#Himalayan region

[junotter]

Part 2 of my modern avatar au, The Gaang (part 1)

[blueiscoool]

World's Deepest Canyon is Home to Asia's Tallest Tree

At 335 feet (102 meters) in height, the enormous newly-discovered cypress tree — which was found in a forest in Tibet — would tower over the Statue of Liberty.

A cypress tree in China is the tallest tree ever discovered in Asia. It is also believed to be the second-tallest tree in the world, standing at an astonishing 335 feet (102 meters) tall. At this height, the tree would tower over the Statue of Liberty, which stands at 305 feet (93 m).

The gigantic cypress was discovered in May by a Peking University research team at the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon nature reserve in Bome County, Nyingchi City, in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, according to a statement released by the university.

The species the cypress belongs to is unclear, although Chinese state media publications suggested it is either a Himalayan cypress (Cupressus torulosa) or a Tibetan cypress (Cupressus gigantea).

The tree is 9.6 feet (2.9 m) in diameter, according to the state-run Chinese publication the People's Daily Online.

Currently, the tallest tree in the world is an 381-foot (116 m) coastal redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) in the Redwood National Park in California. The tree, estimated to be between 600 and 800 years old and nicknamed Hyperion after one of the Titans in Greek mythology, was discovered in 2006.

By Lydia Smith.

[starful-emporium]

oh my God it should be illegal to sell or plant noxious invasive plants as ornamentals

[one-himalaya-travel]

One Himalaya is a UK based online travel company, specialising in the stunning Himalayan regions of Nepal, India, Tibet and Bhutan. We offer tailor made luxury and adventure travel including classic and off the beaten track treks, cultural tours, wildlife safaris and expeditions, river cruises, luxury train tours, birdwatching, special occasions including honeymoon, anniversary and other celebrations, corporate development and special interest itineraries. Bookings made with us are 100% financially secure and ATOL protected. Contact us for a bespoke itinerary and Himalayan adventure designed just for you.

[basecamptreks]

Island Peak: A Test of Willpower for Experienced Climbers

Island Peak (6,189 meters), also known as Imja Tse, offers a demanding and rewarding climb in Nepal's Khumbu region, neighboring the mighty Everest. This pyramid-shaped peak attracts experienced climbers seeking a challenging ascent amidst breathtaking Himalayan scenery. The climb tests technical skills, physical fitness, and the ability to handle the unforgiving conditions of high altitudes.

Gateway to Adventure

The expedition typically begins in Kathmandu, Nepal's capital city. Here, climbers finalize logistics, assemble specialized gear for extreme conditions, and undergo crucial training to prepare their bodies for the thin air encountered at high altitude. Transportation then takes them to a starting point like Lukla, the gateway to Everest. The trek to Island Peak Base Camp (around 5,030 meters) commences, offering stunning views of surrounding peaks like Lhotse (8,516 meters) and Ama Dablam (6,812 meters).

Acclimatization and Technical Training

The initial stages involve trekking through the Khumbu Valley, a region adorned with traditional villages, prayer flags, and dramatic mountain vistas. This period is crucial for acclimatization, allowing climbers to gradually adjust to the increasing altitude while enjoying the rich culture of the region. Villages like Namche Bazaar and Tengboche offer rest stops and a chance to interact with the local people. As the trek progresses, the focus shifts towards technical aspects of the climb. Establishing Base Camp marks the beginning of technical training, with practice sessions on fixed ropes and crevasse rescue techniques.

The Ascents: A Blend of Skill and Grit

The climb from Base Camp involves traversing glaciers with crevasses and navigating the challenging Lhotse face. Establishing camps at progressively higher altitudes (Camp 1 around 5,600 meters and Camp 2 around 5,800 meters) tests climbers' stamina and ability to function in thin air. The final summit push requires excellent route-finding skills, surefootedness on scree slopes, and the ability to handle fixed ropes and potentially ladders for specific sections. Reaching the summit rewards climbers with breathtaking panoramic views of the Everest region before beginning the technical descent.

A Return to Base Camp and Beyond

The descent requires careful navigation and focus due to fatigue and potential weather changes. Reaching Base Camp signifies a successful summit and a return to a more breathable environment. The trek back to Lukla and eventually Kathmandu allows climbers to reflect on their accomplishment and celebrate conquering a technically demanding peak.

