The University of Aberdeen has taken a significant step towards strengthening its research links in the world’s highest region.
As the lead partner in the Scottish Centre for Himalayan Research (SCHR), the University recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Research (ICIMOD).
Based in Nepal, the ICIMOD is a unique collaboration between China, Burma, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan that looks at problems of biodiversity, sustainability and development in and around the massive mountain ranges of the Himalayan region.
Its aim is to develop and provide innovative solutions to the pressing economic, social and physical vulnerability of mountain people.
Dr Will Tuladhar-Douglas, Director of the SCHR and a Lecturer in Religious Studies at the University of Aberdeen, said: "This is a significant step forward for the SCHR as it means we now have in-country research partners in every Himalayan nation and far greater capacity to build further research partnerships across the entire region."
Projects currently underway at the Scottish Centre include work exploring Tibetan divination, Tantric medicine, 17th century Scots in the Himalayas and plant collecting expeditions in the Solu Khumbu region.
Added Dr Tuladhar-Douglas, "There is already a huge amount of fascinating work currently being undertaken by the SCHR team but this new agreement with the ICIMOD will undoubtedly open new doors for further research opportunities for our staff in Aberdeen and across Scotland."
The SCHR is an interdisciplinary consortium that counts amongst its ranks researchers from the universities of Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and St. Andrews as well as the Macaulay Institute and the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh.
The Greater Himalayan region extends all the way from the Hindu Kush, through the central Himalayan ranges and into the eastern highlands of Yunnan and Burma.
It is the source of rivers that provide water for more than half the world's population, and it forms the boundary between the world's largest countries, India and China.
Today, however, its glaciers are disappearing and there are several wars and insurgencies along its length, with the potential for conflict escalating sharply as water and other resources become scarce.
For more information about the SCHR visit: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/schr/