Yer man who wrote that piece is keen to exonerate mountain dwellers but he explains nothing. Very odd.
http://www.fao.org/forestry/37244/en/
http://www.fao.org/forestry/11720-05034a6ade4bbfbbe488e86a70bc82c6.pdf

http://theconversation.com/devastating-himalayan-floods-are-made-worse-by-an-international-blame-game-83103

https://www.geos.ed.ac.uk/homes/mattal/Wasson2008.pdf

Relying on cut and paste from wiki is hardly a valid scientific argument for such a complex subject. Even the experts do not have a consensus.