India, Sept. 13 -- The Himalayas are a living landscape of rivers, forests, glaciers, and communities that have adapted over centuries to the mountain range's fragile environment. Nearly 210 million people across seven countries depend on these landscapes for their livelihoods, with more than 50 million in India alone. Yet, this region is under extraordinary stress.

Over the past few weeks, we have witnessed repeated catastrophes across the Himalayan belt: Uttarkashi's Dharali village devastated by a flash flood, landslides burying parts of Mandi, and heavy rains triggering floods and devastation in parts of Jammu and Kashmir.

These are not isolated events, but warnings that reckless development in fragile terrain can multiply disasters...