Development of Ladakh Himalaya: Recent Researches

Ladakh is one of the highest land in the world. The altitudes of the major inhabited areas in the region vary fro 8,787 ft. in Kargil district to around 20,000 ft. in some places in Chang-Thang sub-division of Leh district. High altitude climate is notorious for its extremes. The raging duststorms on summer afternoons, seldom cloudy an unexpected snowfall are the uniqueness of this region. Ladakh, though, difficult part for the researches yet there is urgent need to have more pragmatic, problem oriented and field based research. The foregoing analysis gives a very dismal look for the coming years unless a new environmental ethic is involved wherein the nature of research, appraisal of the resources and the characteristic socio-economic aspects and the development measures will have to be reoriented so that these provide the basic outline for working out concrete strategies for dealing with the problems in the most appropriate manner.