BLOG
As the world gathers for the Conference of Parties (COP)16, discussions under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), in Cali, Colombia and later in Baku, Azerbaijan for COP29, the global conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the spotlight is firmly on solutions that tackle biodiversity loss, climate change, and ecosystem degradation.
As the COP discussions progress, it’s an opportune moment to highlight how the work we are doing at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) with our partners in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) aligns with the global agenda. Achieving goals on biodiversity, climate, and sustainable development requires ongoing investment, strong partnerships, and large-scale, tangible actions – particularly in the HKH region, where ecosystems support 1.2 billion people across the mountains and downstream river basins.
Our rangelands, wetlands, forests, and ecosystems are vital both for local livelihoods and for global environmental health. They provide essential services like carbon sequestration, water and air regulation, hazard mitigation, habitat protection, and boosting ecosystem productivity. ICIMOD’s work on ecosystems and landscape restoration is dedicated to scaling Nature-based Solutions (NbS) – which include actions to protect, sustainably manage, or restore natural ecosystems that address environmental, social, economic, and gender-related challenges while simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits. In particular, our work addresses societal challenges around water insecurity and ecosystem degradation – that has deeper implications on food and livelihoods security, including biodiversity conservation. Springshed management and rangelands restoration for multiple benefits are foundational NbS, and together with forest landscape restoration, incentives for biodiversity, and addressing issues on human-wildlife coexistence – we are committing to safeguarding critical mountain ecosystems with the aim of generating multiple benefits – both for people and the environment.
Rangelands and wetlands cover 60% of HKH landmasses. They comprise grasslands, shrublands, meadows, steppes, prairies, marshes, and peatlands which serve as habitats for numerous plant and animal species – especially medicinal plants and key mammal species. These ecosystems provide critical services around water regulation and carbon sequestration, and have deep cultural significance linked to the lives and traditions of pastoralist and herder communities.
Our rangeland intervention adopts the NbS design with the aim of generating climate, biodiversity, and livelihoods co-benefits from rangeland restoration. We promote sustainable grazing practices, working together with herders and pastoralist communities. By collaborating with government agencies, we aim to strengthen policy to enable inclusive and sustainable management of rangeland resources. By working with local governments, herders, and NGOs across several countries, we are co-designing actions to protect rangeland biodiversity, reduce degradation, and increase ecosystem services. Such collaborative research and practice focused on the transformation of rangelands and pastoralism align directly with global commitments to restore degraded landscapes and combat desertification, as emphasised in the 2016 Cancun Statement of the CBD and UNCCD’s the Global Land Outlook Thematic Report on Rangelands.
ICIMOD’s work on wetland conservation and management, particularly in high-altitude wetlands, has implications for global carbon management efforts – supporting both mitigation and adaptation efforts in line with UNFCCC objectives on wise use and restoration of wetlands and peatlands for mitigating climate change.
One of the key NbS that ICIMOD has been championing is springshed management. Springs serve as a lifeline for millions of people across the HKH region, providing essential water resources for drinking, agriculture, and sanitation. ICIMOD’s springshed management emphasises community-led spring mapping, sustainable land-water management practices and restoring vegetation cover around spring catchment areas, ensuring equitable access to reliable and sustainable water sources. Aligned to global efforts under CBD, UNFCCC, and UNCCD conventions, springshed management not only enhances water availability but also strengthens climate resilience in the mountain regions.
Similarly, ICIMOD’s forest landscape restoration (FLR) efforts contribute to the global agenda of restoring degraded ecosystems. By promoting afforestation, reforestation, and sustainable forest management, we are helping to restore the ecological integrity of forest landscapes, increase carbon sequestration, and enhance biodiversity. Our work in this area is particularly relevant to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, which calls for concerted global efforts to restore degraded forests by 2030. We are working with government agencies to provide the science-led evidence around forest gain and carbon emission reduction, including the economics of forest landscape restoration.
The HKH region is home to rich biodiversity, including iconic species such as snow leopards, red pandas, wild yaks, and elephants. When human populations exist together in the same habitat, conflicts often arise. For the HKH, such conflicts are becoming more frequent and severe, threatening wildlife populations and undermining local livelihoods and human wellbeing.
ICIMOD’s work on mitigating human-wildlife conflicts focuses on solutions that foster coexistence between communities and wildlife. By implementing community-based monitoring and awareness, local warning systems, livelihood diversification strategies, and transboundary cooperation, we are helping to reduce the negative impacts of wildlife and local communities existing side by side. Our efforts emphasise the role of traditional knowledge, local stewardship and capacity to combat conflicts. This aligns well with Target 4 of the Global Biodiversity Framework to promote human-wildlife co-existence.
Incentives play a critical role in motivating conservation actions and sustaining biodiversity. ICIMOD’s work on developing innovative incentive measures for biodiversity and sustainable landscapes is designed to bridge the gap between conservation and development, providing direct contribution to Target 11 of the CBD, and to the Article 6.4 mechanism of the Paris Agreement under UNFCCC. We are engaging with private sectors and banking and financial institutions to innovate blended financing as a collective effort to reinforce sustainable development.
Our work on greener incentives highlights the importance of aligning incentive measures with government policies and private-sector initiatives. By fostering partnerships with governments, NGOs, and private-sector actors, we are ensuring that environmentally positive actions, climate adaptation actions and NbS efforts are financially sustainable and scalable. These incentives are particularly important in the context of the HKH region, where environmental economics have huge potential.
ICIMOD’s venture on Natural Capital Accounting (NCA) with the Royal Government of Bhutan is bringing to light the value of natural capital stocks and flows, and their contributions to the economy. By quantifying the economic benefits of biodiversity and ecosystem services, NCA is guiding policymakers and stakeholders to make informed decisions about conservation investments. Our work in Bhutan, for example, has demonstrated how NCA can be used to support the management of Protected Areas (PAs) – ensuring that their contributions to national development goals are adequately accounted. We are supporting the Department of Forests and Park Services in Bhutan to develop guidelines for NCA for PAs in alignment with the global SEEA-EA framework.
Additionally, ICIMOD is working to identify and promote Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) in the HKH region. OECMs are areas that deliver biodiversity conservation outcomes without being formally designated as PAs. These areas are often managed by Indigenous people and local communities – which gives us ample opportunities to work with them and acknowledge their contributions. By recognising and supporting these areas, we are contributing to the CBD’s global target of conserving biodiversity across different types of landscapes – especially towards achieving CBD’s Target 3, which emphasises the need to conserve at least 30% of the planet’s land and oceans by 2030.
As the challenges of biodiversity loss, climate change, and ecosystem degradation continue to mount globally and in the HKH, the work done by ICIMOD and its partners in the HKH region offers a model for integrated, landscape-level NbS that are relevant across other mountain regions across the globe.
Sustaining these efforts at scale will require continued collaboration, dedicated investments, capacity, and political will. It is crucial that governments, local communities, and the private sector work together to scale up successful initiatives and ensure that the HKH region’s ecosystems remain resilient in the face of growing environmental and climate challenges. We call for stronger regional cooperation among ICIMOD’s eight member countries. Our collective voice and united efforts for the HKH region will make a decisive contribution to global biodiversity, climate, and sustainable development goals.
Moving forward, we need to prioritise science and research actions, especially long-term monitoring of ecosystem health, enhancing the use of technologies such as geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing (RS), including data analytics based on artificial intelligence (AI) to inform conservation and management decisions. Innovating incentive mechanisms to scale NbS – especially policy and regulatory incentives – are designed to encourage investments from private sectors. A regional landscape restoration programme targeted to degraded ecosystems of HKH, facilitated through regional cooperation, regional data and information systems, and blended financing can further enhance our commitments to global biodiversity, climate, and sustainable goals.
The Hailuogou Glacier is located in Luding County of China’s Sichuan Province. The Hailuogou Glacier Forest Park, the only glacier-forest park in China, is one of the most important tourist attractions in the country, rated as a 5A-level tourist destination with excellent access, accommodations, attractions, activities and amenities (AAAAA). The glacier covers almost 25 square kilometres from 2900 up to 7556 metres above sea level. It is one of the few glaciers at low altitude that are relatively easily accessible. The debris-covered glacier serves as a training site for field-based glacier monitoring, largely due to the relatively ease of access.
In April 2024, I was fortunate to join the COP29 Youth Glacier and Climate Change Scientific Exploration Campaign at Hailuogou, where I spent four days alongside fellow early-career researchers from across China. We were guided by some of the country’s leading cryosphere experts, who shared insights into glacier monitoring, the effects of climate change, and the use of advanced technologies in glacier research, such as drone survey, Automatic Weather Station (AWS), and ice core drilling. This expedition provided great opportunities for me not only to learn but also to share information about cryosphere monitoring in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region, carried out by ICIMOD and its partners. As we exchanged knowledge, we not only broadened our scientific understanding of cryosphere dynamics but also fostered cross-cultural connections within the research community and identified areas for potential research collaborations.
As a glaciologist, fieldwork is a fundamental part of my research, and I have undertaken numerous expeditions, each presenting its own challenges. I was pleasantly surprised that Hailuogou Glacier was easily accessible, unlike my experiences in Nepal, where at least one week is required to reach most glaciers. We reached Hailuogou after just a one-hour drive from Moxi old town, making this an unusually convenient field experience.
One of our key partners in China, the Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment (IMHE) at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) is actively monitoring Hailuogou Glacier. Professor Liu Qiao from IMHE shared insights into ongoing activities on the glacier and highlighted its rapidly changing features, which illustrate the effects of climate change. One major transformation has occurred in the glacier’s icefall, which was previously connected to the glacier tongue. However, the tongue is now completely detached from the rest of the glacier due to thinning, leaving behind a steep cliff and exposed bedrock.
A cable car ride over the glacier offered us a unique view, further highlighting the dramatic changes to the icefall. In the past, trekkers could descend from a lateral moraine to the glacier, but the extent of glacier down-wasting has rendered the trail inaccessible. Once a popular attraction for its breathtaking beauty, the icefall is now steadily diminishing.
A visit to the Alpine Ecosystem Observation and Experiment Station of Mt. Gongga, a national station of IMHE led by Director Chang Ruiying, helped us gain a deeper understanding of the efforts made by our partners to monitor the changing patterns of the glacier and the technologies used for studying it. The station plays a crucial role in observing and conducting research within the alpine ecosystem, offering valuable insights into the impacts of climate change on glaciers such as Hailuogou.
Under the guidance of Professor Tian Lide from the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research at the CAS, we learned about the process of extracting ice cores - one of the methods used to study past climates. Professor Tian Lide demonstrated how shallow ice cores are extracted at a chosen glacier site where the ice surface is exposed and suitable for drilling. The ice cores’ layers, accumulated over centuries, provide valuable clues about past climate conditions, including temperature, precipitation, and atmospheric composition. The ice traps air bubbles and particles such as dust, ash, and pollutants that reveal environmental pollution levels from the past. Studying these properties can improve our understanding of glacier health and enables researchers to both examine past biological activities involving microorganisms and pollen and to model future changes.
We, an animated group of young researchers, felt invigorated by the three days spent learning about the magnificent Hailuogou Glacier, its vulnerability to climate change, and the growing public concern over its future.
