The cryosphere constitutes an important subset of the hydrosphere. The Himalayan cryosphere is a significant contributor to the hydrological budget of a large river system such as the Ganges. Basic data on the cryosphere in the Himalaya is inadequate and also has large uncertainties. The data on glacial melt component in the Himalayan rivers of India also shows high variability.

A minimum of eight units, in Chamoli and Uttarkashi districts were selected through probability proportional to size sampling technique (PPS) to study the work profile of nettle units in Uttarakhand. Fifty per cent of nettle units were established in the years 2007-2008. It was observed that 72.50 per cent and 62.50 per cent of nettle fibres were used in Uttarakashi and Chamoli respectively. They used 100 per cent nettle fibre which is a harvest wild growth in this area.

This article aims to examine the use pattern and potentiality of livestock farming in the Uttarakhand Himalaya, India. We collected and compared data on livestock population and production in 13 districts of Uttarakhand (2001–14) and noted that number of milching livestock, improved hen and milk production increased during the period. Meanwhile, population of sheep, goat, lamb and indigenous hen has decreased. The study reveals that livestock farming, including cattle, milching animals, goat and sheep has high potential in livelihood sustainability.

The pangolin, now recognised as the world’s most trafficked mammal, is currently undergoing population collapse across South and Southeast Asia, primarily because of the medicinal value attributed to its meat and scales. This paper explores how scarcity and alterity (otherness) drive the perceived value of these creatures for a range of human and more-than-human stakeholders: wildlife traffickers, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners, Asian consumers of their meat and scales, hunters and poachers, pangolin-rearing master-spirits, and conservation organisations.