A Climber's Badge of Honor

Island Peak Climbing is a prestigious feat for experienced mountaineers. While less crowded than Everest, it demands a unique blend of technical skills, exceptional physical fitness, and the ability to make sound decisions in a challenging environment. For those who reach the summit, the experience becomes a testament to their climbing abilities and a badge of honor in the record books of this captivating peak.

[tagitables]

12 October 2023, 02:35 AM

Finally wrote my review for these well-deserved kind and hardworking soul. Unfortunately, I can't change the month to September. So be it. Still, I respect these people a lot. Namaste! 🏔🇳🇵

[guideoflife]

[jannattravelguruhp]

Hatkoti Temple in Shimla: A Tranquil Haven of Spiritual Grace and Architectural Splendor | #travel

[fatehbaz]

Despite its green image, Ireland has surprisingly little forest. [...] [M]ore than 80% of the island of Ireland was [once] covered in trees. [...] [O]f that 11% of the Republic of Ireland that is [now] forested, the vast majority (9% of the country) is planted with [non-native] spruces like the Sitka spruce [in commercial plantations], a fast growing conifer originally from Alaska which can be harvested after just 15 years. Just 2% of Ireland is covered with native broadleaf trees.

Text by: Martha O’Hagan Luff. “Ireland has lost almost all of its native forests - here’s how to bring them back.” The Conversation. 24 February 2023. [Emphasis added.]

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[I]ndustrial [...] oil palm plantations [...] have proliferated in tropical regions in many parts of the world, often built at the expense of mangrove and humid forest lands, with the aim to transform them from 'worthless swamp' to agro-industrial complexes [...]. Another clear case [...] comes from the southernmost area in the Colombian Pacific [...]. Here, since the early 1980s, the forest has been destroyed and communities displaced to give way to oil palm plantations. Inexistent in the 1970s, by the mid-1990s they had expanded to over 30,000 hectares. The monotony of the plantation - row after row of palm as far as you can see, a green desert of sorts - replaced the diverse, heterogenous and entangled world of forest and communities.

Text by: Arturo Escobar. "Thinking-Feeling with the Earth: Territorial Struggles and the Ontological Dimension of the Epistemologies of the South." Revista de Antropologia Iberoamericana Volume 11 Issue 1. 2016. [Emphasis added.]

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But efforts to increase global tree cover to limit climate change have skewed towards erecting plantations of fast-growing trees [...] [because] planting trees can demonstrate results a lot quicker than natural forest restoration. [...] [But] ill-advised tree planting can unleash invasive species [...]. [In India] [t]o maximize how much timber these forests yielded, British foresters planted pines from Europe and North America in extensive plantations in the Himalayan region [...] and introduced acacia trees from Australia [...]. One of these species, wattle (Acacia mearnsii) [...] was planted in [...] the Western Ghats. This area is what scientists all a biodiversity hotspot – a globally rare ecosystem replete with species. Wattle has since become invasive and taken over much of the region’s mountainous grasslands. Similarly, pine has spread over much of the Himalayas and displaced native oak trees while teak has replaced sal, a native hardwood, in central India. Both oak and sal are valued for [...] fertiliser, medicine and oil. Their loss [...] impoverished many [local and Indigenous people]. [...]

India’s national forest policy [...] aims for trees on 33% of the country’s area. Schemes under this policy include plantations consisting of a single species such as eucalyptus or bamboo which grow fast and can increase tree cover quickly, demonstrating success according to this dubious measure. Sometimes these trees are planted in grasslands and other ecosystems where tree cover is naturally low. [...] The success of forest restoration efforts cannot be measured by tree cover alone. The Indian government’s definition of “forest” still encompasses plantations of a single tree species, orchards and even bamboo, which actually belongs to the grass family. This means that biennial forest surveys cannot quantify how much natural forest has been restored, or convey the consequences of displacing native trees with competitive plantation species or identify if these exotic trees have invaded natural grasslands which have then been falsely recorded as restored forests. [...] Planting trees does not necessarily mean a forest is being restored. And reviving ecosystems in which trees are scarce is important too.

Text by: Dhanapal Govindarajulu. "India was a tree planting laboratory for 200 years - here are the results." The Conversation. 10 August 2023. [Emphasis added.]

