In order to ensure effective functioning, the institute has grouped its activities under three divisions.

1. Repository Division

2. Sustainable Development Division

3. Human Resource Division

1. Repository Division

This division has been constituted for the purpose of documentation of research undertaken on the Himachal Himalaya. The repository division is utilizing certain standardized patterns in knowledge base formation as well as evolving its own. A pattern is simply "a description of a solution to a problem found to occur in a specific context". If the description includes the reasoning and the various tradeoffs behind the solution, the result is compact and usable documentation. The purpose of undertaking documentation on varied aspects is to ensure that valuable information is made available readily for academia, administration and community and also assure that all stakeholders are committed to projects and are not limited by non-availability of ready information.

2. Sustainable Development Division

Sustainable development is viewed as the mutually beneficial interaction between the legitimate interests of business and the economy, government and the polity, and civil society and culture. However, these societal interactions do not exist in a vacuum. On the physical and material side, society is bounded by the carrying capacity of the varied ecosystems, landscape ecology, and ultimately the biosphere of the earth, nature. On the psychological and spiritual side, the threefold functional differentiation of society is contextualized by the caring capacity of individuals. From this perspective five dimensions of sustainable development are visible- the human being, culture, polity, economy and nature. The population issue, for example, is a development issue that can only be addressed from a societal perspective and not from culture, economy and polity alone. Society is a cognitive construct arising from an individual's or several individual's perception of the differing patterns of interactions among human beings. It is within this context that the whole debate between rights versus community and responsibility can be understood. It is also within this context that the harmonious integration between human and social development is to be achieved. Society has hence the six dimensions of sustainable development. A seventh that pervades all the other dimensions needs to be added. This seventh is the dimension of Spirit. Development in a society can truly be called sustainable and inclusive if it caters to needs and genuine rights of the marginalized and less privileged. The IIHS will follow the approach of inclusive and sustainable development.

3. Human Resource Division

Realizing the significance of nature is one of the richest assignments of mind, and this requires detection, imagination, participation and decision. The main aim of IIHS is to attempt to dissolve the hard conceptual line that we customarily draw between human beings and "nature," thus challenging the assumption that we can physically, organically, or psychologically detach the fate of humankind from nature. The Institute recognizes human labor as an invaluable resource which needs to sustain the natural environment for man's own genetic need. IIHS is hence working towards ensuring capacity building in the state.

 

Programmes and Activities of the Divisions

Repository Division

Annotated Bibliography Research abstracts of Ph.D/M.Phil and research Projects completed by IIHSØ Directory of Capacity Building Institutions Documentation of formal/non-formal organizations engaged in sustainable development of Himachal Himalaya Status reports on resources of Himachal Pradesh Directory of eminent /successful personalities and organizations/who have excelled in different fields e.g. agriculture, horticulture, industry, education, social work etc.Ø Publications- Books, Mimeographs, Newsletter, Himalayan Studies Journal, etc. GIS databases Dissemination of research output through print and electronic media.

Sustainable Development Division

Research studies leading to Inclusive Development Integrated development studies on Himalayan villages. Integrated Area Based studies through Watershed approach. Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK) - Sustainable Development and scientific validation of ITK. Research studies in the areas contributing towards the mission of the Institute such as health, education, biodiversity, inequalities, women studies, industrialization, cultural studies, poverty, linguistic studies, migration, governance, tourism, rural artisans, Natural Resource Management, etc.

Human Resource Division

Academic courses Training programmes in pertinent issues related to sustainable development of Himachal Himalaya. Trainings on livelihood generating activities in collaboration with other agencies Himalayan Study Circle to serve as an interface between academia and community. Workshops, Seminars and Conferences Capacity building programmes for community based organizations, Panchayati Raj Institutions and Non Government Organizations. Outreach and Extension activities