Private Sector Engagement for Climate Action in Pakistan

With the development of a Private Sector Engagement Strategy, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) is conducting a series of meetings in its Regional Member Countries (RMCs) with potential private sector entities and social enterprises to create a private sector partnership landscape.

Strengthening Cooperation with Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry

In June 2017, the Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) renewed their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on working together for the enhancement of mountain livelihoods and development enterprise, extending their mutual agreement for five more years.

Engaging the Private Sector in Nuwakot

As part of ongoing efforts to engage private sector entities in its activities, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) organized a meeting with a targeted group of private sector bodies at its Reconstruction Project Site in Nuwakot on 23 June.

Living in the Shadow of Climate Change

These days, readers frequently come across headlines spelling of the approaching doom and gloom of climate change. In South Asia, this sadly rings true for a region yearning to bolster its work-force and make its markets globally competitive. However, on the road to the coveted ‘developed’ tag, South Asia must keep an eye on its rear-view mirror, for climate change is larger than it seems.

21 Stakeholders Trained in the Essentials of Climate Change in Chitwan

Other than being catalogued and bound into thick journals to gather dust, what is the use of high-level climate change research? The hours of painstaking literature review, controlled experiments and field observations, must count for something, right? The critique, generally, is that the climate change information being produced at the moment is very technical.

Haa Summer Festival Showcases Local Culture for Tourism Promotion

Introduced by the Tourism Council of Bhutan (TCB) in 2011 to promote tourism in Haa Valley, the Haa Summer Festival is a two-day celebration of local culture. Also known as the Monsoon Festival, the event takes place in the month of July each year. It has become a major tourist attraction in recent years.

Tripartite Consultation on Gilgit Baltistan Disaster Management Plan

A tripartite meeting to appraise the existing Gilgit Baltistan Disaster Risk Managemnt Plan (DRMP) was held in Islamabad, Pakistan on 10 August 2017. The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) took part in the process at the invitation of the Gilgit Baltistan Disaster Management Authority (GB-DMA),

Regional Conference on Mountain Agriculture Kicks Off in Kathmandu, Nepal

Organized by the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MoAD), Nepal and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), a three-day regional conference on mountain agriculture with focus on bee pollination services, agri-extension, and market linkages began at Hotel View Bhrikuti in Godavari on 11 August 2017.

Smarter cardamom farming using SMS advisories

The main objective of the advisory service is to help cardamom farmers get better at what they do with up-to-date information on good farming practices and markets for cardamom so that they are able to reap maximum benefits.

Farmers from Barshong visit Gelephu, Sarpang Bhutan to learn about agricultural practices

On 12 June 2017, a bus carrying a group of Bhutanese farmers from Barshong gewog—seventeen men and five women—descended to the warmer plains of Gelephu. Accompanying them was a team of officials from ICIMOD, Barshong Gewog, and livestock and agriculture extension agents.

Mapping Floods in Bangladesh

Floods are a major disaster in the Hindu Kush Himalaya during monsoon season. Timely and accurate mapping of floods is important for efficient and effective management of relief activities. It can help reduce loss and damage due to floods.

ICIMOD DDG Eklabya Sharma speaks at the 19th Popular Lecture Series hosted by GB Pant Institute in India

The GB Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment and Sustainable Development (GBPNIHESD) in Uttarakhand, India organized the 19th Himalayan Popular Lecture on 12 July 2017. The lecture, titled ‘Importance, Changes, and Resilience Building in the Hindu Kush Himalaya’, was delivered by Eklabya Sharma, Deputy Director General of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).

SANDEE Joins ICIMOD

On 1 July 2017, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) integrated the South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics (SANDEE) into its roster of research and knowledge generation services.

A milestone for local water management in the Koshi Basin

The local community in Saptari, a district in the Terai region of Nepal, is elated with news that their local five-year water use master plan (WUMP) is being included in the district level development plan of the Government of Nepal.

Silently marching for Lake Nainital

This year's World Environment Day, a day through which awareness for our natural environment is raised, was celebrated with much gusto as the previous years. This year's theme was 'Connecting People to Nature'.

ICIMOD DG inaugurates Nepal GIS Society office building

The Nepal GIS Society reconstructed the office space with generous support from ICIMOD and well-wishers. Advisors, members, and senior geo information (GI) professionals, and scientists, students, and representatives from government organizations attended the half-day event.

