.

The Trans-Himalayan region of Ladakh has witnessed important changes linked to its geo-strategic importance, the rapid development of means of communication with other parts of India, socio-economic transformation processes and the effects of climate change. The sixteen chapters document these key changes, ranging from melting glaciers and extreme weather events to the exponential increase in infrastructure, tourist and military activities. The book examines the impact these changes are having on the environment and on the socio-economics and identity of Ladakhi communities. The book also attempts to evaluate the likely direction of future changes, identify some of the main environmental challenges faced by Ladakh in the 21st century, and provide perspectives for sustainable development of the high mountain region.

The Trans-Himalayan region of Ladakh has witnessed important changes linked to its geo-strategic importance, the rapid development of means of communication with other parts of India, socio-economic transformation processes and the effects of climate change. The sixteen chapters document these key changes, ranging from melting glaciers and extreme weather events to the exponential increase in infrastructure, tourist and military activities. The book examines the impact these changes are having on the environment and on the socio-economics and identity of Ladakhi communities. The book also attempts to evaluate the likely direction of future changes, identify some of the main environmental challenges faced by Ladakh in the 21st century, and provide perspectives for sustainable development of the high mountain region.

This book aims to capture the fading traditional knowledge systems of local and indigenous communities in the Himalayas. As many of these practices are at risk of disappearing, the book serves as a valuable record. It encourages readers to reflect on the implications of such knowledge for environmental sustainability today. Focusing on one of the most crucial mountain ranges globally, the book emphasizes the importance of learning ‘from’ and ‘with’ the locals about their lived experiences in the Himalayas. Understanding their unique set of traditional knowledge and technologies is crucial for building climate resilience and effective environmental management. With contributions from experts across the Himalayan region, the book strives for a comprehensive grasp of environmental challenges and potential solutions. Beyond documentation, the goal is to explore opportunities for integrating traditional knowledge with modern scientific approaches. Recognizing the urgency, the book advocates for the preservation of local and indigenous knowledge to address the ongoing global environmental crisis.

This book is an effort to draw attention to the resilience of traditional knowledge systems for a sustainable future in the Himalayas with a particular focus on agriculture and food practices. Through examples from the region, it underscores the importance of these practices in navigating contemporary global environmental challenges. The Himalayan region, known for its socio-cultural diversity and unique agricultural ecology, emerges as a major hotspot of climate change. Therefore, acknowledging and recognizing the lived experiences of the locals along with their traditional knowledge associated with agriculture and food systems becomes imperative for devising adaptation and mitigation strategies amidst the unfolding environmental and climate crisis. Drawing upon insights from local communities and experts deeply rooted in the Himalayan context, this book not only documents traditional agricultural and food systems but also sheds light on the pressing anthropogenic challenges threatening their sustainability. We believe that research and documentation of traditional knowledge practices of the local and indigenous communities are essential for tackling the current and projected global environmental challenges.This book advocates for a holistic approach to addressing both current and future global environmental challenges. It serves as a timely call to action for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners alike.

This comprehensive book examines a high mountain snow-covered expanse, spanning an investigation period of almost two decades. Leveraging advanced remote sensing and innovative algorithms, it meticulously maps the temporal and spatial dimensions of the snow cover extent of Ladakh, India. Rigorous statistical analyses, terrain examinations, and a groundbreaking snowfall prediction model contribute to a nuanced understanding. Grounded in empirical data, the volume not only enriches the research framework but also serves as a guiding compass for sustainable development amid the challenges of global warming. Seamlessly blending scientific rigour with a passion for discovery, the book invites readers to immerse themselves in a captivating snow-clad terrain, unlocking the secrets of its unique environment.Snow Cover Distribution and Dynamics: The Trans-Himalayan Region of Ladakh, India is divided into five chapters. The book begins with an introduction and a comprehensive overview of the materials and methods used in the study. The focus is on the application of the MODIS NDSI snow mapping algorithm, validated using Landsat images. The research also involves the development of innovative algorithms for the removal of clouds from MODIS data and for forecasting snowfall. The study is further enriched by on-ground measurements and the deployment of terrestrial cameras across diverse topographies for data validation. Chapter 3 presents the results, including observed patterns and trends of the snow cover distribution, and the application of an ARIMA model for future snowfall predictions. The final two chapters discuss the findings in detail, draw conclusions, and provide a future outlook, thereby offering a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter.