The experience of participating in this expedition has empowered me to inspire young researchers to delve into the study of the cryosphere, emphasising the critical need for ongoing glacier monitoring across the HKH region. This effort is vital for understanding the changes happening, the hazards involved, and the impacts on ecosystems and communities. To safeguard these essential resources, we must invest in training the next generation of researchers. With only a small fraction of glaciers studied, it is imperative that we expand our research efforts to deepen our understanding of their dynamics and the environmental changes they bring.
The expedition to Hailuogou Glacier not only expanded my understanding of cryosphere issues but also underscored the dedication, resilience, and passion required to work in glacial environments. I left with a profound sense of responsibility and a strong desire to contribute to the protection of glaciers and to ensuring that we respond effectively to the challenges posed by the changing climate.
Rangelands, which are found in diverse ecosystems, support both livelihoods and rich biodiversity, and are principally used for grazing by domestic or wild animals. In Bhutan, these include both forest and open ecosystems, from the subtropical grasslands in the southern foothills to temperate rangelands at middle elevations and high-elevation alpine meadows (Wangda, 2011), where they are grazed mostly by yak and cattle. However, they are coming under increasing threat due to the rapid spread of weeds and invasive species, which is also a pervasive issue globally.
The proliferation of weeds and invasive species is recognised as one of the main drivers of rangeland degradation in Bhutan, which is further exacerbated by climate change, and changes in management practices and government policies (Millar & Tenzing, 2021). These bring about huge changes in structure and ecological functioning that have far-reaching consequences, including displacement of native species, changes in cultural practices, and socio-economic losses. Changes include an increase in aboveground net primary productivity, which promotes competition for light and changes in the dynamics of interactions with grazers and pastoralists. Furthermore, it impacts the water and nutrient cycles within an ecosystem, as well as infiltration capacities and fire dynamics. Fire is particularly important to rangelands, where it is a fundamental ecological process of many ecosystems.
Given the ecological diversity within Bhutan, there are varying drivers that affect changes in these systems. For example, the alpine and temperate rangelands across Bhutan are undergoing serious changes brought about by the encroachment of shrubs such as Rhododendron and Juniper. Among the few studies carried out in Bhutan, Dorji et al (2024) showed that an increase in the species and dominance of shrub species in the summer rangelands of Dagala in western Bhutan reduced plant species richness by 50–90%. Overgrazing in Bhutanese rangelands is an ongoing issue (Chophyel, 2009) that causes the proliferation of weeds and other unpalatable species such as Potentilla peduncularis Rumex, Senecio spp.
In subtropical to temperate regions, the spread of invasive alien species is a major threat to biodiversity (NBSAP, 2014). Globally, invasive alien species are considered among the two greatest threats to biodiversity (Dueñas et al., 2018), and their impacts are likely to be even higher in developing countries like Bhutan. Some of the most problematic species there include Lantana camara, Chromolaena odorata, Ageratina adenophora, and Mikania micrantha. These species are believed to have been introduced to Bhutan accidentally as seed contaminants, or deliberately as fodder or ornamental plants, and their movement has been facilitated by trade across Bhutan’s porous border with India (Yangzom et al 2020). Some of these species display aggressive growth and allelopathic effects – whereby a plant releases toxins to suppress the growth of other plants – enabling them to out-compete native species and form dominant stands.
The relationship between the drivers and impacts of encroachment is complex and depends on context (Maestre et al., 2020). For example, the effects will depend on the species and their functional traits, management history, and ecological conditions. This complexity and the importance of rangelands underscores the urgent need for further studies from Bhutan to aid our understanding of their impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services in the otherwise understudied Himalayan rangeland system and is crucial for the development of appropriate management strategies.
Mr. Tshering Dorji, PhD Student
University of Edinburgh (School of GeoSciences) & Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Tshering.Dorji@ed.ac.uk or tdorji@rbge.org.uk
Dr. Colin Pendry
Editor (Flora of Nepal), Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
cpendry@rbge.org.uk
Chophyel, P. (2009). Rangeland management in Bhutan: A consultancy report. Thimphu, Bhutan: Royal Government of Bhutan, Ministry of Agriculture.
Dorji, T. (2023). Graminoid richness and composition patterns along a shrub cover gradient in Dagala, Bhutan. MSc. Thesis, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
Dueñas, M. A., Ruffhead, H. J., Wakefield, N. H., Roberts, P. D., Hemming, D. J., & Diaz-Soltero, H. (2018). The role played by invasive species in interactions with endangered and threatened species in the United States: a systematic review. Biodiversity and Conservation, 27, 3171-3183.
Maestre, F. T., Eldridge, D. J., & Soliveres, S. (2016). A multifaceted view on the impacts of shrub encroachment. Applied Vegetation Science, 19(3), 369-370.
Millar, J., & Tenzing, K. (2021). Transforming degraded rangelands and pastoralists' livelihoods in Eastern Bhutan. Mountain Research and Development, 41(4), D1-D7.
National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan. (2014). National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan. Thimphu, Bhutan. National Biodiversity Center, Ministry of Agriculture and Forests.
Wangda, P. (2017). Rangeland Areas of Bhutan. National Research Centre for Animal Nutrition Bumthang
Yangzom, R. et al. (2018). A Pictorial Guide to Major Invasive Plant Species of Bhutan. Thimphu, Bhutan.
It is with profound respect and a deep sense of loss that we commemorate the life and legacy of Professor Jack D. Ives, who passed away on 15 September 2024. A pioneering geographer, geomorphologist and visionary scholar, Professor Ives dedicated his career to bringing global attention to the challenges faced by mountain regions, particularly the Himalayas: and it is hard to overstate the role he played in shaping the discourse on mountain development, and in the birth of ICIMOD itself.
Professor Ives's name is synonymous with mountain research, and he was instrumental in shifting the global discourse around mountains from one of mere exploration to one of sustainability, resilience, and conservation. One of his most influential works, The Himalayan Dilemma: Reconciling Development and Conservation (1989), co-authored with Bruno Messerli, remains a seminal text in the field of mountain studies. This book addressed alarmist reports that claimed the Himalayan region was on the verge of ecological collapse due to deforestation, erosion, and unsustainable agricultural practices. Ives and Messerli challenged this reductive, predominant narrative, with evidence of the more complex socio-economic, political, and environmental forces at play in the Himalayas.
Professor Ives accumulated many accolades in his illustrious career, including recognition from the UNEP Global 500 Award for his environmental achievements and the King Albert I Memorial Medal for his contributions to the development of mountain regions. His work with UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) further solidified his reputation as a global leader in mountain research and conservation.
Ives’s work through the MAB Programme and his chairing of its International Working Group not only contributed to the founding of ICIMOD but also advanced global understanding of the importance of integrating ecological, economic, and social considerations in mountain development. Ives envisioned an institution that would serve as a regional hub for research, knowledge sharing, and policy development focused specifically on mountain environments. He believed that such an institution would foster collaboration between the countries of the Hindu Kush Himalaya region, helping them address shared challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and sustainable livelihoods.
As we reflect on his life, we remember Ives, not only for his intellectual contributions, but also for his warmth and generosity, and his commitment to the advancement of the careers of young researchers. His ability to inspire and engage with people from all walks of life, from local communities in mountain regions to policymakers and fellow academics, was truly exceptional. His tireless efforts laid the foundation for a more sustainable and equitable future for the Hindu Kush Himalaya and beyond.
At ICIMOD, we owe much of our foundation to Professor Ives' vision and leadership. His belief in the power of collaboration and knowledge sharing across borders remains at the heart of our work today. His passing is a tremendous loss to the global mountain community, but his legacy endures in the ongoing work of ICIMOD and among his wide network of colleagues and friends. We will always remember him as a pioneer, mentor, and friend.
Grazing of plants by domesticated livestock is an important ecosystem service of either private or public grazing lands. However, not all plants growing in these areas are palatable or desirable. Several plant species can: be undesirable to livestock, be poisonous, outcompete desirable plants, or cause other issues such as blocking of livestock access to desirable plants. In this respect, it is important to understand the difference between native plants, invasive plants, and weeds.
Native or indigenous plants are those that have been growing in a particular habitat for thousands of years, oftentimes even before the arrival of humans to that area. These species co-evolve with their beneficial organisms and predators and are well adapted to the local environmental, climatic, and soil conditions.
Invasive or non-native plants or alien plants are those that are not native to the area. They are often introduced purposely or accidentally by humans or birds or grazing animals from another area. These plants usually proliferate and outcompete the native plants and cause environmental or economic harm. Often, these are not palatable or desirable to grazing animals and hence are detrimental to grazing lands. These plants usually disrupt ecosystem services of the grazing area and are, therefore, categorised as invasive weeds.
A weed is a plant that grows in a place where it is not wanted and competes with plants desired by humans, or in the case of pastures, grazing areas, and rangelands, by livestock. Thus, the term ‘weed’ is a plant that is perceived to be undesirable in the system of immediate interest to humans, e.g. agriculture farm, home gardens, grazing areas etc. Weeds can be plants of native or alien origin. Based on this definition, a native plant can also become a weed if it proliferates and competes with desirable plants of human interest. There have been cases where a native plant has aggressively taken over a landscape and outcompeted other desirable plant species. Such examples can be observed in grazing pastures and rangelands, and we present one such example from Bhutan.
Usually, it is preferred that pastures and grazing lands have a dominance of plant species palatable to the livestock and a balanced presence of some desirable plant species that may not be palatable but provide ecosystem services such as prevention of soil erosion, shade to the livestock, or other soil and environmental balances. In an ideal world, a perfect balance in these plant species is desired. However, oftentimes, undesired plants of native or alien origin can make incursions into the grazing areas, outcompete the desirable species, cause imbalances in the plant communities, and disrupt ecosystem services of the area. These problems often go unnoticed and within a short time it becomes ‘too late’ to implement economically viable management options.
Two problematic natives
In this section, we present an experience of how two native plants have caused imbalances in the plant communities in grazing lands (approximately 3300 m amsl) of Bhutan and caused disruptions in ecosystem services and the seasonal migration and use of these pastures by transhumant yak herders. The two native plants are Rumex nepalensis (Photo 1) and Anisodus luridus (Photo 2).
Although these are native plants, they have made incursions in the grazing areas, outcompeted the desirable and palatable native plants, almost become the sole dominant species (Photo 3, 4), and disrupted the ecosystem services of the grazing areas. Although most plant species have some desirable properties in them, unfortunately, until we find reliable information on such, they become weeds in these grazing areas. As a result, these grazing areas are losing their utility and becoming huge patches with limited ecosystem services to human interest and to the wild ungulates that also use these areas. The damages to the interests of yak herders were numerous, ranging from economic to social interests.
The economic and ecosystem costs of these imbalances in plant species seem to be huge and the task at hand of restoring these grazing lands seems to be overwhelming. However, a start must be made in tackling this problem as it has begun to affect the livelihood of the yak herders. Since these are grazing lands, a simple weed management system designed for agricultural weeds does not look to be a solution as we are dealing with natural areas that provide ecosystem services and thus the solution also must be a natural management intervention with least disturbance to the ecosystem.
