**1. Introduction**

The conservation of biodiversity has been a matter of serious concern all over the world. Regions of the world with rapidly changing land use and economies require transdisciplinary focus to adequately address today's challenges for conservation, local livelihoods, and development. Himalayan ecosystem sustainability is vital for the employment of approximately 1.3 billion people in Asia. The Indian Himalayan

Region (IHR) are special for their natural geological wealth, forest, flora, fauna and biodiversity, snow, ice and water bodies, traditional knowledge, and mountain agriculture. It is now widely accepted that the rich and diverse Himalayan ecosystem is fragile. The perennial rivers of north India depend heavily upon the sustainability of glaciers and the ecosystem of the Himalayan region. As defined in the Convention on Biological Diversity, biodiversity encompasses the variety and variability of life forms, ecosystems, and ecological processes, at all levels of biological organization, and is the foundation of human survival and economic well-being [1]. The popularity of the biodiversity concept rests on the fact that its three-tiered definition (diversity within species, between species, and of ecosystems) provides a 'big tent' that encompasses a variety of interests within the modern conservation movement.

Forests cover around 30% of the earth's surface and besides being the reservoirs of biologically rich and genetically diverse ecosystems also provide a wide range of services that include healthy soils, clean drinking water, climate regulation, and recreational and esthetic benefits [2]. About 410 million people are reported to be dependent on forests for subsistence and income and around 1.6 billion depend on forest goods and services [3]. Ever-increasing demands on forest ecosystem goods and services are increasing pressure on the natural resources of forests and making them more vulnerable. Ever increasing human population combined with unsustainable resource use, poor management, and limited investment in conservation further contribute to their vulnerability [4].

The biodiversity of mountain regions has been studied by scientists for a long period which suggests that they are a rich repository of biodiversity [5, 6]. The Himalayan forest landscape is a provider of a wide range of goods and ecosystem services to its inhabitants and downstream communities [7]. In the Himalayan regions, the altitude range (800–6000 m) particularly plays a major role in the distribution of different species and these species found at each altitude have their own importance in sustaining other associated flora and fauna. This interdependency of species with other various communities in the high altitudes has a significant role in maintaining the biodiversity of these areas. The IHR is a mega hot spot of biological diversity. The IHR supports vast natural diversity, consisting of 18,440 plant species, including 1748 and 675 species of medicinal importance and wild edibles, respectively. However, the Himalayan ecosystem is recognized as one of the most vulnerable ecosystems to the consequences of climate change and anthropogenic disturbances [8]. Most of the published literature adopts a singular approach to biodiversity, scientifically justified without reflecting on the indications of the central metrics which are available for equity and social justice in preservation practice. In this chapter, we take into account the role of conservation science, the definitions and concepts it employs, and their effects on conservation policy and practice. We contemplate some of the challenges and opportunities that would reveal in exploring a pluralistic perspective on biodiversity conservation.