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Nations and companies are competing to appropriate the last piece of available “untapped” forest that can provide the most amount of “environmental services.” [...] When British Empire forestry was first established as a disciplinary practice in India, [...] it proscribed private interests and initiated a new system of forest management based on a logic of utilitarian [extraction] [...]. Rather than the actual survival of plants or animals, the goal of this forestry was focused on preventing the exhaustion of resource extraction. [...]

Text by: Daniel Fernandez and Alon Schwabe. "The Offsetted." e-flux Architecture (Positions). November 2013. [Emphasis added.]

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At first glance, the statistics tell a hopeful story: Chile’s forests are expanding. […] On the ground, however, a different scene plays out: monocultures have replaced diverse natural forests [...]. At the crux of these [...] narratives is the definition of a single word: “forest.” [...] Pinochet’s wave of [...] [laws] included Forest Ordinance 701, passed in 1974, which subsidized the expansion of tree plantations [...] and gave the National Forestry Corporation control of Mapuche lands. This law set in motion an enormous expansion in fiber-farms, which are vast expanses of monoculture plantations Pinus radiata and Eucalyptus species grown for paper manufacturing and timber. [T]hese new plantations replaced native forests […]. According to a recent study in Landscape and Urban Planning, timber plantations expanded by a factor of ten from 1975 to 2007, and now occupy 43 percent of the South-central Chilean landscape. [...] While the confusion surrounding the definition of “forest” may appear to be an issue of semantics, Dr. Francis Putz [...] warns otherwise in a recent review published in Biotropica. […] Monoculture plantations are optimized for a single product, whereas native forests offer [...] water regulation, hosting biodiversity, and building soil fertility. [...][A]ccording to Putz, the distinction between plantations and native forests needs to be made clear. “[...] [A]nd the point that plantations are NOT forests needs to be made repeatedly [...]."

Text by: Julian Moll-Rocek. “When forests aren’t really forests: the high cost of Chile’s tree plantations.” Mongabay. 18 August 2014. [Emphasis added.]

[hawkpartys]

talk shit about central Asian buteos to me 👀

STOP SPLITTING CENTRAL ASIAN BUTEOS. WE HAVE SPLIT ENOUGH SPECIES OF CENTRAL ASIAN BUTEO

one time a fellow accipitriforme identifier and Bird Knower said that we should lump every single altai region buteo into "steppe buzzard" and call it a day and while some may call that extreme, i think hes right.

I need you to understand the state of things. all of these shown below are considered different species. Most of them have range overlap. Most of them have significant morphological overlap and severe plumage variability. The only one exempt from this is rough legged buzzard, who is consistently identifiable and also my only hoe.

Common(Steppe) Buzzard, Upland Buzzard, Eastern Buzzard

Himalayan Buzzard, Long Legged Buzzard, Rough Legged Buzzard

I genuinely cannot tell you What they are even trying to accomplish with all the recent taxonomy fiddling there. I read a paper recently that a lot of the genetic analysis used to split/combine the species in this region may have been too overzealous and that the genetic differences they cited were within the range of variability in a species. I don't know nearly enough about this kind of analysis to say if that's correct or not so I'm just going to bitch about the current state of things.

Himalayan, (Mainland)Eastern and Steppe buzzards are morphologically identical and overlap in range but were split into different species because of [checks notes] vibes? I guess? Steppe got rolled into Common, but Eastern's outside of Japan are still considered a separate species. In my humble opinion the only way to truly identify an Eastern Buzzard is if it is actively in Japan. Otherwise it might as well be identical to Steppe's.

Himayalan Buzzards should not exist. They should not be a taxa. They are morphologically and genetically identical to mainland Easterns. Why were these split. Why do you hate me.

Upland Buzzards at least have morphological differences from steppe(plumage patterns, feathered tarsi), but I've also been told by people who did not elaborate that they have hybridized with Long Legged enough that it has actively begun fucking this shit up. I genuinely have no idea what to think about that, it haunts my dream like that one guy who told me dark morph Uplands sometimes have unfeathered tarsi and then ghosted me. I cannot find sources for this, but I also cannot find sources for a lot of Central Asian buteo things because there fuckin' aren't any. It's almost as bad as African Accipiters

Frankly Long Legged could be rolled into Steppe in my opinion but genetic analysis on this one says it is at least a little justified, even if identifying them makes me want to bite people. They get a pass for now but should stop looking exactly like light-morph Steppes

In conclusion

oh also fuck cape buzzards. they arent technically relevant but still. fuck them

[blue-lotus333]

Kali-Ma in (a few) different religions.