In conclusion, there is a great need to study the problem in greater depth and develop solutions before more grazing areas face this situation and lead to losses in biodiversity and the pastoral cultures dependent on their seasonal use. Granted that these are native plants but when such plants cause imbalances in ecosystems, management intervention is warranted before the problem goes out of control. Such interventions could be reseeding of native species, prescribed burning etc., but studies are needed before such strategies can be implemented.
This year, extreme heat waves, as well as flash floods, landslides, and other water-related hazards have hit millions of people across the Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH). While historically the different communities living in the region have developed resilience strategies to cope with these harsh conditions, climate change has heightened these risks. Rapid glacier melt, unpredictable weather, and frequent disasters make disaster management an area for urgent improvement.
In September 2024, national disaster management authorities (NDMAs) from Nepal, Bhutan, and Pakistan came together in Islamabad to share their experiences and learn from each other. This exchange visit, organized by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), aimed to strengthen regional cooperation and find common ways to deal with climate-related disasters. The visit allowed experts to exchange ideas on how to respond to disasters and reduce the risks faced by communities living in this challenging region.
During the exchange visit, a key highlight was a Joint Simulation Exercise held at the National Emergency Operations Center in Islamabad. This exercise focused on the critical risk of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), drawing attention to GLOF events like the Badswat GLOF in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, and the Imja Glacier in Khumjung, Nepal. With representatives from Nepal, Bhutan, and Pakistan actively participating, the simulation allowed disaster management experts to share their preparedness and response strategies in each scenario.
Pakistan’s NDMA has dealt with many different types of natural disasters over the years, from a major earthquake in 2005, to the devastating floods of 2010 and 2022. During the visit, participants learnt how the agency deploys disaster management technologies, tools and approaches in emergencies.
Pakistan’s disaster management system is decentralized, meaning local authorities at the provincial and district levels have the power to respond quickly to emergencies. This structure ensures that communities across the country are better prepared for disasters, with faster response times and strategies tailored to the needs of each region.
One of the key messages from the exchange was the need for countries in the HKH region to work together more closely. As past disasters such as floods and landslides show, hazards do not stop at national borders. Transboundary cooperation in areas like early warning systems, data sharing, joint disaster simulations, and coordinated response strategies is essential for effective disaster management.
Participants discussed the potential for creating a regional platform where disaster management authorities from the HKH region could regularly meet to share data, strategies, and best practices. The idea of a regional early warning system also gained attention. Such a system could help countries share important information about incoming disasters, allowing for faster and more coordinated responses. This kind of collaboration could make a huge difference in saving lives and reducing the impact of natural disasters in the region.
This exchange visit is just one step toward a larger goal: building a more resilient future for the HKH region. As climate change continues to increase the frequency and intensity of natural disasters, cooperation between the region’s NDMAs will be more important than ever.
Lt. General Inam Malik, Chairman of NDMA Pakistan, highlighted the importance of both sharing Pakistan’s experiences and learning from its neighbours, particularly in areas like climate-induced tourism risks. His vision for collaboration focuses on several key areas:
Anil Pokhrel, Chief Executive of Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, noted the shared experiences of Nepal and Pakistan in facing large-scale seismic and climate-induced disasters. “This exchange has offered us important lessons from Pakistan’s advancements in disaster response, particularly in their emergency operations,” he said. “By working together, we can enhance our preparedness for glacial lake outburst floods, a common threat driven by climate change, and identify new opportunities for collaboration in disaster risk management.”
Sonam Tshewang, Executive Engineer at Bhutan's Ministry of Home Affairs, emphasized the importance of regional cooperation. “This initiative underscores how critical it is for our countries to work together. The knowledge we have gained here will enhance our disaster management efforts back home.”
Arun B. Shrestha, who leads ICIMOD’s Climate and Environmental Risks work, reiterated the value of the exchange in preparing for future disasters. “ICIMOD’s mission is to promote knowledge-sharing and strengthen the network of disaster management professionals across the region. The challenges we face are collective, and so too must be our solutions.”
Mountains are crucial for ecological protection, serving as vital reservoirs of natural resources and biodiversity. However, their rugged terrain presents unique challenges, including unstable slopes, fragile ecosystems, and natural hazards such as landslides, debris flows, and flash floods. These complexities are further exacerbated by climate change and human activities, making the protection of mountain environments both urgent and difficult. The Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region exemplifies this intricate dynamic. As a key area for studying mountain ecology, resources, environmental challenges, and sustainable development, the HKH serves as a natural laboratory for understanding the multifaceted nature of mountain environments. Despite its significance, the region faces considerable challenges in balancing environmental protection with sustainable development.
On 29-30 July, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), in collaboration with the Sub-Society on Mountain Research of the Geographical Society of China and the Central Department of Geography at Tribhuvan University, hosted the International Conference on ‘Environmental Protection, Modernization, and Sustainable Development in Mountain Regions’. This event aimed to draw attention to the HKH and encourage expanded research collaborations and partnerships across this critical region.
The conference attracted over 150 scientists, scholars, and sustainable mountain development practitioners, including representatives from India, Bhutan, China, Nepal, Pakistan, Rwanda, the UK, and beyond. Sessions covered a wide range of topics essential to the HKH region, including a Regional Dialogue on Accelerating Climate Resilience in the Hydropower Sector of the HKH Region, which emphasised the need for climate-resilient approaches in hydropower development, given the increasing risks posed by climate change, and an academic session on Disaster Risk, Cryosphere, and Water Research, where participants discussed the growing threats to the cryosphere and water resources in the HKH, and the need for robust disaster risk management strategies.
Key presentations included 'Disaster and Recovery Experience of Upper Bhote Koshi Hydroelectric Project' by Bikram Sthapit, CEO of Bhote Koshi Power Company Pvt. Ltd. He emphasized the crucial collaboration between his company and Chinese scientist Prof. Chen Ningsheng of Yangtze University and IMHE-CAS, who provided support in transboundary disaster assessment and information sharing for the 2016 GLOF that occurred upstream in China but caused significant damage to the Upper Bhote Koshi Hydroelectric Project downstream in Nepal. Additional sessions showcased research updates that underscored the interconnectedness of ecosystems and livelihoods, the importance of sustainable development practices benefiting both people and nature, and the impacts of human activities on land use and agriculture in reshaping the HKH landscape.
This conference was one of the largest knowledge-sharing events hosted by ICIMOD, in partnership with organisations from China and Nepal, aimed at disseminating the latest research, identifying knowledge gaps, and setting the stage for future initiatives to address these gaps. More than 60 institutions participated, fostering potential collaboration opportunities, including a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between ICIMOD and the Hydropower Sustainability Alliance (HSA) to collaborate on advancing climate-resilient hydropower development across the HKH.
A notable highlight of the conference was a panel discussion that emphasised ICIMOD's role as a platform for bringing together voices from across the region. Representatives from five regional member countries (India, Bhutan, China, Nepal, and Pakistan) discussed the implications of modernisation and sustainable development for the HKH region's mountains and communities. For example, Ms. Tshering Lhamo Dukpa, Senior Lecturer of Development Economics from Royal Thimphu College, shared her insights into preserving cultural heritage and addressing the development aspirations of mountain communities in Bhutan, while Prof. Fan Linfeng of IMHE-CAS discussed the trade-offs between development and environmental protection, using China's “Clear Waters and Green Mountains” campaign as an example of a people-centered approach to people’s wellbeing that emphasises the importance of harmony between man and nature, reflecting the traditional Chinese philosophy of Tian Ren He Yi.
As the HKH region continues to face environmental and developmental challenges, the collaborative efforts showcased at this conference represent a significant step forward. By fostering partnerships and sharing knowledge, the region's researchers and institutions are better equipped to address the complex issues ahead. This conference not only highlighted the importance of protecting mountain environments but also emphasised the need for sustainable development that considers both ecological integrity and the well-being of the communities that call these mountains home.
Event page:
Media coverage:
中国地理学会山地分会2024年学术年会在尼泊尔加德满都召开 https://www.gsc.org.cn/gsc/xueshuDetail.html?id=20&contentId=1756
http://www.imde.cas.cn/kydt_2015/202408/t20240802_7240513.html
I have visited different cities in China many times; among them is Lijiang, in Yunnan province in southwestern China. This time I was there to attend the launch workshop of the Third Pole Climate Forum (TPCF) of the Third Pole Regional Climate Centre (TPRCC)-Network. The ‘third pole’ refers to the high mountain region of Asia, including the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region above 2000m, which features the largest area of frozen water outside the polar regions. This workshop in early June was attended by about 70 professionals from 18 countries engaged with the TPRCC-Network.
The TPRCC-Network is led by the China Meteorological Administration (CMA), and consists of three sub-regional geographical nodes – (i) Northern TP Node; (ii) Southern TP Node (India); and (iii) Western TP Node (Pakistan). It is facilitated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The TPCF provides a regional collaborative platform that brings together national, regional, and international climate experts, users, and stakeholders, including national meteorological and hydrological services (NMHSs). It is led by the CMA in collaboration with the India Meteorological Department, the Pakistan Meteorological Department, and the WMO. ICIMOD is a technical partner to the TPRCC-Network, along with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), Third Pole Environment (TPE), Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW), Global Water and Energy Exchanges (GEWEX) and Mountain Research Initiative (MRI). My colleague Miriam Jackson and I have been participating online in several TPRCC-Network meetings since last year.
It was exciting to visit yet another ancient city in China. I was travelling with another participant, and after an hour’s scenic bus ride at dusk, we approached the brightly lit Lijiang. Being a centre of tourism, there were many shops and restaurants catering to lively groups of people.
The city of Lijiang is said to go back more than 100,000 years and is considered one of the most important centres of ancient human activity in southwestern China. It is famous for its Old Town, which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Old Town contains a fascinating blend of different historical architectural styles, and its water management and culture are an important part of its heritage. The system was built during the late Song dynasty, in the late 13th century CE. I was very keen to explore the ancient city’s traditional water management system. As we walked through the Old City, on either side of the old cobblestone streets, we saw drains that kept the road dry despite the rain. We took a long walk through the ancient city, admiring its beauty and its well-preserved infrastructure, including the traditional water wheels that were used for irrigation.
A field visit to the Yulong glacier situated in the Hengduan mountain range was an eye opener. A cable car took us to a glacier park with an observation platform at 4,506 metres above sea level (masl) (14,783 ft). I had never been on a cable car at such an altitude. There was also another observation deck, about 200m higher, with winding steps going up the mountain side.
Despite it being a rainy day, there were many tourists, with raincoats and carrying portable oxygen cylinders. There has been a sharp rise in the number of tourists in the Yulong area in recent years, from 1.2 million in 2002 to 4.32 million in 2018 with numbers continuing to rise. The influx of tourists is good for the local economy but had me wondering about its impacts on glaciers in the area, and on the rate of glacial melt in particular. My concerns were substantiated by an article in the Journal of Glaciology, which suggested that the major reason for glacier retreat in the Yulong mountain was the increasing number of visitors to the glaciers and the development of unsustainable tourism activities and infrastructure such as roads, hotels, cableways, and communication lines that accompanied the increase in the number of vehicles and a rise in the region’s ‘floating populations’. Tourism has undoubtedly been an economic boost for Lijiang city, but has also resulted in unsustainable water use. In addition, inadequate water management measures have caused a deterioration in the water quality.
