KATHMANDU: Vegetation is expanding at high altitudes in the Himalayas, including in the Everest region, new research has shown.

The researchers found plant life in areas where vegetation was not previously known to grow.

A team used satellite data from 1993 to 2018 to measure the extent of plant cover between the tree-line and the snow-line, reports BBC.

The results are published in the journal Global Change Biology.

The study focused on the subnival region – the area between the tree-line (the edge of the habitat at which trees are capable of growing) and the snow line (the boundary between snow-covered land and snow-free land).
Subnival plants are mainly small grasses and shrubs.

“The strongest trend in increased vegetation cover was between 5,000 meters and 5,500 meters altitude,” said Dr. Karen Anderson, from Exeter University, lead author of the report.

In the Everest region, the study found a significant increase in vegetation in all height brackets.