PNN
Guwahati (Assam) [India], December 15: The 13th Eastern Himalayan Naturenomics™ Forum (EHNF) 2025 concluded successfully in Guwahati after two days of dynamic dialogues, knowledge exchanges, and policy discussions across Gauhati University, IIT Guwahati, Assam Royal Global University, and Cotton University. Convened under the theme "The Future of the Third Pole and the Himsagar (Eastern Himalaya)," the Forum brought together global leaders, students, Indigenous communities, policymakers, scientists, corporates, and practitioners for urgent conversations on the future of Asia's most critical climate region.
Reflecting on the significance of the 2025 edition, Ranjit Barthakur, Founder of the Balipara Foundation said, "At this year's Forum, we witnessed the power of partnership--between universities, communities, businesses, and young leaders. Securing the future of the Third Pole demands collective stewardship. The outcomes of EHNF 2025 reaffirm our belief that nature, people, and prosperity must co-exist, and that the Eastern Himalaya holds the knowledge and leadership to show the world how."
Over the course of the Forum, delegates examined the cascading impact of glacial melt, river system shifts, biodiversity decline, energy transitions, and community-led conservation efforts - all within the Eastern Himalaya's pivotal role as the Third Pole, the world's third-largest reserve of ice and freshwater.
Sessions across the four universities featured thought leaders including Ambassador May-Elin Stener, Sourav Roy, Spencer Low, Dr. Sonali Ghosh, Dr. Kamal Bawa, and senior representatives from Tata Steel Foundation, Tata Power, NEDFI, Numaligarh Refinery Limited, JSW Energy, SEROS, Google, Mahindra Group, ATREE, WWF India and Bhutan, Tata Consumer Products Limited, and several academic and government institutions.
Panels and roundtables explored themes such as regenerative land futures, natural capital, smart energy transitions, biodiversity corridors, Indigenous governance models, renewable energy pathways, youth and women entrepreneurship, and climate technology for conservation.
A key moment of the Forum was the launch of the Eastern Himalayan Youth Leadership Initiative, designed to cultivate a new generation of nature-positive entrepreneurs, researchers, conservationists, and practitioners. The Initiative will run certified training programmes in forest nursery management, GIS mapping, biodiversity documentation, regenerative agriculture, storytelling, and community-led conservation--delivered in partnership with TERI, Gauhati University, and the Balipara Foundation.
The Forum also hosted the release of a landmark scientific volume, Himalayan Forests in a Changing World - Volume 1: Understanding Structure, Function, and Environmental Drivers, published by Springer Nature and edited by S.P. Singh and Rajesh Thadani. The book synthesises three decades of ecological research to explain how Himalayan forest ecosystems function and why this understanding is critical in a rapidly warming region. Its launch added a significant scientific dimension to the Forum's conversations on climate resilience, forest systems, and the future of the Third Pole.
Cross-border collaboration took centre stage with the announcement of the Eastern Himalayan-Third Pole Knowledge Exchange Platform, bringing together institutions from India, Nepal, Bhutan, and China for annual roundtables, shared toolkits, and community-to-community learning.
Speaking on youth leadership and environmental responsibility, Dr. Ravi Kota, Chief Secretary, Government of Assam remarked, "Youth are the torchbearers of change. Leadership is a responsibility, and Balipara Foundation has been able to sustain that commitment. The mountains won't remember how we extracted from them, but how we revived them."
Highlighting the global relevance of the region, Her Excellency May-Elin Stener, Ambassador of Norway to India added, "Asia's mountains matter to the world. The Eastern Himalaya and the wider Third Pole are not just local treasures- they are global climate stabilisers. The rivers born here feed households, farms, and power grids, from the Indus to the Mekong."
Balipara Foundation Awards 2025 celebrated the courage and ingenuity of 20 Earth-heroes from across the Eastern Himalaya - from India's Northeast to Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal - honoring community leaders, forest guards, researchers and green entrepreneurs whose hands-on work in species conservation, habitat restoration, sustainable ecotourism and bamboo-based bioethanol has restored landscapes, revived livelihoods and strengthened regional resilience. This year's Awards highlighted grassroots courage and scalable naturenomics solutions that put people and biodiversity first, sending a clear message that the future of the Third Pole will be secured by local stewardship, science-backed restoration and bold, community-led innovation.
The Forum concluded with six key outcomes, including a renewed commitment to valuing the Eastern Himalaya's natural, social, and economic assets; positioning students as leaders of the Naturenomics™ revolution; recognising the region's global importance as a landscape that supports 50% of the world's population footprint with only 2% of its freshwater and glacial reserves; and strengthening the Asian Elephant Secretariat as a hub for conservation leadership. The Forum also strengthened the Himsagar commitment to protect our riverine civilisation through the Great Brahmaputra, Clean Brahmaputra Campaign, and to build future-ready green jobs across land futures, forests, biodiversity, energy, water, and sustainable enterprise.
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