A Two-day international seminar at the North Bengal University, Siliguri, India!

The University of North Bengal, in collaboration with the Arctic Centre of the University of Lapland and several national and local institutions in India, including Organization (AIMO), Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (IGRMS), Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR-ERC), and Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI), organized a two-day international seminar on 15-16 December 2023. The seminar is entitled “Environment, Culture and Ethnic Diversity: Narratives from Himalayan and sub-Himalayan Regions”. The seminar intended to create a platform for academics, young scholars, and students to interact on the effect of environmental changes in the Himalayan and sub-Himalayan regions and compare such effects with similar regions, such as the Arctic. The Himalayan region – also often known as the Third Pole – and the Arctic are rich in biodiversity and known as global biodiversity hotspots with a diverse ecosystem. The regions play an essential role in global climate systems, and the impact of climate change hit them disproportionately. The regions are home to diverse groups of Indigenous and tribal people portraying distinct and unique cultures. The seminar's core was to address challenges faced by diverse groups of Indigenous and tribal peoples in the Arctic and Himalayan regions due to overall environmental change and the resulting effects on society, culture, economy, and demography, as well as possible solutions thereof. The seminar attracted around 120 academic presentations from scholars and students representing various disciplines, such as anthropology, geography, law and human rights, political science, international relations, etc. Prof. Kamrul Hossain was invited as a Special guest to the seminar. He also gave an academic presentation on the importance of Earth-centrism and Indigenous worldviews for a sustainable planetary process to serve humans and nature equally.