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Mountains Matter in the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report Cycle
11 Dec 2018
What happens in mountains directly affects one fourth of the world’s population, and more than half of humanity relies on freshwater from mountains. However, decisions about mountain resources are often made outside of the mountains, and mountains have received limited attention in the global development agenda.
READ MOREPreserving Traditions and Strengthening Livelihoods through Transboundary Yak Conservation
11 Dec 2018
Domesticated yak (Bos grunniens), an icon of the Himalayan highlands, are an important part of the livelihoods of mountain communities in Asia. Yak herding is practiced across the Himalaya – including the Tibetan Plateau and Mongolia – and is tied to the shared culture of the region.
READ MOREFostering Regional Cooperation for Primate Conservation and Research in the Far-Eastern Himalaya
10 Dec 2018
The meetings involved protected area managers, scholars, and experts from within and outside the landscape and explored opportunities and constraints associated with research and conservation of primates in Asia. Information on the conservation status of primates, particularly gibbons, and associated monitoring trends was exchanged. Participants also shared information on habitat suitability assessments, the feeding habits of primates, and the need to develop a technical manual for transboundary collaboration for monitoring and information sharing in the landscape.
READ MOREGovernment of Nepal and ICIMOD Initiate Localization of Environmental Agenda and Issues at Provincial Level
28 Nov 2018
The Department of Environment, Government of Nepal (GoN) and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) conducted the Environment Convention 2075 (2018) in Kathmandu, Nepal on 2 October 2018 as the first step towards preparing a national framework that will guide provincial and local governments in formulating provincial and local level environmental policies.
READ MOREFestival Provides Platform to Discuss Future of Yak Herding in the Kangchenjunga Landscape
28 Nov 2018
The domestic yak – long a cornerstone of mountain cultures and economies across the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) – is facing an uncertain future.
READ MORENepal hosts second transboundary yak festival in the Kangchenjunga Landscape
28 Nov 2018
In April 2018, more than 1,000 people gathered in Falelung, a Nepali remote village in the Singalila range of the Kangchenjunga landscape for the country’s second annual yak festival.
READ MORERenewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Capability for the Hindu Kush Himalaya (REEECH) Initiative launched to address energy poverty in the region
26 Nov 2018
A regional centre of excellence on Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) was launched at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) on 13 November 2018 to improve access to sustainable energy services in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region.
READ MOREValley Mayors Commit to Clean Valley Air
20 Nov 2018
As winter sets in, air pollution in Kathmandu Valley is re-emerging as the biggest environmental challenge it faces, presenting a daily struggle for its citizens. Elected authorities of the local government are under intense pressure to address this complex problem.
READ MOREBam-e-Dunya: a network to bolster conservation efforts on the roof of the world
24 Oct 2018
This historic agreement lays the foundation for long-term collaboration and exchange to conserve fragile ecosystems and help mountain communities adapt and thrive in the face of rapid cultural, economic, and environmental change. ‘Bam-e-Dunya’ is a Persian phrase meaning ‘roof of the world’.
READ MOREICIMOD supports Myanmar in drafting REDD+ Action Plan for Shan State
21 Sep 2018
Myanmar has the largest remaining forest area in Southeast Asia, with 44% of its land classified as forest, but it also has the world’s third highest deforestation rate. Large scale deforestation is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) is a mechanism that gives financial incentives to developing countries to reduce deforestation and forest degradation and promote forest conservation and sustainable management.
READ MOREICIMOD makes available more datasets for download
13 Sep 2018
The Regional Database System (RDS) of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) has made available a new tranche of datasets for free download. All 16 data layers/tables listed below can be downloaded free from ICIMOD’s RDS portal.
READ MORETrails of Disaster: Experiences from a Trip to Barhabise
10 Sep 2018
When I now think about Barhabise, I not only think about the marks that disasters leave in nature and in people’s lives, but also about how life continues after a disaster. In some respects, nothing will have changed, yet nothing will ever be the same again. People will carry on with their daily lives, but the memories will remain.
READ MORESustainable Development in the Indian Himalayan Region
31 Aug 2018
NITI Aayog – the premier policy think tank of the Government of India – released a series of reports providing a roadmap towards sustainable development in the Indian Himalayan Region. ICIMOD was honoured to be part of the process, having contributed in each of the working groups, in the production of the reports and at the launch event.
READ MOREBest Practices to Counter Climate Change Shared in Gilgit-Baltistan
31 Aug 2018A policy roundtable, Building Climate Resiliency in Gilgit-Baltistan, held at the Karakorum International University on 26 June 2018, emphasized the effectiveness of innovations in water use and management systems. Community-based flood early warning systems (CBFEWS), bioengineering, high value agricultural systems, and use of renewable energy systems and income generating activities were discussed during the event.
READ MORENurturing Evidence-based Solutions for a Sustainable Future in South Asia
24 Aug 2018
Based on a call for proposals in July 2017, the faculty advisory committee recommended five research grants in the first half of 2018. From the January 2018 call, nine researchers were shortlisted from 150 applicants through a rigorous peer review process. The researchers’ presentations were made to peers and SANDEE faculty advisors. The workshop was also an opportunity for them to defend their research proposals. From this group, five research grants are made.
