Organisation doing work in the Himalayan region

Society  for Himalayan Environmental Rehabilitation  and People´s   Action   (SHERPA)
SHERPA is a professional group which formed in 1985 to focus attention of governments and people "on the problem of the Himalaya, disseminating knowledge and maximising people´s participation in development of the region". The organisation says its choice of acronym is deliberate, "for a Sherpa is steady and sturdy…he is prepared to face natural and man-made calamities…he is not constrained by socio-ethnic and other such limiting factors…he has grit and is willing to transcend barriers and limitation".
The objective   of this Lucknow-based organisation is to monitor and understand
 
the human-environment relationships, generate public interest for the preservation and regeneration of the Himalayan environment and to undertake applied research on socio-economic problems.
 
During the past four years, SHERPA has held national level seminars on subjects such as alternate energy systems for hill areas, people´s participation in watershed management, rainfed agriculture in the Himalaya  and  "environment-friendly"
 
tourism. The organisation also has an active publication programme and, with the support of the Uttar Pradesh Government,plans a quarterly newsletter that wiil be mailed to all village pradhans, block pramukhs, research institutions, voluntary groups and social workers in the Central Himalaya.
Working primarily in the Garhwal and Kumaon, SHERPA has over 200 members and more than 25 institutional members, such as the Pantnagar University for Agriculture and Technology, Garhwal University, ONGC Himalayan Association (Dehra Dun) and the Central Himalayan Environmental Association (Naini Tal). Funding is through membership subscriptions, donations and grants from the central and state governments. For further information, write to T.N. Dhar, President, 27 B/5, Lajpatrai Marg, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226 001.