Wang et al. (2020) show that glaciers in the Yulong Snow Mountain retreated by 64 per cent between 1957 and 2017. Between these years, the mean annual mass balance of one of the glaciers (Baishui River Glacier No. 1) was -0.42 ‘metre water equivalent’ – a term used to indicate whether a glacier has become thicker or thinner, – which is higher than that reported for the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region in ICIMOD’s 2023 HI-WISE report on the cryosphere and ecosystems in the HKH.
A number of observation stations have been installed on the Yulong mountain by the Chinese Academy of Sciences to monitor the changes in the cryosphere. The first real-time monitoring system for glaciers in China was established in 2021. Due to global warming and localised anthropogenic factors, the snow line – the altitude above which there is snow perennially – in the Yulong Snow Mountain continues to rise, and there is an accelerated melting and shrinking of glaciers, with profound impacts on the availability of water.
Participants at the inaugural session of the TPCF mainly discussed the demands of climate and cryosphere products and services for the Third Pole and assessed the current state of monitoring of the Asian alpine climate system. A seasonal outlook was discussed and finalised. The statement from the workshop provided an overview of surface air temperature (SAT), precipitation, snow cover, and the extreme events and hazards observed during the preceding season in regions of the Third Pole, and offered an outlook for temperature and precipitation for June to September 2024 to inform decision-making.
The workshop and visits to Lijiang and the Yulong glacier underlined the practical importance of an improved understanding of the cryosphere through knowledge and information and its linkages with people and society. The TPRCC-Network plans to organise regular meetings of the TPCF twice a year to provide seasonal outlooks that would enable better preparedness and improved decision-making in the Third Pole region.
Originating from the glaciers of Tibet, the mighty Yarlung Zangbo-Brahmaputra River carves its path through some of the most ecologically and geopolitically complex regions in the world, and is one of the world’s most densely populated river basins. It provides essential resources like water, food and electricity, and economic opportunities in the form of agriculture and fishing; as such, it is a lifeline for over 114 million people across Bangladesh, Bhutan, China and India. Despite its importance, the basin remains largely underdeveloped.
Sharing a river’s bounties requires sharing its burdens too. The basin faces many cascading challenges that are transboundary in nature. Climate change impacts, such as an increase in glacier melt, erratic rainfall patterns and extreme weather, has heightened vulnerability and water insecurity for downstream communities, particularly for women and marginalised groups.
The Yarlung Zangbo-Brahmaputra River holds immense potential for sustainable development and prosperity. Realising this potential requires regional collaboration to address transboundary challenges.
Recognising the need for joint action to address the transboundary challenges of the river basin, ICIMOD convened scholars, development professionals, and entrepreneurs in December 2023 in Kathmandu, Nepal, to initiate discussions around forming a network of various stakeholders, tentatively called the Brahmaputra Basin Network (BBN). This network was envisioned to foster dialogue, collaborative research, and collective action among the riparian countries. As a result of this meeting, the participants decided to name the network the ‘Yarlung Zangbo-Brahmaputra Basin Network’ (YBBN) for greater inclusivity.
During the recent YBBN stakeholder meeting, held on 17 July, 2024, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, the network had a real breakthrough. With 37 key stakeholders from three riverine countries, this meeting marked a significant step in formalising the YBBN and establishing four thematic technical working groups to guide the network’s future efforts. The meeting was organised by ICIMOD’s group on ‘Resilient River Basins of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH)’ and supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) through the TROSA Phase-2 project.
The working groups will focus on hydrology and climate, environmental conservation, socio-economic impacts, and policy outreach, ensuring comprehensive regional cooperation. An ad-hoc committee with representatives from Bangladesh, China, and India was also formed to oversee the development of these working groups and ensure ongoing stakeholder engagement. Although Bhutan was not present, efforts are underway to involve Bhutanese authorities in future discussions, highlighting the importance of their participation for the long-term resilience of the basin. These collective efforts not only strengthen the foundation for transboundary cooperation but also enhance the legitimacy and effectiveness of the network’s initiatives, ensuring that they reflect the diverse needs and aspirations of the communities dependent on the river.
The Yarlung Zangbo-Brahmaputra River basin faces numerous challenges, including the impacts of climate change and developmental activities that are altering the natural flow and health of the river. Bangladesh, located at the lower end of the basin, is already grappling with reduced dry season flows, which affect groundwater recharge, fisheries, and irrigation. Floods, soil erosion, and sedimentation further exacerbate these challenges, leading to significant socio-economic impacts, including forced migration, loss of livelihoods, and diminished access to essential services. Despite these challenges, there is a growing recognition among the riverine countries that collaboration is not just beneficial but essential. The recent renewal of the MoU on ‘Provision of Hydrological Information of the Yaluzangbu (Yarlung Zangbo)/ Brahmaputra River in Flood Season by China to Bangladesh’ is a positive sign of this effort.
As highlighted in the recent report by ICIMOD and partners, Elevating River Basin Governance and Cooperation in the HKH region: Summary Report I, Yarlung-Tsangpo-Siang-Brahmaputra-Jamuna River Basin, “there is a view that gains in water security for one country must result in losses in water security for the other.” The YBBN, therefore, aims to shift this narrative from a zero-sum mentality – where one country’s gain is perceived as another’s loss – to one of shared benefits and responsibilities. By fostering greater data sharing, transparency, and joint research, the network seeks to harness the river’s full potential for the mutual benefit of all basin countries.
The Yarlung Zangbo-Brahmaputra River basin stands at a crossroads – or a confluence. The challenges it faces – from climate change to geopolitical tensions – are significant, but so too are the opportunities for sustainable development through regional cooperation. The YBBN represents a critical step in this direction, offering a platform for collaborative research, knowledge sharing, and policy advancement. It operates via a basin-wide approach that addresses the water-energy-food-ecosystem nexus across the basin, guided by the network’s four working groups.
By embracing this network and committing to cooperation, the riverine countries can unlock the river’s vast potential, to build a climate-resilient and sustainable future for millions of people. The YBBN is more than just a network, it is a call to action – an invitation to work together in building a prosperous and secure future for the Yarlung Zangbo-Brahmaputra basin.
In the words of the stakeholders who gathered in Dhaka, “the key to this future lies in open dialogue, shared understanding, and a collective commitment to the wellbeing of the river and its people”. The YBBN, with ICIMOD as its secretariat, is poised to lead this effort, transforming water security from a competition into a shared goal that benefits communities across borders. As we mark World Rivers Day, this year on 22nd September, it is a poignant moment to build awareness of the essential collaboration that the YBBN aims to bring to the riverine communities of the Yarlung Zangbo-Brahmaputra basin, to ensure the continued values that this powerful river brings to millions amidst growing challenges.
This year’s Beijing International Forum for Metropolitan Clean Air and Climate Actions took place in the same district where I lived some months in 2019, when I worked on air quality management in collaboration with the Beijing Academy of Science and Technology to set-up a modelling platform based on the French model CHIMERE. With characteristic energy, the district, and city, has been transformed in the five years since I left—with the revival of cycling, an abundance of green spaces, progress on solar, and perhaps the most dramatic improvement of all in the quality of the air that the city’s 22 million people breathe.
China has over the course of the last decade completely reversed its air quality, going from laggard on air quality to leader in carbon emission intensity, particulate matter (PM), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emission reductions, with Beijing’s PM2.5 concentrations dropping from 90 µg/m3 in 2013 to around 32 µg/m3 in 2023.
What many admire most, of course, is that China proved that it is possible to ‘decouple’ air pollutant emissions and GDP growth.
Invited by Clean Air Asia, I could travel to the city this month to attend the 2024 Beijing International Forum for Metropolitan Clean Air and Climate Actions hosted by the Beijing Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau (BEE) and supported by the BRI International Green Development Coalition (BRIGC), Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI), C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) and organized by Beijing Municipal Research Institute of Eco-Environmental Protection, Beijing Municipal Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Center, and Beijing Climate Change Management Center. This forum took place on the margins of the annual China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS).
Zhao Yingmin, Vice Minister, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China (MEE), who often represents China at United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of Parties, and Tan Xuxiang, Vice Mayor, the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality opened the event: underscoring the progress China, and in particular Beijing, has made in addressing air quality, and the co-benefits of such action for climate outcomes. The impact of air pollution on ecosystems, green areas and glaciers were cited as important challenges.
As well as pointing out the impact of the stringent air pollution policies China has introduced since 2012, they pointed out that unilateral action alone could not solve the challenge of air pollution, given its global and transboundary nature.
Gino Van Begin, Secretary General of ICLEI spotlighted the central role of cities in reducing emissions, with a particular focus on Nature-based Solutions; Zou Ji, CEO & President of Energy Foundation China, spoke on the environmental meaning of high-quality development, underscoring the importance of China’s target of PM2.5 concentrations of 30 µg/m3 by 2030.
Julia Lipton, Director of Climate Action Planning and Innovation, C40 Cities, the leading global network for city mayors confronting the climate crisis, highlighted good practice: including Barcelona’s tourist tax to finance heat pumps and solar panels, and Boston’s efforts to discourage fossil fuel use in new buildings.
Sydney Vergis, Deputy Executive Officer, California Air Resources Board (CARB) presented on California’s work and ambition in the deployment of electric vehicles (especially trucks); and Jung Yoo-Jin, Climate & Environment Headquarters, Seoul, Republic of Korea, set out control measures adopted in Seoul to tackle volatile organic compounds, primarily released from gasoline and solvents, including paintings, favored in high temperatures.
Glynda Bathan-Baterina, Deputy Executive Director of Clean Air in Asia (CAA) emphasized the importance of regional cooperation in achieving Clean Air in Asia and the huge opportunity to learn from China’s leadership on air pollution.
Liu Baoxian, Deputy Director General of Beijing Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau (BEE) unveiled updated statistics on pollution and carbon in the city: with Beijing recording 271 days of good air quality, 95 days more than 10 years ago.
In Beijing, since 2013, carbon emission intensity has been reduced by more than 50%, PM emissions by 64%, SO2 emissions by 89 %, NO2 emissions by 54%. These reductions translated in improved wellbeing of publics, and recognition by the international community. Keeping these mitigation efforts could lead in 2035 to concentrations below 25 µg/m3.
Matthew Katz, Senior Program Officer, ICLEI USA presented a dashboard to monitor GHG emissions based on AI (Artificial Intelligence) techniques and other functionalities (ClimateView Plateform 2.0).
Science and data to guide and assess mitigation action remains key to maintaining emission reductions. In Beijing, data is drawn from online reporting from industries, monitoring of flying dust from construction, and volatile organic compounds, with machine learning deployed to manage data and identify sources and ultimately to treat any violations of environmental laws.
China’s air quality forecasting can be delivered by models like the EarthLab system, which couples atmospheric, ocean and ecosystem models, Pr. Wang Zifa, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences told delegates. The tool uses a French application, MUNICH, to simulate air quality up to the street level.