This comprehensive book examines a high mountain snow-covered expanse, spanning an investigation period of almost two decades. Leveraging advanced remote sensing and innovative algorithms, it meticulously maps the temporal and spatial dimensions of the snow cover extent of Ladakh, India. Rigorous statistical analyses, terrain examinations, and a groundbreaking snowfall prediction model contribute to a nuanced understanding. Grounded in empirical data, the volume not only enriches the research framework but also serves as a guiding compass for sustainable development amid the challenges of global warming. Seamlessly blending scientific rigour with a passion for discovery, the book invites readers to immerse themselves in a captivating snow-clad terrain, unlocking the secrets of its unique environment.Snow Cover Distribution and Dynamics: The Trans-Himalayan Region of Ladakh, India is divided into five chapters. The book begins with an introduction and a comprehensive overview of the materials and methods used in the study. The focus is on the application of the MODIS NDSI snow mapping algorithm, validated using Landsat images. The research also involves the development of innovative algorithms for the removal of clouds from MODIS data and for forecasting snowfall. The study is further enriched by on-ground measurements and the deployment of terrestrial cameras across diverse topographies for data validation. Chapter 3 presents the results, including observed patterns and trends of the snow cover distribution, and the application of an ARIMA model for future snowfall predictions. The final two chapters discuss the findings in detail, draw conclusions, and provide a future outlook, thereby offering a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter.

This book aims to unravel the intricate relationship between land and water resources and delve into their interdependencies, synergies, and challenges. As the world grapples with pressing issues such as water scarcity, land degradation, and climate change, understanding the complex dynamics and interplay between these two critical resources has become more crucial than ever. This comprehensive volume brings together multidisciplinary perspectives from leading experts in the field, offering an integrated approach to studying the land-water nexus. The book provides readers with a clear understanding of how land and water interact and delves into key topics such as land use change and its impacts on water resources, water management in agricultural landscapes, land-water interactions in aquatic ecosystems, urbanization and water resource management, and climate change's influence on the land-water nexus. Moreover, the book investigates integrated governance frameworks, policy considerations, and sustainable development approaches that are essential for effective land and water resource management. It also sheds light on future perspectives and research frontiers, envisioning innovative solutions to address emerging challenges in this field. By synthesizing current knowledge, showcasing case studies, and presenting cutting-edge research, this book provides a valuable resource for researchers, policymakers, and professionals working in water resource management, environmental science, agriculture, urban planning, and sustainable development. The book's holistic approach encourages readers to envision sustainable pathways that balance the needs of both land and water, fostering a resilient and harmonious future for our planet.

This book aims to unravel the intricate relationship between land and water resources and delve into their interdependencies, synergies, and challenges. As the world grapples with pressing issues such as water scarcity, land degradation, and climate change, understanding the complex dynamics and interplay between these two critical resources has become more crucial than ever. This comprehensive volume brings together multidisciplinary perspectives from leading experts in the field, offering an integrated approach to studying the land-water nexus. The book provides readers with a clear understanding of how land and water interact and delves into key topics such as land use change and its impacts on water resources, water management in agricultural landscapes, land-water interactions in aquatic ecosystems, urbanization and water resource management, and climate change's influence on the land-water nexus. Moreover, the book investigates integrated governance frameworks, policy considerations, and sustainable development approaches that are essential for effective land and water resource management. It also sheds light on future perspectives and research frontiers, envisioning innovative solutions to address emerging challenges in this field. By synthesizing current knowledge, showcasing case studies, and presenting cutting-edge research, this book provides a valuable resource for researchers, policymakers, and professionals working in water resource management, environmental science, agriculture, urban planning, and sustainable development. The book's holistic approach encourages readers to envision sustainable pathways that balance the needs of both land and water, fostering a resilient and harmonious future for our planet.

Urbanisation has been one of the significant drivers of socio-economic and environmental change in the Trans-Himalaya. Recently, the remote and less accessible areas of Ladakh have undergone rapid urbanisation due to road construction, mountain tourism, geopolitical factors, administrative changes, and external interventions. These driving factors are responsible for the drastic transformation and development in Ladakh's newly formed Union Territory (UT). The region has experienced rapid urban growth and unplanned urbanisation, particularly in the capital towns of Leh and Kargil. After Leh, the capital, Kargil town is the second-largest urban centre in the region. The town has witnessed significant changes in its urban landscape, driven by historical developments, urban population growth, rural-to-urban migration, spatial expansion, and the growing tourism sector. These factors have collectively contributed to the emergence, growth, and transformation of this mountain town in Ladakh. Based on a multi-temporal approach using high-resolution satellite images combined with a mixed methods approach and field surveys, urbanisation and its landscape dynamics have been analysed since the 1960s

