About this region
Between 40 and 50 million years ago, the tectonic plate of India collided with Eurasia.This collision pushed the Himalaya upwards, forming 110 mountain peaks.
The Himalaya are a biodiversity hotspot, rich in many plant species.
Temperate forests sit between the alpine meadows above and the warm tropical forests below.
Himalayan snow is melting faster than ever before. The World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) estimates that one in five people depend on water that flows from the Himalaya. Scientists are working to protect these communities and the 10,000 plants that grow in the Himalayan range.
Main image: Temperate Himalaya by Dr. Altaf A. Dasti via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