Despite the huge progress made in reducing PM2.5 concentrations since their maximum in 2013, challenges remain, reductions of PM2.5 concentrations now starting to stall. Ozone concentrations remain an issue and have even increased since 2015. However, there are huge lessons South Asia, and the world can learn from China’s approaches, with a huge amount to be done to increase interregional collaboration and national action to ensure we genuinely secure clean air for everyone. The good news is how open Chinese local and central government seem to sharing what has worked.
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), in collaboration with the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination (MoCC&EC) and the Civil Society Coalition for Climate Change (CSCCC), launched a three-day Policy Action Dialogue titled, “Tackling Climate Change Impacts on Cryosphere, Water, Food Security, & Disaster Risk Reduction.” The event convened officials from relevant departments of federal and subnational governments in Pakistan, briniging diverse stakehoders together to address critical challenges posed by climate change and to develop strategies for effective policy implementation.
Dr. Pema Gyamtsho, Director General of ICIMOD, emphasized in his welcome remarks the vital role ICIMOD plays in addressing the complex environmental challenges of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region. "Pakistan, with 7,253 glaciers—the highest number outside the polar regions—is vulnerable to both floods and droughts. We must improve access to climate data for at-risk communities," he stated, highlighting that although technologies exist, scaling them effectively remains a challenge. Dr. Gyamtsho stressed that disaster risk reduction should focus beyond preparedness and prevention, urging investment in planning and implementation. Aisha Khan, Chief Executive of CSCCC, underscored the ecological significance of mountains and the interconnectedness between upstream and downstream communities. She called for an “all-of-government and all-of-society” approach to climate change adaptation, emphasizing the need for a shift from merely identifying gaps to real time implementation.
Ms. Romina Khurshid Alam, Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Climate Change at MoCC&EC, delivered a keynote speech highlighting the importance of the Indus River, which supplies freshwater to the people of Pakistan but is under severe stress due to rising temperatures. She pointed to the government's efforts, including the Living Indus Project, Recharge Pakistan, and GLOF-II, which aim to address water scarcity and the growing risk of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs). "Climate change knows no borders," she remarked, stressing the need for cross-sector coordination, investment in sustainable practices, and community-based adaptation to build resilience.
Lt. Gen. Inam Haider Malik, Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), emphasized the alarming impact of warming on the cryosphere, revealing that glacial melt in the Indus River basin is accelerating at a dangerous rate. He cited a 23.3% decrease in snow cover between November 2023 and April 2024 and an annual glacial melt rate of 3%, with an additional 16% mass loss over the past five years. He warned that while melting may provide temporary water surpluses, the long-term implications are dire and require urgent attention. He urged on the need for a regional approach to address the cryospheric crisis. 2
Dr. Arun Bakhta Shrestha, Strategic Group Lead at ICIMOD, elaborated on the future of water availability in the HKH region, noting that glaciers in the region could lose between 30-75% of their ice volume by the end of the century, depending on the pace of global warming. "The Indus River Basin, with the highest Water Tower Index (WTI) in the world, is the most vulnerable," he said. "As ice melt begins earlier, it will impact spring and autumn flows, exacerbating water scarcity for communities reliant on glacial meltwater for agriculture." Dr. Shrestha stressed that innovation, implementation, and financing are essential to address the looming water crisis related to cryosphere.
Special remarks delivered by Ms. Aisha Humera Chaudhry, Acting Secretary of MoCC&EC emphasized on the need for making the cryosphere an integral part of the climate discourse in Pakistan. Ahmed Kamal, Chairman of the Federal Flood Commission and Neelofur Hafeez, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MoNFS&R) highlighted the importance of interagency cooperation to tackle the multifaceted challenges of climate change.
The first day of the dialogue provided an in-depth overview of climate change impacts on Pakistan’s cryosphere, disaster management, and agriculture. The initial session, chaired by Mr. Anil Pokhrel, Chief Executive of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority of Nepal, featured presentations on cryosphere risks and disaster management from the Pakistan Meteorological Department, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the Gilgit-Baltistan Disaster Management Authority (GBDMA), and the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) of Balochistan.
The second session, chaired by Dr. Asif Ali, Chairman of the National Seed Development and Regulation Authority, focused on water availability and agricultural challenges. Presentations were delivered by experts from the Global Climate-Change Impact Studies Centre, the Punjab Irrigation Department, the Sindh Irrigation (PCRWR), the Soil and Water Conservation Directorate of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the Water Management and Irrigation Department of Gilgit-Baltistan, highlighting the urgent need to address water management and food security in the face of climate stressors.
This three-day dialogue serves as a crucial platform for generating actionable insights and driving collaboration among various stakeholders, as Pakistan confronts the escalating impacts of climate change on its water resources, food security, and disaster resilience.
PRESS RELEASE - Closing
Dialogue on Cyrosphere, Climate and Policy Action concludes emphasinging urgent need to bridge the policy-implementation gap
Islamabad – Wednesday, 13 September 2024 - The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), in collaboration with the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination (MoCC&EC) and the Civil Society Coalition for Climate Change (CSCCC), concluded a three-day Policy Action Dialogue titled, “Tackling Climate Change Impacts on Cryosphere, Water, Food Security, & Disaster Risk Reduction.” This event provided a platform for critical discussions on Pakistan’s current policy landscape surrounding climate change, water security, food security, and disaster risk reduction (DRR), emphasizing the urgent need to bridge the gap between policy and implementation.
The final day of the dialogue on Legislative Oversight featured a keynote address by Honorable Justice Ayesha Malik of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, focusing on the role of climate litigation in advancing climate justice. Justice Malik stressed that the judiciary has played a vital role in addressing climate-related cases through the lens of human rights, sustainable development, and environmental protection. However, she expressed disappointment with the lack of enforcement of court rulings on climate justice, citing numerous instances where decisions had been ignored or inadequately implemented. “Climate change is fundamentally a human rights issue,” Justice Malik remarked. “This crisis affects not just people, but every living being—plants, animals, and entire ecosystems.” She called for moving beyond mere acknowledgment of climate change as a critical issue, urging actionable steps and an end to working in silos. “Climate change doesn’t work in isolation; it’s coming at us full force. Policies will not be effective unless they have clear targets, deadlines, and mechanisms for monitoring and accountability.” She underscored the importance of strengthening institutions and governance systems to ensure that policies are translated into concrete action for the betterment of the people.
The Closing Keynote presented by Senator Sherry Rehman, Former Minister for Climate Change and Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change & Environmental Coordination emphasized the importance of understanding the cryosphere, which plays a crucial role in Pakistan’s water cycle, and expressed concern about human activities that are accelerating the melting of glaciers. Rehman stressed that Pakistan’s dependence on glacial-fed rivers, especially the Indus River, makes it highly vulnerable to climate-induced disasters, such as glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), which have devastating impacts on infrastructure and livelihoods. She also raised alarm over the global consequences of melting permafrost, which could release infectious pathogens and increase the risk of future pandemics, likening the climate crisis to broader health and environmental threats. Senator Rehman criticized the lack of coordinated action on climate policies, attributing failure to policy paralysis, weak governance issues, siloed thinking, and creating new agencies rather than strengthening existing institutions. She argued that the focus should be on enhancing the capacity of current offices and utilizing a "magic triangle" approach, involving the private sector, central government, and provinces, to address climate challenges.
On 13 September 2024, ICIMOD and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) officially renewed and expanded their longstanding partnership with the signing of a strategic Partnership Agreement at ICIMOD’s headquarters in Kathmandu.
This Agreement, formally approved by the Organization’s Executive Board in March 2024, reaffirms a historic collaboration that began in the early 1980s when UNESCO played a pivotal role in the establishment of ICIMOD, highlighting the shared commitment of both organizations to sustainable mountain development and the conservation of cultural and natural heritage in the HKH region.
UNESCO's involvement with ICIMOD dates back to 1981 when the Government of Nepal and UNESCO agreed to establish ICIMOD as a regional intergovernmental knowledge and learning centre dedicated to supporting the development of sustainable mountain ecosystems and improving the living standards of mountain populations.
The collaboration was formalized in 1983 through the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development Act of the Government of Nepal, with ICIMOD being set up to serve the people of the HKH region, encompassing Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan.
As a leading organization in global science, biodiversity, cultural and natural heritage conservation, and water governance, UNESCO has been instrumental in advancing international cooperation in the sciences, education, and culture.
The renewed collaboration reflects a deepened commitment by both ICIMOD and UNESCO to address the unique challenges faced by the HKH region, also known as the "Third Pole" due to its critical role as a major watershed for South Asia and the HKH.
The Agreement outlines a strengthened collaboration between ICIMOD and UNESCO to identify and pursue joint actions and advocacy efforts aimed at advancing integrated mountain development in the HKH region. The partnership will draw on ICIMOD’s expertise in sustainable mountain development, river basin and cryosphere management, climate action, and local and indigenous knowledge, and UNESCO’s global leadership in natural sciences, cultural heritage conservation, and education.
Key areas of cooperation include:
The signing of this Agreement marks a significant step forward in the partnership between ICIMOD and UNESCO as they work together to address the complex challenges of sustainable mountain development in the HKH region. By building on their shared history and aligning their strategic goals, both organizations are committed to driving impactful progress in conservation, climate action, and the sustainable development of mountain communities.
As ICIMOD advances its Strategy 2030 and UNESCO continues its work under the Medium-Term Strategy 2022-2029, this partnership is set to deliver integrated and meaningful actions that benefit the people and ecosystems of the HKH, ensuring a resilient and sustainable future for this vital region.
Vibrant purples and blues of intriguing blooms called our attention as we made our way through forests and hills carpeted with a rich mixture of greens, greys, and earth tones. Despite the cautionary advice to not touch or smell any flowers or plants to avoid any allergies or contact toxicity, we could not help but closely admire the seemingly ordinary plants and herbs. But this was no normal botanical display – we were surrounded by a wealth of highly prized medicinal plants and herbs as we walked through Jigme Dorji National Park (JDNP) in north-western Bhutan.
“This place is a living pharmacy!” exclaimed Izabella Koziell, ICIMOD’s Deputy Director General, “we should be collecting herbs along the way”. This sent a wave of laughter through the team, as we continued our journey through Bhutan’s second-largest national park, where, according to the park’s team, more than two hundred species of medicinal herbs have been recorded, boasting myriad health benefits.
JDNP is a testament to Bhutan’s rich biodiversity, proudly preserving several of the nation’s iconic symbols. Within its borders, you will find the majestic cypress (Cupressus torulosa) – the revered national tree, the takin (Budorcas taxicolor), best described as ‘having the body of a cow and the face of a goat’ – the national animal, the blue poppy (Meconopsis grandis) – an emblematic national flower, and the raven (Corvus corax) – the national bird.
In addition to being a sanctuary for these iconic species, JDNP is also a treasure trove of medicinal herbs, as we discovered on our journey – part of the ‘Lingzhi – Laya Walkshop’ undertaken by a team from ICIMOD and partners from Bhutan in September 2023. The ‘walkshop’ is an initiative of ICIMOD to connect and interact with mountain communities to understand their urgent needs and issues from their perspective in the face of climate change.
At the heart of mountain livelihoods within JDNP lies a pivotal practice – the collection of medicinal plants, herbs, and other species. Throughout our journey in the national park, we encountered yak herders collecting herbs, whose highland livelihoods are closely tied to both yak products and medicinal herbs.