Peri-urban villages on the fringes of Lahore are undergoing rapid socio-ecological transformation as agricultural landscapes give way to speculative real-estate development and expanding concrete frontiers. While similar processes are unfolding across the Global South, with parallels in parts of Latin America and Africa, a rich body of scholarship has examined these transformations through lenses, such as displacement, dispossession, urban inequality, informality, gentrification, land acquisition, infrastructure provision, environmental degradation, financialization, and related dynamics. Far less is known about how these transformations are lived and understood by village communities themselves as historically grounded and relational processes that unfold unevenly across space and time, particularly through changes in the intangible assets that shape quality of life.This book brings forward the voices of those most affected yet least heard. Through the narratives of villagers navigating the intrusion of cash economies and infrastructure-led development, it traces the gradual unmaking of ecological, social, and cultural worlds that once anchored everyday life. These accounts complicate dominant assumptions about compensation and progress, revealing money as a pseudo-equalizer that obscures losses that cannot be priced, including land-based relations, trust, reciprocity, collective care, memory, and a sense of belonging rooted in shared ways of living.Approaching peri-urban transformation through a political ecology lens, this book reworks Andre Gunder Frank’s theory of the development of underdevelopment beyond its classical formulation of core–satellite relations between nations. It shows how the same structural logic unfolds along urban–rural frontiers, where expanding cities operate as cores and villages are rendered their internal satellites. Underdevelopment here is not produced through extraction alone, but through the reorganization of deprivation as land, ecology, and social life are systematically reconfigured in the name of development.This book argues that underdevelopment is neither purely economic nor external. It is lived, relational, and cumulative. As cash economies penetrate peri-urban villages, communities experience material inflows alongside the steady depletion of assets that once sustained collective resilience, including common land, livestock, reciprocal labour, trust, care, and ecological security. What had existed in abundance outside the market is gradually commodified, fragmented, or lost. Even where households move into larger homes or upscale developments, many come to recognize a deeper dispossession, marked by declining well-being, weakened social bonds, and growing dependence on markets for survival.Through deeply grounded ethnographic engagement, this work advances the concept of ‘internal underdevelopment’, showing how development can make formerly resilient communities underdeveloped from within. It challenges the dismissal of nostalgia as mere sentiment, reframing it instead as an epistemic register through which villagers articulate what quality of life once meant and what has been irreversibly displaced in the pursuit of progress. At once a scholarly intervention and an act of preservation, this book documents the final moments of a dynamic agrarian way of life on the verge of erasure, offering a critical rethinking of development, well-being, and what it means to live well.

With a foreword by Padma Shri Dr. Shailesh Nayak—renowned Earth Scientist and former Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences—this volume brings together a comprehensive body of contemporary research contributed by leading experts and institutions across India. It serves as an indispensable resource for researchers, policymakers, students, and practitioners seeking holistic and in-depth knowledge on the geo-environmental landscape of Ladakh.Spanning four major thematic sections—Geo-environment of Ladakh, Water and Agriculture Scenario, Population and Livelihoods, and Developmental Challenges and Solutions—the book covers a broad spectrum of pressing issues: from glacier dynamics, tectonic stress, and groundwater crises to innovative climate-resilient agricultural practices, traditional knowledge systems, and disaster risk reduction strategies. The book presents a timely, multidisciplinary exploration into the fragile ecology, dynamic geology, and evolving human-environment interactions of one of India’s most remote and sensitive landscapes—the cold arid region of Ladakh.The volume highlights emerging opportunities in cold-arid agriculture and horticulture, focusing on crop diversification, high-value fruit production, and the promotion of indigenous farming systems. Prospects for renewable energy development are discussed as viable alternatives to fossil-fuel dependence in high-altitude ecosystems. Furthermore, it explores innovative community-based solutions, such as ice stupas and biomass recycling, that blend tradition with modern science to enhance sustainability.Combining scientific rigor with local contextual understanding, the book is an essential resource for researchers, policymakers, disaster managers, and development practitioners working in high-altitude regions. It also provides a valuable knowledge base for students and academics in the fields of geomorphology, climate science, geospatial technology, environmental planning, and Himalayan studies.

Forests breathe life into landscapes regulating climate, sustaining livelihoods, and binding communities to the land they call home. This book embraces that full complexity, weaving together scientific rigor and human sensitivity to examine West Bengal's forest ecosystems through a genuinely social-ecological lens. At its technical core, the book demonstrates how remote sensing platforms, GIS software, and spatial analysis tools from Landsat and Sentinel imagery to fragmentation modeling and machine learning algorithms are transforming how we measure forest health, estimate biomass and carbon stocks, and track land-use change across time. As West Bengal's forests store roughly 87.5 million tons of carbon and support over three million people, accurately capturing their dynamics is not merely academic it is urgent.Yet the book never loses sight of the human story. Each chapter navigates the layered relationships between forest-dependent communities and the landscapes they inhabit from pre-colonial indigenous stewardship and colonial dispossession to post-independence Joint Forest Management experiments and the still-contested Forest Rights Act. The struggles of tribal communities in Jhargram, the livelihood paradoxes of Binpur-II, the ecological unraveling around Siliguri, and the fragile resilience of the Sundarbans all find careful, grounded treatment here. Across ten thematic chapters, the book moves fluidly between field surveys, satellite-derived evidence, and policy analysis-covering forest fragmentation, biomass estimation, urban encroachment, biodiversity valuation, livelihood dependency, participatory governance, and climate-adaptive management. The Jangal Mahal carbon study, Bankura's ecosystem service decline, and Arabari's JFM legacy each illuminate broader truths about conservation and equity. Moreover, this volume is an essential resource for forest planners, policymakers, NGOs, and researchers, as well as students across geography, environmental science, forestry, botany, wildlife management, and remote sensing disciplines.

