DLF Foundation embarks on 'Save the Himalayas' initiative

DLF Foundation, the philanthropic arm of DLF Ltd., recently supported the 'Save the Himalayas Foundation' to organize its first international conference titled 'Saving Himalayas through Science and Spirituality'. The other organizations that joined hands with them included WWF-India, Defence Institute for High Altitude Research (DIHAR), Himalayan Environment Science Conservation Organization (HESCO) and Global Interfaith Wash Alliance (GIWA).

The inauguration of the conference took place at CIBS auditorium, Leh with several prominent figures from the fields of spirituality, academics, government, civil society and the army gathering to officially release the 'Save the Himalayas Foundation' (SHF) and address the audience on the theme of the conference.

The objective of the conference was to bring together an interdisciplinary consortium of experts to focus on discussions on the threats to the Himalayas with respect to climate change, water crisis, development of renewable energy sources particularly solar energy, and promotion of sustainable and responsible tourism in the Himalayas. It also aimed to get an overview of the current conservation management practices related to the Himalayas and aid promotion of sustainable projects preserving the Himalayas.

Col. Prakash Tewari, Executive Director (CSR), DLF Ltd., while addressing the conference said, "These conferences are helpful in learning and understanding about the development of ecosystems. Although there are different organizations working towards educating local communities and tourists about environmental and cultural-friendly behavior, the education on sustainable behavior needs to find its way into daily habits and routines of everyone in the Himalayan region to fulfill our goal."

Himalaya, the youngest mountain system of the world, forms a broad continuous arc for nearly 2,600 km (1,600 mi) along the northern fringes of the Indian subcontinent. Often referred to as the Third Pole, the Himalayan region has the largest concentration of glaciers with the coverage of 33,000 sq. km. The region is aptly called the "Water Tower of Asia" as it provides around 86,000,000 cubic metres of water annually.

Bhikku Sangasena, Founder-President, Save the Himalayas Foundation and Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre (MIMC), said, "The Himalayas are the highest and the youngest range of mountains in the world and have the largest concentration of glaciers outside the polar caps. These glaciers feed seven of Asia's great rivers and supply water to about 1 billion people. Considering how intimidating the situation for the environmental and cultural heritage already is, we are grateful to DLF Foundation and other organisers for this initiative to address the threats of Himalayas.