Photo credit: Thinley Norbu
The Caterpillar fungus (Ophiocordyceps sinensis), also known as yartsa gunbu – translated as ‘winter worm, summer grass’ – is found across the expanse of the park. Yartsa gunbu is sometimes called ‘Himalayan gold’, given its high price and popularity in the market. It is used as a tonic for many ailments, including as an aphrodisiac in traditional medicine, and to alleviate liver and kidney diseases, diabetes, fatigue, and dizziness, among many others.
A yak herder we met at Shodu (4,000 metres above sea level, masl) proudly shared with us that he had gathered a plentiful harvest of yartsa gunbu during the last collection season and had earned a good income from the sales. Further north, at Tshering Yangu (4,220 masl), three women yak herders described their routine, which involves tending to their yaks while simultaneously collecting medicinal species. These include yartsa gunbu, kutki/puti shing (Picrorhiza kurroa), and Jatamansi (Nardostachys jatamansi) – used for a range of conditions and ailments.
The gathering of medicinal herbs leverages the unique biodiversity of the JDNP, capitalising on the abundance of natural resources in the remote highlands. The collection of high-value herbs has diversified the income sources for highland communities, helping them to build their resilience to better cope with uncertainties from climate change, such as extreme weather events, and changes in pasture conditions that affect yak herding.
This livelihood strategy of combining herb collection and yak herding underscores the profound significance of high-value herb gathering in sustaining the livelihoods of remote mountain communities in Bhutan.
The heavy dependence on herb collection for livelihoods comes with its threats and challenges, many of which are just emerging. Among these is the encroachment of invasive species and shrubs on rangelands, such as rumex species and rhododendron shrubberies, which have significantly threatened the growth and harvesting of medicinal herbs. The changing climate may also be affecting the proliferation and upslope movement of these shrubs and invasive species.
The collection of medicinal herbs is at risk of declining, likely due to the changing climate. Changes in weather patterns have altered the growth and phenology – the annually recurring sequence of plant developmental stages, including flowering, fruiting, and seeding – of medicinal herbs, resulting in reduced harvests. Unpredictable and irregular rainfall has exacerbated soil erosion and landslides, further impacting areas where medicinal herbs are harvested.
According to Menjong Sorig, a state-owned enterprise of the Royal Government of Bhutan that follows Sowa Rigpa, an ancient traditional medicinal system influenced by Buddhist philosophy, there are also issues with collection practices. With medicinal herbs high in demand, the number of collectors has increased in the highlands. Unfortunately, these collectors often fail to follow sustainable collection practices, resulting in overharvesting and damage to plants and sites, which may have contributed to the decline in the availability of medicinal herbs.
Thinley Norbu, Sr. Pharmaceutical Technician at Menjong Sorig, also stresses that the future of herb collection and its contribution to mountain livelihoods depends on the stability of the natural habitats of herbs and the maintenance of sustainable populations in the collection areas through appropriate collection techniques. This includes gathering only plants that are found in abundance, avoiding unnecessary damage to plants, harvesting conservatively by taking no more than 30–50% using the ‘thinning method’, and covering the hole after digging or uprooting to protect against infection and invasion by pests.
Despite the recent decline in their availability, medicinal species remain relatively abundant in the region. For that reason, bioprospecting – the systematic and organised search for useful products derived from bioresources from which medicinal drugs and other commercially valuable compounds can be obtained – holds significant promise for uplifting high-altitude communities, such as those in JDNP, by fostering nature-based livelihoods.
ICIMOD, under its project, the Himalayan Resilience Enabling Action Programme (HI-REAP), is committed to establishing an enabling environment that supports and sustains the development of bioprospecting-based value chains and enterprises in Bhutan and Nepal.
The experiences and outcomes in Bhutan, with a prioritised pilot site in JDNP, will serve as a valuable intervention and evidence to facilitate the scaling of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in India and Nepal. NbS are actions to protect, sustainably manage, or restore natural ecosystems that address environmental, social, economic, and gender-related challenges while simultaneously providing human wellbeing and biodiversity benefits.
Our efforts within the framework of HI-REAP are directed towards documenting valuable medicinal plants, enhancing the capabilities of processing and pharmaceutical companies to diversify their products, and refining benefit-sharing mechanisms with a focus on Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) and the rights of Indigenous people. We look forward to exploring nature’s pharmacy in other mountain communities across the HKH, and to help enhance highlanders’ livelihoods that work in harmony with nature.
Curation and Photo credits: Thinley Norbu
Onosma hookeri Clarke, Altitude: 2834–5800 masl
Used for asthma, hypertension, and pneumonia
Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora, Altitude: 3500–4800 masl
Used as an anticoagulant, diarrhoea alleviator, blood-enriching agent, detoxifier, and fever reducer
Polygonatum verticillatum, Altitude: 3500–4800 masl
Used as a tonic, revitalizer, aphrodisiac, appetite stimulant, digestion aid, dewormer, headache relief, growth regulator, calming agent for children, and anti-aging remedy. It also helps with dizziness, blurred vision, boils, oedema (dropsy), gout, skin rashes, and general discomfort.
Leontopodium himalayanum, Altitude: 3800–5500 masl
Useful as an ingredient for moxibustion
Rhododendron wallichii, Altitude: 3800- 5500 masl
Used as a haemostatic and neutraliser, and as an ingredient in incense products.
The article was published in Oman Observer.
Air respects no borders, nor does the pollution it carries. When crop residues are burned in one area, the resulting smog does not stay put – it spreads across borders, choking the skies over neighbouring regions, states, and countries, reminding us that air quality is a shared problem. This is particularly true in the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) and Himalayan Foothills (HF) where air pollution has been rapidly increasing, leading to significant declines in air quality over the past two decades. The IGP-HF is a huge region, spanning much of northern and eastern India, Pakistan, and Nepal’s southern lowlands, running parallel to the Himalaya mountains.
A ‘perfect storm’ of factors makes this area particularly susceptible to air pollution, including the geographical and meteorological conditions – particularly the huge plain where transboundary pollution is shared, flanked by high mountains that serve to ‘trap’ the pollution in the area. This is combined with rapid urban growth, residential emissions, industrial development, and agricultural practices, including the burning of crop residues.
Pollutants like particulate matter (PM), ozone (O3), black carbon (BC), sulphur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen oxides (NOₓ), and carbon monoxide (CO) released or formed in one area easily cross borders, making the IGP-HF region one of the most polluted in the world, with impacts across the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH). Recent studies have highlighted a significant increase in methane emissions, which is accelerating climate change and contributing to the rise of ground-level ozone. These pollutants not only degrade air quality but also disrupt weather patterns, alter biodiversity and accelerate glacier melt through atmospheric warming or related processes. Efforts to address air pollution and climate change are gaining momentum across all levels – from individual actions to large-scale government initiatives.
The transboundary nature of this issue calls for coordinated efforts across borders to tackle shared air quality challenges. However, each country or region has its own mechanisms, policies, and regulations for addressing air pollution. This includes using diverse methodologies and frameworks for air quality monitoring, leading to disparities in measurement and reporting. This is where regional harmonisation becomes crucial. Just as a musical harmony combines different notes being played at once, so ‘harmonising’ actions from different levels of governments, departments and experts requires all these groups to listen to the others and combine efforts so that they work together more easily. Implementing actions within an airshed – or a geographic area sharing common air flow and pollution patterns – can only be truly effective when these actions are synchronised and harmonised across regions and across local, provincial and national governments, commonly referred to as ‘jurisdictions’.
Regional harmonisation can bring countries together, aligning their policies and practices to jointly monitor, control, and mitigate air pollution. Such a coordinated approach is essential for effectively tackling transboundary air pollution and ensuring a healthier environment for all.
Regional harmonisation in addressing air pollution has already been proven effective through various successful initiatives across the world. These efforts highlight the importance of standardised practices in air quality management. One notable example is the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution, which has led to a reduction of sulphur oxides (SOx) emissions by up to 95% in its member countries since the early 1980s. This achievement showcases the power of coordinated international action. The European Union’s common air quality standards, which apply uniformly across member states, ensure consistent and agreed methodologies for measurement, reporting, and mitigation strategies of air pollution. This approach, echoed by initiatives like the US National Ambient Air Quality Standards, and Canada’s National Air Pollution Surveillance Program, underscores the critical role of uniform standards in achieving cleaner air.
Another notable example is the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (EANET), which began in 1998 as an intergovernmental cooperation programme aimed at monitoring acid deposition, also known as acid rain, and its impact on natural ecosystems across East Asia and the western Pacific. Currently, 13 of 16 East Asian countries participate in EANET, sharing data and working together to understand distribution of pollutants and its effects. This network exemplifies good practice in fostering regional harmonisation in air quality management through collaborative monitoring, data sharing, and joint research, helping to mitigate acid deposition and improve environmental health across the region.
In South Asia, the 1998 Malé Declaration on Control and Prevention of Air Pollution has facilitated collaboration among eight South Asian countries by promoting coordinated research, monitoring, and policy development to combat transboundary air pollution. Lessons learned from this declaration could provide valuable insights for other regional cooperative efforts and ensure their sustainability in the South Asian context. ICIMOD is committed to taking lessons forward to advance coordinated efforts to address transboundary air pollution in South Asia.
In 2022, ICIMOD with the World Bank organised the First Science–Policy Dialogue on air quality management in the IGP-HF in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, to advance the airshed approach and regional harmonisation. This dialogue highlighted the urgent need for coordinated action in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan to improve air quality in the IGP-HF. It proposed several key actions, including developing a regional framework for air quality improvement by 2030, sharing science-based air quality management (AQM) experiences, and building regional analytical capacity. The dialogue also emphasised the importance of regular meetings for policy coordination and knowledge exchange.
Building on the Kathmandu roadmap, ICIMOD and partners held the second regional Science–Policy Dialogue on air quality management in the IGP-HF in Bhutan in June 2024. A significant result from this event was the ‘Thimphu Outcome’ with eleven crucial recommendations for the IGP-HF region. To address some of the challenges, the Thimphu Outcome recommends implementing the Kathmandu roadmap through national and sub-national clean air programmes. It suggests setting an aspirational goal of reducing annual PM2.5 levels to less than 35 micrograms per cubic metre (μg/m³) by 2035, forming a technical committee to create a coordinated structure for developing air quality management (AQM) strategies, sharing knowledge through a common platform, leveraging funding for green technologies, and building capacity among various stakeholders.
Although regional harmonisation could be transformative for the IGP-HF in addressing air pollution, it is an undeniably complex task. Some of the following challenges may arise during regional harmonisation:
Political, bureaucratic, and regulatory complexities: Given the realities on the ground, the harmonisation process among countries in the IGP-HF region is often challenged by intricate bureaucratic procedures, different legal frameworks, and evolving political landscapes. The complex government structures, along with varying national policies, shifting priorities, and political tensions, add layers of complexity to regional cooperation, making it more challenging to achieve consensus and foster collaboration.
Data comparability: Inconsistent data collection practices, measurement methods, and reporting standards can undermine the accuracy and comparability of shared air quality information. Uniform data collection and analysis is challenging due to differing measurement units, reporting formats, and methodologies.