Sustainable agricultural management can be assessed using FAO-based parametric land evaluation approaches. These strategies are accessible to farmers, especially in polluted areas like New Delhi that suffer from air, water, and soil pollution together with multiple climate barriers. The environmental nexus approach examines interconnections, linkages, synergies, and trade-offs among soil, land, water, energy, food, and ecosystems. Key indicators include soil, land, and water quality and availability. Organic matter is vital for soil health and climate resilience but deficient in most Indian soils, with consequences for climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration and biodiversity-supported ecosystem services. Practices such as composting, biochar from crop residues, crop rotation, reduced chemical inputs, and renewable energy use can enhance sustainability with improved soil resilience. Sustainability is thus closely linked to regenerative approaches within agricultural management systems following landuse planning.

Since the late 1990s, there have been broad discussions concerning the rapid rise of the creative economy. Creative or cultural industry is seen as the new engine of the regional growth for both developed economies and emerging nations. At the point of transition in economy and society, China is recently striving to transform its economy from “made in China” towards “created in China”. This book provides an insight into creative industries and spaces in Shanghai, which is the fastest growing megacity in China and the center of modern economic development on a global scale. Underpinned by new approaches from economic geography and urban studies, it deals with the new relations between the creative economy and urban environment in Shanghai. Over the last decade, creative clusters have been rapidly emerging in particular locations in the central city of Shanghai. This spatial phenomenon is explained in the book through an analysis of dynamics, networks and implications.

By observing the most vital parameters, the study has concluded that the local aquifer has been falling at a rate directly proportional to the growth rate of irrigated farming, suggesting the current development process is unsustainable.

Large river systems throughout the planet have been dramatically transformed due to river control projects such as large dams and embankments. This book identifies the spatial aspects of the norms through which the ideal river and the deficient river in need of control are produced.

This book explores the dynamics of the interaction between the development of creative industries and urban land use in Nanjing, a metropolis and a growth pole in the Yangtze River Delta. In the last two decades, China's economy has been undergoing dramatic growth. Yet, accompanying with China's economic success is the disturbing environmental deterioration and energy concerns. These issues together with the diminution of the advantage of low-cost labour force present many Chinese cities, particularly big cities specialising in manufacturing in the most developed regions, the urgency to find new approaches to "creative China".As an ancient city featured by abundance of cultural heritages and legacies of heavy industries, Nanjing has been striving for a decade to transform its economy towards a creative economy by cultivating creative industries. In parallel with the flourishing of creative industries are contest for land resources among differentinterest parties and restructuring of urban land use. Both are new challenges for urban planning. This complex process is examined in this book by an interdisciplinary approach which integrates GIS, ABM, questionnaire investigation and interview.

This book shows how social impact assessment (SIA), which emerged barely five decades ago, as a way to anticipate and manage potentially negative social impacts of building dams, power stations, urban infrastructure, highways, industries, mining and other development projects, is now widely in use as a planning tool, especially in developed countries. Although SIA has still not gained much acceptance among development planners in Asia, the situation is gradually changing. In India, SIA initially mandated as a policy guideline in 2007 is now a legal requirement. SIA in China has also recently become obligatory for certain types of development projects. Bangladesh, Laos, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are other Asian countries that provide examples from a variety of externally funded projects illustrating the use of social impact analysis in project planning to improve development outcomes. With contributions from an array of leading experts, this book is a valuable resource on SIA, indispensable for policymakers, planners, and practitioners in government, international development agencies, private-sector industry, private banks, consultants, teachers, researchers and students of social sciences and development studies, also NGOs everywhere, not in Asia alone.

By emphasizing on the Pamir region a comprehensive overviewof path-dependent and recent developments in a remote mountain region isprovided in this book. Overall neglect in the mountainous periphery iscontrasted by shifting the centre of attention to the Pamirssituated at the interface between South and Central Asia. From colonialtimes to now there has been a debate on grasping and locating the area. Herefield-work based contributions are collected to provide a variety ofperspectives on the Pamirs highlighting transformation and transition inPost-Soviet societies as well as in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The similarecological environment across borders features the common groundwhile analyzing development processes in a set of case studies that aim athighlighting certain aspects of regional development.