News
HKH Science News: Conventional models for glacier melt calculation may not work in High Mountain Asia environments
17 Apr 2019
A recent research undertaken by ICIMOD and partners in central Nepal between 2013 and 2017 provides a guideline for ablation modelling in High Mountain Asia (HMA) environments. Maxime Litt, lead author of the study, said, “We show that the conventional models do not consider a number of important drivers of glacier mass loss at high altitudes and such approaches have to be handled with care.”
READ MORESouth–South business partnerships towards energy-efficient and low-emission brick production in Pakistan
17 Apr 2019
Business-to-business and government-level efforts between All Pakistan Brick Kiln Owners’ Association (APBKOA) and the Federation of Nepal Brick Industries (FNBI) are helping transform Pakistan’s 20–times-larger brick industry through technical skills transfer for 1,500 brick kiln owners/workers and 250 engineers in 2018 alone.
READ MOREAir pollution research into use
09 Apr 2019Rapid increases in air pollution in the HKH have far-reaching and hazardous consequences on environmental and human health and lead to the accelerated melting of glaciers and changing atmospheric circulation patterns. Such changes ultimately affect aviation, mountain tourism, agriculture, and the health and livelihoods of the poorest.
READ MORERegional workshop discusses application of future climate projections in South Asia
09 Apr 2019This was the primary premise for discussion at a three-day workshop held in Kathmandu, Nepal, from 29 to 31 January 2019. Participants included climate scientists and sector experts from national meteorological and hydrological institutions, research organizations, and academia in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and the UK.
READ MOREKoshi Disaster Risk Reduction Knowledge Hub to Strengthen Transboundary Collaboration
01 Apr 2019Extreme weather events and water-induced hazards are quite common in the Koshi basin. Due to the basin’s transboundary nature, these events have cascading impacts across national borders. Hazards in upstream regions lead to disasters in downstream areas as well, and affect the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in China, Nepal, and India.
READ MOREHand in Hand for Global Biodiversity Data Sharing
25 Mar 2019
The 2018 Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) Asia Regional Nodes Meeting was held in Kathmandu, Nepal, from 17 to 18 September 2018 to facilitate effective planning and implementation of biodiversity data publishing and use in Asia. Speaking at a high-level session at the meeting, Honourable Minister Shakti Bahadur Basnet, Ministry of Forests and Environment, Government of Nepal, emphasized, “Easy availability of biodiversity data enables informed decision and policy making to halt rapid loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services.”
READ MOREYak are our identity: Himalayan herders raise concerns at International Yak Conference
25 Mar 2019
Many yak herders in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) treat yak as a part of their family. Yak are a source of food and nutrition, energy, transport, clothing, income, and employment, and yak ownership is also linked to a family’s social status. “Yak are a part of our tradition and culture. They are our identity,” said Janga Bahadur Rai, Vice-chair of the Falelung Chauri Palak Krishak Samuha (Falelung Yak Herders Group) in Panchthar, Nepal, speaking at the conference.
READ MORE2nd Regional Upper Indus Basin Network (UIB-N) Workshop
11 Feb 2019
Glaciers in the upper reaches of the Indus River basin are an important source of freshwater. However, as climate change in the region affects water flows, sectoral development will also be influenced.
READ MOREMyanmar delegation visits Nepal to learn about community forestry practices
07 Feb 2019Forest degradation with a concomitant loss of ecosystem services is a critical issue in Shan State, Myanmar, which is one of the pilot sites of the Resilient Mountain Solutions (RMS) Initiative led by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).
READ MORECommunities across the Mahakali agree on the sustainable management of yartsa gunbu
29 Jan 2019
Although yartsa gunbu – the “caterpillar fungus” – is one of the most socioeconomically important species in the Kailash Sacred Landscape (KSL), the future viability of this high-value medicinal plant is being threatened by unsustainable practices. Accordingly, communities and local authorities in India and Nepal have recently signed a declaration to commit to sustainable yartsa gunbu harvesting and management.
READ MORERiver Basins in the Age of Federalism
25 Jan 2019
Nepal recently adopted a federal government system. The new federal structure is being institutionalized on numerous fronts, including the sustainable management of natural resources. Clarity on the governance and stewardship of these resources is urgent as millions of people in the country, especially the poorest, directly depend on natural resources and river basins for daily survival and for their livelihoods.