Disparities in capacities and resources: Variations in institutional capacities, funding mechanisms, and technological infrastructure can impact the implementation of harmonised strategies. A lack of consensus on the allocation of resources can further complicate efforts to establish common systems and data-sharing platforms.
Communication and coordination challenges: Effective collaboration and knowledge sharing are often hindered by the complexity of addressing multiple pollutants, diverse sources, and varied impacts. Although these elements are interconnected, a lack of harmonisation in communication and coordination can lead to a fragmented approach. What is essential is creating a coherent, unified strategy that ensures different stakeholders working on various aspects of the issue are aligned, avoiding a perception of disjointed or chaotic efforts.
Socio-cultural and historical issues: Cultural differences, societal norms, and public perceptions play significant roles in the acceptance and implementation of harmonised measures. Building trust and balancing regional cooperation with the priorities of neighbouring regions, states, and countries can be challenging, particularly where conflict may exist between participating nations.
To achieve regional harmonisation for effective and sustainable air quality actions, we need to focus on several key areas:
Standardisation of monitoring and reporting: Establish uniform and consistent protocols for data comparisons across borders, including common data reporting formats and methodologies.
Data sharing and collaborative knowledge generation: Facilitate the exchange of air quality data and information across regions through formal and informal arrangements. Focus on generating, synthesising, and sharing actionable knowledge that can directly inform policy and on-the-ground interventions.
Public awareness and coherent messaging: Implement a unified and consistent strategy to raise awareness and educate the public on air quality issues. Ensure that the messaging is clear, accessible, and resonates with diverse audiences across regions, promoting a cohesive understanding and engagement with air quality challenges.
Policy harmonisation: Align regulatory frameworks by establishing cross-border regulatory bodies, harmonising policies through proper legal instruments, and creating unified enforcement mechanisms for air quality control across jurisdictions.
Technology transfer and capacity building: Facilitate collaboration on sustainable air control technologies, share best practices, and invest in capacity-building efforts to ensure all regions have the tools needed to implement effective solutions.
Solution and implementation harmonisation: Ensure that all regions work towards aligned and coherent solutions, from technology use to public health interventions, creating a unified approach that avoids fragmented efforts.
Through harmonised efforts, we can achieve significant improvements in air quality, benefiting public health, reducing the impact on ecosystems, and contributing to a more sustainable and resilient environment for future generations. ICIMOD’s programme called ‘Himalayan Resilience Enabling Action’ (HI-REAP), funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, works to promote Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for socio-ecological resilience, low-carbon economies, and improved air quality in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal, and building on knowledge and learning from China. Experts from our Air team lead the component on air quality and are committed to advancing regional harmonisation in tackling air pollution across the HKH and the IGP-HF. The goal is to enhance understanding of air pollutant emissions, atmospheric processes, and their impacts, while promoting collaborative mitigation efforts and policy solutions. We are working to align the efforts of our regional member countries, seizing emerging opportunities to address the growing challenges of air pollution, climate change and biodiversity loss. Regional harmony may come with challenges, but with strong leadership, open dialogue, mutual respect, and a shared commitment to cleaner air, it is well within our reach.
Sometimes known as ‘the water tower of Asia’, the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region also holds immense potential for hydropower generation. Countries in the region are exploring the potential of hydropower, which has contributed to making it a cornerstone of the economic and social growth in the region. But the looming shadow of climate change casts a dark shadow over this renewable energy source. Rapid glacier melt, erratic precipitation patterns, and extreme weather events are increasingly threatening the stability and sustainability of hydropower projects, which require a constant and steady source of water.
The abundant water resources of the HKH region are due in large part to its huge expanses of snow, and the largest volume of ice on Earth outside of the polar regions. The region’s glaciers and snowmelt feed 10 major rivers, providing freshwater services to 240 million people living in the HKH region and 1.65 billion downstream.
Most countries in the HKH region continue to struggle with an energy deficit; 72% of energy comes from non-renewable sources, only the remaining 28% comes from renewables. Countries in the region need to explore their untapped renewable energy sources including hydropower and ensure that their electricity supply is evenly distributed to light up the rural areas and meet the energy demands of its burgeoning urban population.
The World Bank projects that the South Asian region is to remain the fastest growing economy for the next two years. While this overall rate of growth may be deceptive considering the unequal distribution of resources, the region can explore its untapped hydropower potential to narrow energy inequality. However, this sector is also threatened by climate change and associated extreme weather events, making water supply unpredictable and exposing energy infrastructure to hazards.
Ensuring that hydropower infrastructure is resilient to climate change and associated extremes means making a significant change in how projects are planned and developed, and how policies are positioned to encourage equitable distribution of benefits from energy production.
ICIMOD’s intervention on Resilient River Basins is working to develop frameworks and tools to assess climate risks across entire river basins, to support environmentally sustainable hydropower development. Such frameworks allow researchers to better understand potential risks, such as glacial lake outburst floods and changing rainfall patterns, and to devise the best way to manage them. As part of this, ICIMOD is working with Nepal’s Water and Energy Commission (WECS) to develop comprehensive guidelines for climate-resilient hydropower development in Nepal.
Similarly, ICIMOD has joined forces with the Hydropower Sustainability Alliance (HSA) to strengthen climate-resilient hydropower planning and development in the region. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on 30 July 2024 will see the two organisations collaborating to advance climate-resilient hydropower development across the region.
Through this MoU, ICIMOD and HSA will:
“We can no longer afford unsustainable hydropower projects; their negative impacts must be avoided and managed. Organisations like ICIMOD and HSA must strive to influence policies that minimise negative impacts and maximise intended benefits,” commented Ashok Kosla, President of the Hydropower Sustainability Alliance, during the signing of the MoU.
ICIMOD’s Deputy Director General, Izabella Koziell said, “Collaboration is key to addressing the complex challenges facing the HKH region. By joining forces with HSA, we are demonstrating a shared commitment to sustainable hydropower development and climate resilience."
The MoU was exchanged during the regional dialogue on ‘Accelerating climate resilience in the hydropower sector of the Hindu Kush Himalaya region’ at ICIMOD. Such regional dialogues bring together government representatives and technical experts on a shared non-political platform – in this case to underscore the critical need for climate resilience in hydropower planning and development.
“Sharing experiences and lessons learnt from practices, tools and approaches in climate-resilient hydropower in the region and globally is critical for developing robust guidelines for the HKH”, said Arun Bhakta Shrestha, Strategic Group Lead for Reducing Climate and Environmental Risks.
The 30 July regional dialogue was attended by government representatives and technical experts from Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Pakistan and global hydropower resilience scholars and practitioners. The discussions highlighted the urgent challenges posed by climate change in our region, including glacial melt, erratic precipitation patterns, and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events. These challenges demand our immediate attention and collaborative efforts to ensure the sustainability and resilience of hydropower infrastructure across the HKH region.
The collaboration is supported by the Government of Norway and implemented by ICIMOD’s Action Area on Managing cryosphere and water risks, under the Strategic Group on Reducing Climate and Environmental Risks.
Reflecting a major stepping-up of collective ambition to tackle soaring pollution in one of the most densely populated and severely polluted airsheds on Earth, key stakeholders from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan gathered in Bhutan on 26 and 27 June for a regional dialogue on air quality management.
The event produced an outcome text that for the first time accents the need for a regional working group of experts and scientists from government, academia, and concerned agencies to develop air quality management strategies, to assess and identify research gaps, and needs.
Stakeholders also emphasised the urgent need to scale up funding for clean air.
The event, a follow-up to a breakthrough event held in Kathmandu in 2022 that created the Kathmandu Roadmap for Improving Air Quality, brought together high-level policy-makers from both national and state/municipal governments across the Indo-Gangetic Plains and the Himalayan Foothills region (IGP-HF), a region that holds the world’s most polluted airsheds in the most densely populated region.
The outcome text, the Thimphu Outcome, published today, sets out seven common positions, representing a shared understanding and appreciation of issues among regional actors, donors, academics, and government agencies. It also recommends a set of 11 actions to improve air quality in the region which were agreed during the course of the meeting. They agreed to meet next year to structure and frame this regional cooperation to efficiently tackle the issue of air pollution in the region. A technical committee will be established by the end of this year to set out an appropriate structure.
Participants at the event, which is one of series of high-level Science-Policy Dialogues the Kathmandu-headquartered intergovernmental centre ICIMOD convenes in order to drive progress in priority policy areas, were drawn from ministries and/or departments of energy and natural resources, environment, forests and climate change, science, technology and environment, and pollution control boards in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan.
Donor agencies and other development partners including UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (UK FCDO), Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC), US Embassy Kathmandu, Clean Air Fund, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP), United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) - Forum for International Cooperation on Air Pollution (FICAP), and United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) also attended the event.
ICIMOD’s science-policy dialogue series are designed to provide a platform for the HKH countries to share common challenges, to collaborate on and accelerate the take-up of solutions and to develop coordinated plans and strategies and exchange knowledge, ideas and best practices to address such transboundary and regional issues and challenges.
At the Bhutan Air Quality Management Dialogue, which was jointly convened with World Bank, government representatives discussed policies, plans and tools they’ve designed and deployed to tackle air pollution in the IGP-HF region, such as Bangladesh’s national air quality management plan for Dhaka, and Pakistan’s penalty for polluters in Punjab province.
Representatives of the following organizations and agencies approved the outcome text:
World Bank; Clean Air Fund; British Embassy Kathmandu; Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation; Dalberg; United Nations Environment Programme; Asian Development Bank; US Embassy Nepal; kfw Germany; UNOPS.
Bangladesh’s Department of Environment and Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
Bhutan’s Department of Environment and Climate Change, Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources.
India’s Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Government of India; Central Pollution Control Board; Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Area; Department of Science, Technology and Environment, Government of Punjab; Department of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Government of Uttar Pradesh; West Bengal State Pollution Control Board.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Government of Pakistan; Environment Protection and Climate Change Department, the Government of the Punjab; Planning and Development Department, the Government of the Punjab.
Nepal’s Ministry of Forest and Environment and the Department of Environment.
Honourable Prime Minister, distinguished guests, esteemed colleagues, and aspiring entrepreneurs.
I’m delighted to represent ICIMOD for the second year at this trailblazing conference to turbocharge the nation’s start-ups.
ICIMOD is profoundly proud to partner with the Government of Nepal, the Chamber of Commerce, MoICS, IEDI, FNCCI, UGC, and PUM Netherlands on this important journey, and I greatly applaud the progress so far, and particularly today’s announcement that the GoN will inject an additional Rs 1 billion into the 2024 budget of capital into start-ups.
This investment is certain to help unleash a fresh wave of enterprise in the country, and sends an important signal to investors, development partners, and aspiring entrepreneurs that this sector is a priority for the nation’s industrial strategy.
Looking back, I am pleased that we've had the opportunity to work closely with the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies on this since 2021, and so thrilled to see it get traction so quickly: with the first national conference in 2022 and last year’s landmark pledge to deliver a startup nation by 2030. Since then, we’ve facilitated exchange visits to India for Nepali policymakers that were instrumental in the establishment of the MOICS Industrial Enterprise Development Institute (IEDI).
