Maharaj Pandit calls for the protection of the Himalayas through an international network to monitor environmental risks, develop early-warning systems to detect hazards and provide a better understanding of Himalayan geology and ecology (Nature 501, 283; 2013). Such a network is in fact already in place, but it needs more international support if it is to be properly effective.

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Kathmandu, Nepal, was founded 30 years ago by the eight countries of the Hindu Kush–Himalayan region. ICIMOD's expertise is now internationally recognized (S. Sarkar Himal. J. Sci. 4, 7–8; 2007).

ICIMOD forms a centre for intergovernmental knowledge and learning, as well as for regional research and development. It works for sustainable economic and environmental development of the Himalayan ecosystems, by monitoring risks from glacial lakes and providing early warning of hazards such as forest fires and flooding in many of its member countries.

Furthermore, the formation of a Himalayan University Consortium is strengthening collaboration between universities in the region. ICIMOD has been collaborating with governments, academics and non-governmental and community-based organizations from several Hindu Kush–Himalayan countries on conservation programmes to identify the most vulnerable transboundary landscape areas, which are also of global importance.