ICIMOD DG Stresses South South Learning in National Science Foundation of China meeting

On 3 and 4 July 2017 the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) organized the International Symposium on Funding Science and People Cooperation for a Prosperous Belt and Road in Beijing. The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and 30 other international organizations and national funding agencies were invited and participated in this important event.

Cause and Impact: The 2015 Lemthang Tsho GLOF in Bhutan

A scientific paper on the July 2015 glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) in Lemthang Tsho in Bhutan recommends regular monitoring of critical glacial lakes as a starting point for good risk management. The paper specifically recommends revisiting critical glacial lakes and assessing risk while considering recent changes. The need to consider supraglacial lakes has been identified as a criteria for evaluating GLOF risk.

Building capacity on database management in Bhutan

Pema Namgyal from the National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology (NCHM), Bhutan, completed a two-week long on-the-job training on database and system management at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) headquarters in Kathmandu, Nepal. Namgyal worked alongside cryosphere and remote sensing experts from 15–26 May 2017.

Roadmap for Tourism Development of Bandarban Hill District Launched

The government of Bangladesh has initiated steps to develop the Chittagong Hill Tracts—known for its natural endowment of hills, valleys, rivers, and waterfalls—as a tourism hub of international repute.

KSLCDI Receives Special Grant Spotlight

The Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation and Development Initiative (KSLCDI)’s efforts to link cultural heritage with conservation and development has received a special grant spotlight on the Henry Luce Foundation website.

Upper Indus Basin Network and Indus Forum Collaboration Meeting

The Upper Indus Basin Network and Indus Forum Collaboration Meeting was held at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) headquarters in Kathmandu, Nepal, from 22 to 25 May 2017. A majority of the workshop participants were from Afghanistan, China, India and Pakistan, which share the waters of the transboundary Indus River Basin.

Regional Training on Hydrological Modelling in the Hindu Kush Himalaya

The current and future impact of climate change on water availability in the Hindu Kush Himalaya is a great concern, and is important to understand for better planning of water resources. Hydrological models provide insight into different parts of the hydrological cycle which can help planners and policy makers take informed decisions for the planning and management of water resources.

REDD+ Experts Meet at the Ministry of Climate Change in Pakistan

The Ministry of Climate Change (MoCC), Government of Pakistan, hosted a meeting with representatives from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) on 17 May 2017 in Islamabad, Pakistan. Secretary of the Ministry of Climate Change, Syed Abu Ahmad Akif chaired the event, which was attended by high-level officials from the Ministry, including the Inspector General Forests (IGF) and Deputy IGFs.

Policy Level Interventions to Improve Brick Industry in Nepal

A national consultation workshop titled Brick Sector in Nepal–National Strategic Policy Actions was organized on 26 May 2017 in Kathmandu, Nepal. The workshop was part of Policy and Advocacy Network (PAN), under the Climate & Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) Brick Production Initiative, for which the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) is the lead implementer in Asia.

ICIMOD hosts a Borlaug – Ruan intern sponsored by the World Food Prize, USA for the fourth time in a row.

Hashoo Foundation and ICIMOD partner for sustainable mountain development

On 25th May 2017, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) concerning a partnership for sustainable mountain development was signed by Ayesha Khan, Country Director, Hashoo Foundation and David Molden, Director General, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) at the ICIMOD headquarters in Nepal.

ICIMOD Supports National Action Plan for SLCPs Mitigation in Nepal

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) organized a half-day stakeholder validation workshop on the national action plan for short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) mitigation on 26 May 2017. The workshop was organized in Kathmandu to share findings and receive policy feedback for further refinement and finalization of the national action plan for SLCPs mitigation in Nepal.

Himalica Contributes to the Local 12th Five-Year Plan for Tsirang, Bhutan

In an effort to scale up climate-smart technologies and practices piloted in Barshong Gewog through the Local 12th Five Year Plan (FYP) for Tsirang, Bhutan, the Support to Rural Livelihoods and Climate Change Adaptation in the Himalaya (Himalica) programme organized a Landscape Governance Journey .from 20 to 22 May 2017 in Tsirang.

Creating New Data Sets for Emissions Inventory

Charcoal, a carbonaceous solid renewable fuel that is obtained as a residue left after the burning of wood and other biodegradable organic matter, is considered an important source of energy for both domestic and industrial purposes. Its demand has been increasing steadily for more than a decade. It is a fuel with a fixed carbon content of 70% or more. Its production varies according to the feedstock that is used for making it.