ICIMOD remains committed, and will continue to support the institute, build capacity and ensure that the IEDI (Industrial Enterprise Development Institute) can effectively incubate startups that are green, resilient and inclusive. We will champion Nature-based Solutions and set up an incubation centre in the Madhesh Pradesh.
What is also certain is that today we stand on the cusp of the fourth industrial revolution, and the investment we're discussing today, along with this conference, helps position Nepal to reap the benefit from that revolution.
The next industrial revolution will be set to eclipse the changes unleashed by all its forerunners, powering change more widespread than steam, railroads, electricity, Internet and yes, even AI. Because this revolution is not just about human’s amazing capacity for innovation – the fuel of previous changes – but also about the most existential fight of all our lives.
This is innovation that responds to the need to change everything in order to not just improve lives, but to actually safeguard both current and future human existence.
The science is completely unequivocal – without complete reinvention of the systems that surround us, we, as a species, as a planet, are set to shoot through Earth’s planetary boundaries. These boundaries are the very ones that make life on Earth viable, for ourselves, and countless other species.
Faced with such an existential imperative, there is, all over the world, a very welcome scramble for solutions.
Everywhere from Timbuktu to Kathmandu, entrepreneurs (and yes, intrapreneurs) are prototyping the tools, products, and services that will turbocharge the complete reinvention of the systems that surround us.
They’re dreaming up ways to rewire the energy systems that heat and light our homes and lives. Working in labs and greenhouses to upend how we grow food. Designing new blueprints to transform housing and reinvent cities. Switching up the goods and services we buy and sell. These entrepreneurs are dreaming up the jobs and businesses of tomorrow.
We cannot carry on whipping the dead horse of a broken, industrial economy, where we, in economist Kate Raworth’s words, “Take materials, stick them in the pipe of production, use it – often once, then throw it away.” Something she calls the “take make use lose model.” Raworth says we need to bend this ‘linear’ model into a curve: using resources “again, and again, and again and again, creatively, collectively, carefully, and slowly, like nature knew how.”
These circular businesses already exist – and across Nepal, many, many communities maintain a lived memory of living in this circular way. It’s game-changing for the planet, and for our chances to survive on it.
And as everyone here knows, it’s good for business. As green entrepreneur Dale Vince, the founder of one of the biggest renewable energy companies in the UK said just last month, “This is not about polar bears, and ice caps. It’s about jobs, and growth, and GDP.”
And while this fourth, regenerative revolution may not be perceptible to everyone as yet: the green shoots of it are everywhere. I’ve been to every COP for years, and it is completely amazing to see the solutions stage, and the civil society and business zones bursting with so many new ideas, and technologies to fix this existential challenge.
My partner is an entrepreneur, and it doesn’t surprise me in the slightest that startups, always the first to spot an opportunity for a game-changing disruption, are leading the charge.
Already, we have China’s ‘battery king’ Zeng Yuqun. We’ve seen India’s first solar, and now the electric two-wheeler revolution. I’m optimistic that with the help of the catalytic work of those in the room today – by tirelessly championing and advancing green start up skills, talent, capital, and by creating supportive regulations and ecosystems – the next big green entrepreneurial breakthrough will be from Nepal.
Let’s make the Kathmandu Valley the Silicon Valley of green growth. Thank you!
At the outer reaches of our atmosphere, roughly 700 kilometres from the Earth’s surface, satellites are capturing images – in this case, of crops and cropland over large areas. The images are beamed back to Earth where scientists analyse them in order to monitor agriculture, identify crops, and estimate the size of farmers’ yields. This technology is crucial in order to monitor large agricultural areas efficiently, and would be difficult or impossible to achieve through traditional ground surveys.
This accurate and rapid monitoring data is crucial to determine the minimum support price (MSP), which gives both farmers and consumers a fair and stable price for their crops in the market. When farmers have higher production, they can choose either to consume the surplus crops, or sell them at the market or to the government, using the already established MSP. This creates a stable environment for farmers and consumers, ultimately strengthening the food security of farming families.
In 2022–2023, Nepal achieved a remarkable 4.33 per cent increase in paddy production, churning out 5.72 million metric tons. The images captured by the satellites provided the crucial baseline information that was required to develop this production data. This technology is known as ‘remote sensing-supported crop area mapping’, and was conducted by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in collaboration with Nepal’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Department (MoALD).
The data was used to chart estimates of crop areas; since 2019, such estimates have been enabling the Government of Nepal (GoN) to make informed decisions based on reliable agricultural statistics to bolster the food security status of the country. The GoN also established agricultural information services to facilitate data and knowledge exchange between the relevant departments and the wider user community.
Much of this has to do with a collaborative exercise – between ICIMOD and MoALD – developing an operational service using remote sensing (RS) and machine learning (ML) for estimating crop area and yield. This collaboration culminated in the ministry’s first successful use of Earth observation (EO) data for crop field estimation, which took place during 2022–2023.
This collaborative technological pursuit came about following recent reports detailing the food and nutrition security status in Nepal. One report from the World Food Programme shows that approximately 4.26 million people (14.6 percent of the population) were food insecure in 2023. Similarly, the Global Hunger Index shows that 5.4 percent of the population was malnourished between 2020–2022. One acute instance is the case of Karnali Province in western Nepal, where 24.1 percent of households come in the bracket of ‘moderately and severely food insecure’. This status is exacerbated by climate change and poor harvesting practices.
Importantly, a high hunger line will continue to hinder the population in achieving their full human potential and limit the country in being able to accomplish the SDG goals related to education, health, and gender equality. To address this, the GoN felt the need to build the capacity of the overall food security monitoring system within the government. This includes the development of skilled staff, who would be trained and empowered to generate reliable and timely information, thereby aiding in the planning and policy decision-making processes.
The leadership at MoALD was keen to adopt new data science technologies like RS-based rice crop mapping to generate information more efficiently and to enhance data quality for evidence-based decision-making. Looking ahead, MoALD has expressed its resolve to build the capacity of its staff by utilising these tools and technologies, with potential support from ICIMOD.
Read here the related blog on how ICIMOD and MoALD have been cultivating an effective partnership through state-of-the-art technology.
Remote sensing involves gathering information from a distance, often using the power of satellites. Machine learning is a branch of artificial intelligence whereby computers use data and algorithms in order to learn for themselves, without being specifically programmed. The SERVIR Hindu Kush Himalaya (SERVIR-HKH) Initiative of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and Nepal’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Department (MoALD) have been using remote sensing (RS) and machine learning (ML) techniques to adopt new technologies in food security assessment since 2019.
In 2020–2021, MoALD used these technologies to generate in-season rice maps for 21 districts in the Terai, the lowland regions of southern Nepal. The team used RS imagery of croplands, and machine learning algorithms such as the ‘Random Forest classification technique’ to identify rice areas. These maps were then employed to ascertain the estimates of rice production which are further used to determine the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of rice each year. The MSP safeguards farmers by ensuring they receive a fair price, while also keeping rice affordable for consumers.
ICIMOD experts provided training to MoALD officials on using the Geographic Information System (GIS) services and RS data in crop mapping. ICIMOD conducted a series of knowledge-sharing workshops on EO-supported in-season crop area estimation in Nepal. These training sessions helped to enhance the technological knowledge of the MoALD agriculture professionals – they are now able to proficiently utilise GIT and EO in crop monitoring and damage assessment.
The training sessions also involved imparting technical skills to MoALD professionals, equipping them to effectively collect field data and utilise mobile applications such as GeoFairy, which is used to collect precise field data, and Google Earth Engine, which can be used for rice area mapping. Such training sessions, with their comprehensive insights into advanced techniques and tools, have empowered the agriculture ministry professionals to make informed decisions regarding crop management, monitoring, and damage assessment. The impact of these training sessions will help develop technical expertise working in this field within MoALD, leading to reliable and improved agricultural statistics, optimising resource utilisation, and ultimately strengthening food security measures in the areas served by MoALD.
The introduction of high-quality crop mapping has also bridged information gaps among federal and subnational institutions, and has now become a dependable resource for consistent crop status assessment and the communication of consistent agricultural information across the country. Moreover, despite being relatively new, this technology is already supporting community- and national-level agriculture management by providing scientific and reliable data.
This collaborative exercise between ICIMOD and MoALD has significantly boosted the Ministry’s confidence in employing sophisticated data-driven technologies. Looking to the long term, by using GIT and EO in crop monitoring, the overall resilience and efficiency of Nepal’s agricultural system stand to be well served. This infusion of state-of-the-art technology is a significant step towards the creation of a more informed and productive agricultural landscape, where food insecurity will no longer be an issue across the country and its communities.
Read here the related blog on ‘Satellite imagery in rice crop mapping: Sowing the seeds for stronger food security’
In the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), we face numerous environmental challenges that demand innovative solutions. Powerful tools like Remote Sensing (RS) and Geoinformation Systems (GIS) play a key role in addressing environmental challenges in the HKH region through data-driven decision-making.
To harness the power of these tools, we need skilled professionals who can interpret data and turn it into meaningful actions. That’s why educating our students in RS and GIS is essential.
Educating students in these technologies is vital to develop local expertise and future readiness in disaster management, to address critical challenges in climate change, food security, water and related disasters, land use, and air quality.
When the Institute of Remote Sensing and GIS (IRS) of Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh, joined forces with SERVIR-HKH, an initiative implemented by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the USA’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the aim was to set an example in regional capacity-building collaboration to strengthen institutions. This has now started bearing fruits for the IRS as the institute has been able to produce students who are pioneering geospatial research in Bangladesh; at a larger level, the partnership has also elevated the institute’s academic standards.
Last year, under this SERVIR-HKH initiative, 10 IRS students were awarded funding to delve into research topics of national significance, including water resource management, crop yield estimation, forest cover mapping, water quality monitoring, and large-scale flash flood assessment. Their work, spanning a spectrum of critical areas, was showcased and applauded at a recent knowledge-sharing workshop held on 28 April 2024 at the IRS.
Rajesh Bahadur Thapa, Senior Remote Sensing and Geoinformation Specialist, and Science and Data Lead of SERVIR-HKH, led the workshop and made a presentation on ‘Earth Observation Applications for Improved Climate Resilience in the Hindu Kush Himalaya’. This presentation was replete with cutting-edge geospatial data and models, offering insights into data-driven decision-making across various sectors. He also provided invaluable feedback to the IRS students on refining their research endeavours.
Following the workshop, there was an outcome-based education curriculum development meeting convened by the IRS. This curriculum, now adopted by Jahangirnagar University, enables faster sharing of technologies, tools, and approaches by regional learning networks.
Recently, the IRS called for admissions for its fourth batch of students since its inception in 2021. This milestone highlights the partnership between the IRS and SERVIR-HKH in nurturing talent and fostering innovation in the field of remote sensing and geoinformation.
Citing the tangible benefits it derived from collaborating with SERVIR-HKH, the IRS now lays emphasis on the transformative potential of partnership programmes. It demonstrates that such synergy between institutions not only enriches academic discourse but also paves the way for impactful contributions to societal and environmental resilience.
Backed by the success of this collaborative endeavour, while the IRS is steadfast in its mission of upholding excellence in education and research, ICIMOD’s SERVIR-HKH initiative is progressing well in its aim to shepherd more such institution-building projects. This is one success story that lays the ground for more.