READ MOREICIMOD Delegates Share Experiences and Lessons from Himalica in Myanmar
24 Aug 2018
The meeting was part of a three-day visit of ICIMOD delegates to Myanmar. Over the course of the three days, ICIMOD delegates held meetings with Yezin Agriculture University and Yangon University to talk about the Himalayan University Consortium (HUC) and the need to enhance the capacity of Myanmar-based academic institutions to conduct cross-disciplinary research in sustainable mountain development through collaboration with other higher education institutions in the HKH and beyond.
READ MOREHighlighting Need for Sustainable Tourism at Global Adventure and Mountaineering Expo
24 Aug 2018
Organized by the House of Rajkarnicar in Kathmandu, GAMCE was first organized to help revive the Nepali adventure tourism sector after the 2015 earthquake. It hopes to build resilience and strengthen the adventure tourism sector as a whole.
READ MOREWaste management, sustainable tourism, and the quest to become India’s cleanest village
17 Aug 2018
A remote Himalayan destination in Singalila National Park has started on the ambitious journey of becoming India’s cleanest village. Gorkhey, a panoramic village in West Bengal, situated along its borders with Nepal and Sikkim, is a popular destination for tourists visiting Singalila National Park.
READ MOREFirst SWaRMA Steering Committee Meeting Held in Kathmandu, Nepal
17 Aug 2018
Key members of the Strengthening Water Resource Management in Afghanistan (SWaRMA) initiative met in Kathmandu, Nepal, for its first steering committee meeting from 26–28 July 2018. Several adjacent meetings were also held following the committee meeting.
READ MOREYunnan University Hosts Second HUC Water Group Meeting
17 Aug 2018
Findings of the comprehensive assessment through HIMAP (Hindu Kush Himalayan Monitoring and Assessment Programme)—which is being coordinated by ICIMOD—were also shared during the event. The presentation also indicated areas where the HUC Water Group could contribute to HIMAP.
READ MOREGender and Social Action Research towards Cleaner Brick Production
15 Aug 2018
Roughly 300,000 men and women work in brick factories in Nepal. The poor working and living conditions of workers and animals (working equines) is a major concern. The Clean Brick Initiative at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) is conducting research with a strong social component to explore, among other things, how improved working and living conditions in brick kilns can also result in productivity gains for brick entrepreneurs.
READ MOREA Commitment to Implement Water Use Master Plans in Saptari, Nepal
14 Aug 2018
The workshop succeeded in strengthening linkages between local bodies and key governmental line agencies such as the Department of Irrigation, District Forest Office, District Soil Conservation and Watershed Man-agement Office, and the private sector.
READ MOREManaging Systems Under Stress: Solutions Presented at Third Indus Basin Knowledge Forum
13 Aug 2018
The third Indus Basin Knowledge Forum (IBKF) facilitated interaction and potential collaboration between researchers and funders of water-related work in the Indus basin. It revisited progress made on the 10-point action plan for strengthening knowledge on the Indus basin endorsed at the Second IBKF in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in 2017.
READ MOREICIMOD’s Eklabya Sharma delivers Sikkim University Foundation Day Lecture
13 Aug 2018On the occasion of the 11th Anniversary of Sikkim University, Eklabya Sharma, Deputy Director General of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), was invited to deliver the Foundation Day lecture.
READ MORECross learning within the HKH: women restore barren land in Passu Valley with sea buckthorn
02 Aug 2018
Fifty women from Passu valley in Pakistan have been tending to a community sea buckthorn plantation along what used to be an eroded riverbank, an hour’s walk from their village. The bushes were planted in April 2017 and will take another three years to fruit, but in less than a year, the barren patch of unstable land has become a stable, green oasis.
READ MOREHUC Academy 2018: Building Mountain Research Capacity
30 Jul 2018
The course was taught by resource persons from ICIMOD and tertiary education institutions in Switzerland. The programme was designed to build key skills and competencies in climate science and adaptation to climate change through learner-centered methods and interactive practical work. Class sessions were facilitated with expert input, real-life case examples and field excursions.
READ MORECommunicating flood early warning in the Ratu watershed
30 Jul 2018
A HYCOS User Phase project team from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) visited the Ratu Watershed in the Koshi River basin in eastern Nepal in May. The objective of the visit was to better understand the communication of flood early warning to the end users and figure out how to ensure last mile connectivity. A second objective was to understand how local-level early warning systems support flood risk reduction.
READ MOREHydrogeological Model of Godavari Landscape to Support Spring Revival and Springshed Management
27 Jul 2018
A 3-D model of the Godavari landscape was unveiled at the ICIMOD Knowledge Park in Godavari on 8 June 2018. The Knowledge Park has been identified as a training site for spring revival and springshed management and the model will be used as a capacity-building tool. The conceptual layout will aid understanding of the hydrogeology of the area and help visitors and trainees visualize the geophysical nature of the area in relation to its springs.
READ MORESynthesizing Knowledge on the Vanishing Springs of the Himalaya
27 Jul 2018
Eighteen water resource management officials and experts from Bhutan, India, and Nepal participated in a writing workshop hosted by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Kathmandu, Nepal, to document knowledge and experiences related to revival of springs in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH).
READ MOREBhutan’s First Spring Revival Test Site in Lholing Village, Paro
27 Jul 2018
Many residents of Lholing have been forced to abandon their village and migrate because of acute water shortage. The majority of Lholing’s springs are now completely dry; only two still discharge some water.
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