Firstly, who is Kali-ma?:

Kali-ma is the wrathful and protective force of Shakti (energy/power), often called the goddess of destruction, doomsday, transformation and time. She's a caring mother to her devotees and the destroyer of evil.

Kali-ma in Buddhism

Palden Lhamo is a protector of Buddhist & a bodhisattva associated with prosperity, protection & success

The connection between Kali-ma and the protectress bodhisattva Palden Lhamo suggests a link between the two traditions.

Palden Lhamo has many names: Sri Devi, Palden Lhamo Kalidevi, and so on.

“Palden lhamo Kalidevi” This name alone suggests a connection to Kali-ma in Hinduism. This connection may be due to the geographic proximity of the Himalayan region, where Hindu deities may have been absorbed into Buddhism.

Kali ma in Christianity

known as "Sara Kali" or "Sara la Kali," is revered by the Romani people and is the patroness of displaced people. There is a popular belief that she was either an Egyptian-Indian slave of one of the 3 Mary's or the lost daughter of Jesus.

When the Romani people were persecuted and forced to convert to Christianity, they blended their indigenous Hindu beliefs with Christian practices, creating a form of syncretism.

The name "Sara" itself is seen in the appellation of Durga as Kali-ma in the famed text “Durgasaptashati"

[mutant-distraction]

The Indian Wolf. . .

The Indian wolf (Canis lupus pallipes) is a fascinating subspecies of the gray wolf that inhabits regions from Southwest Asia to the Indian subcontinent.

The Indian wolf is intermediate in size between the Himalayan wolf and the Arabian wolf. Unlike the Himalayan wolf, it lacks the luxuriant winter coat due to its adaptation to warmer conditions. These wolves are found in the arid and semi-arid peninsular plains of India, making them well-suited to their environment.

Indian wolves generally live in smaller packs, rarely exceeding 6 to 8 individuals. They are relatively less vocal and have rarely been heard howling compared to other variants of the gray wolf. Territorial by nature, Indian wolves primarily hunt during the night. Unfortunately, the Indian wolf population is one of the most endangered among gray wolves worldwide. Their cunning behavior and unique adaptations make them a critical part of the ecosystem, even in their precarious situation.

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Image credit: Prasad Sonawane

Text credit: Earth of Wonders

[moodymisty]

High status vikings may have practiced polygamy, but you also have to consider this:

So the planet of Fenris is basically kind of a frozen wasteland, right? Where there are fewer resources than say, on an agri or feudal world. Cause that reminds me of something I researched a while ago.

So if we look at another culture’s history, in this case around the Himalayan mountains, we can see a different kind of marriage practice (which was, to be more specific, practiced by middle and upper-middle class families). Basically, historically in those regions the money and land was passed down from father to son, so if the father had two sons each would get half of the land their father owns when they got married. But due to the minimal resources of well, living on a snowy mountain, the people of the area created a system where if a family has lots of sons they just marry them off to one woman (so the family land doesn’t get divided at all). It’s called fraternal polyandry and while it didn’t apply to some families (cause they’d send sons away to a monastery or just have them live permanently in their wife’s house) it was A Thing That Happened.

So what I’m basically saying is: imagine having a bunch of space wolf husbands. Perhaps they’re even the guys from your chapter serf bullying fic. (Like just imagine it)

I can get on board with this

Walking into a diplomatic meeting and your retinue is also all of your husbands XD

[pwlanier]

YAMA DANDA: A RITUAL CLUB

Tibet

Circa 1850

Rock crystal, brass, copper, turquoise and red semi-precious stone

Vajrayana is a form of Buddhism with special ritual practices that originated in northern India around the 5th century CE, took root in Tibet in the 7th and 8th centuries, and then spread across the Himalayan region.

In the practice of some of these buddhis rituals, a staff called ‘Yama Danda’, like the one presented here, is used. It is an attribute of Yama Dharmaraja, 'The Lord of Death' and a prominent Gelugpa protector (guardian deity), who is often depicted holding such a staff in his right hand.

These ritual clubs are meant to resist and destroy all kinds of evil influences and to transform mental defilements into mindful awareness. In Tibet, they were carried by ascetics and mendicants as signs of spiritual authority.

The Yama Danda presented here is made from golden brass as well as copper and the skull is masterfully carved from clear rock crystal.

Koller