READ MORERegional water-related disaster experts discuss gaps in flood early warning communication and potential solutions
24 Jan 2019
The three-day regional workshop on “Communicating flood early warning for last-mile connectivity” held in Kathmandu, Nepal, from 2 to 4 October 2018 ended with an agreement among participants to produce case studies on good practices in flood early warning communication as currently practiced in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Pakistan.
READ MORERMS to Facilitate Uptake of Solutions for Resilience Building in the HKH
10 Jan 2019
One year in the running, the RMS initiative, which evolved out of the Himalayan Climate Change Adaptation Programme (HICAP) of ICIMOD, aims to promote and scale up simple, affordable, and replicable solutions for adaptation and resilience building among vulnerable communities and ecosystems in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region.
READ MOREPartnering with private enterprise and communities to manage flood risk
10 Jan 2019
Disasters are an unavoidable aspect of life in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH). Floods account for a third of these disasters and cause great loss to lives and livelihoods, destroy infrastructure and disrupt basic services. Community based flood early warning system (CBFEWS) is an integrated system of tools and plans to detect and respond to flood emergencies.
READ MOREICIMOD receives Global Outstanding Achievement Award 2018
28 Dec 2018
ICIMOD’s Transboundary Landscapes Regional Programme has received the Renewable Natural Resources Foundation’s (RNRF) Outstanding Achievement Award for 2018. The award was given in recognition of the Programme’s continuous efforts and work in advocating the use of the landscape approach, which delineates areas based on shared ecosystems instead of administrative boundaries, for sustaining ecosystem services, managing biodiversity and protecting unique cultural and natural attributes.
READ MOREHow a cross-border exchange helped revive a traditional craft
23 Dec 2018
At a recent exhibition of cultural handicrafts in Gangtok, Sikkim, India, one item stood out among the rest. Two women in their mid-thirties – Ankit Lepcha and Pasangkit Lepcha – had come from Dzongu, 65 km away from Gangtok, to sell unique knit bags made from nettle fibre. Although nettle is a fibre traditionally used by the indigenous Lepcha community, this bag combined natural fibre with modern design, resulting in a product that drew attention to this vanishing craft.
READ MOREGovernance Structure for Pakistan Chapter of Upper Indus Basin Network Recommended
19 Dec 2018
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) organized a meeting of the Pakistan Chapter (PC) of the Upper Indus Basin Network (UIBN) on 29 November 2018 at the National Agricultural Research Centre in Islamabad. The main objective of the meeting was to discuss and decide on a governance structure of UIBN-PC. Khalid Mohtadullah, Chairperson of the UIBN, chaired the meeting, which was attended by over 30 participants.
READ MOREBrick Entrepreneurs in Pakistan Learn to Construct and Operate Zig-zag Brick Kilns
12 Dec 2018
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Department of International Development (DFID) Nepal are working to scale up the adoption of zig-zag kiln technology and good brick production practices from Nepal to other South Asian countries.
READ MOREMountains 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 MOREBenefit Sharing from Hydropower Generation in South Asia
07 Dec 2018
Eleven researchers from India, Nepal, and Pakistan gathered in Kathmandu from 5–7 September 2018 to discuss and finalize the findings of their research on benefit sharing from hydropower in their respective countries. Their research was commissioned by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) with funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Government of Australia.
READ MOREKnowledge sharing on the 3D motion of glaciers in China’s Central Tien Shan region
30 Nov 2018To stimulate cryosphere research and knowledge sharing on the Hindu Kush Himalayan region, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development’s (ICIMOD) Cryosphere Initiative regularly organizes CryoBrain sessions, which allow members of the international science community to share their research findings with ICIMOD’s cryosphere team.
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 MOREPreliminary Findings Suggest Debris Cover Does Not Accelerate Glacier Melt
22 Nov 2018
Preliminary findings from in-situ observations of glaciers in the Karakoram indicate that debris cover does not accelerate glacier melt. This contradicts findings of earlier observations on Himalayan glaciers where thin debris layer has been shown to accelerate the glacier melt process.
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 MOREGlaciologists share their research findings from the three “poles”
16 Nov 2018
The Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) is often referred to as the “Third Pole” because it contains the world’s highest mountains, including all 14 peaks above 8,000 metres, is the source of 10 major rivers, and forms a formidable global ecological buffer.
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