Impact of climate change on agriculture, horticulture and forestry in Himachal Pradesh- A Review

Impact of climate change in Himachal Pradesh is much more pronounced because of the fragile ecology and sensitive Himalayas. So, Himalayan ranges of Himachal, serve as an indicator of climate change. Three major sectors viz., agriculture, horticulture and forestry are the backbone of the State because they are directly or indirectly linked with the economy of the people. Researchers and scientists are trying to search the factors and reasons which are responsible for the change in these sectors. Finding s from different sectors revealed very significant and sharp change like shifting snowline, timberline, apple belt shifting and fluctuations in chilling units directly affects quality and quantity of apple etc. Such studies have encountered a number of findings which witnessed that climate change is happening in Himachal Pradesh. But if we talk about the observations of climate change impact on ecosystem and biodiversity, the Himalayan region (including Himachal Himalaya) is severely data deficient. However, there is need to fill up the gaps and strengthen the database with the previously available data. The more the availability of climatic data in reference to different sectors, the more reliable the findings, the reasons and trends regarding change in climatic conditions then it may help future projections through modeling in the State.