Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has given in principle approval to the National Mission on Sustaining the Himalayan Eco-system. He also called for much greater engagement and coordination" among nations, including China and Pakistan, who share the sensitive mountain range.<br/> <br/>The approval to the mission assumes significance as India gears up for the climate change talks in Copenhagen in December to decide on a successor to the Kyoto Protocol to check global warming.<br/> <br/>The decision on the National Mission on Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem was taken at the meeting of the Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change. Dr Singh said that he will convene a meeting of Chief Ministers of Himalayan states in an effort to safeguard the sensitive zone.<br/> <br/>The Prime Minister said there is a need to prepare the country and people to anticipate and respond to the consequences of climate change and part of the adaptation response was in halting and reversing the ecological degradation that has already taken place in the Himalayas.<br/> <br/>He also welcomed the initiative taken by the Ministry of Environment and Forest to commission a study on Himalayan glaciers in collaboration with ISRO.<br/>