According to the guidebooks, “Tilicho is the highest and largest lake in Nepal…in the Hindu Kush-Himalayas… in Asia. It is a freshwater lake… picturesque… splendid...etcetera“. This description drew my attention and I became interested in finding out more about this amazing lake. All options failed. Eventually, my wife and I decided to go there ourselves. We began our trip on the 7th of September 2006 and reached the lake on the 14th. We spent three hours taking pictures, observing, recording, bathing and making notes. After 11.30 am the fog rolled in and covered the lake, bringing with it chilly winds. Soon the area in front of us was invisible. Hungry and fatigued, but excited and with a sense of achievement, we headed back to the trail. September 14 is a red-letter day for my wife and I as we conquered the highest lake in Nepal.

The trek to Tilicho starts at Beshi Sahar, the headquarters of Lamjung District, which is only one-day’s drive from Kathmandu. It is then another seven days walk along the banks of the Marsyangdi river to the majestic lake Tilicho at an altitude of 4917 metres. Tilicho covers an area of 354 hectares and is the highest and largest lake in Nepal’s Himalayas. Hiking to the lake either from Khangsar (the nearest settlement) or across the Mesokanto La (pass) is not a tea-house trek. The trail is tortuous and dangerous. It requires full preparation and a significant amount of gear. A foot wrong could cost you your life. A smaller lake, now fragmented into three parts, welcomes the visitor amid glacial till. About one kilometre west lies Tilicho – blue and scenic in its solitary tranquillity. It is a closed pristine lake; extraordinarily splendid and picturesque. One can see fluttering prayer flags on a pole and stone cairns scattered across the bare ground. Belief has it that rain and wind always welcomes a stranger to Lake Tilicho.

The lake lies in the rain shadow area and is surrounded by the Tilicho Himal (south), Idam Pra Himal (north), Mesokanto La (west), and Pushen Danda (east) of the Annapurna Range.

Tilicho is the source of water for wildlife in the area and the habitat range for the endangered snow leopard, musk deer, blue sheep, and wood snipe. Endangered plants such as the Pacnchaunle, Jatamashi and Kutki are endemic to the area. The collection of medicinal plants, farming, livestock, trade, pasture, and now tourism are the means of livelihood for the local people. It is believed that in Vedic times the lake was a site for reciting the Ramcharitamansas (a moral story about Rama, the hero of the Ramayan) to deities, angels, saints, and animals. Recent events include a nine-day recital of the Ramcharitamansas, skiing and cycling on the frozen lake, deep diving in the lake to a depth of 25 metres, and mountain biking.

Even though far from human settlement, the lake shore is being gradually covered by moraine and its catchment area reduced by snow-slides, moraine deposition, avalanches, high evapotranspiration, yak-wildlife conflict, and inclement weather.

The pristine lake provides a window of opportunity for ICIMOD in its Himalayan wetland activities. The study of Himalayan wetlands such as Tilicho requires energy, resources, and time, and it is difficult to stay long in the area. ICIMOD could focus on developing rapid reconnaissance techniques, understanding the dynamics of natural processes in the area, and documenting indigenous knowledge and practices for dissemination in the region. This could be the humble beginnings of a new focus on high altitude wetlands in the Himalayan region.

An ICIMOD delegation led by Director General, Dr Andreas Schild participated in the UNFCCC COP 15 at Copenhagen with various activities. The aim was to highlight the mountain agenda in the UN Climate Conference which is understated in the climate debate. ICIMOD is permitted as an observer to the UNFCCC. An exhibit booth at the conference venue showcased ICIMOD’s work on climate change in the region with a display of different materials. The mobile version of the ‘Himalaya - Changing Landscapes’ photo exhibition was displayed at Parliament Square as part of the Summiteers’ Summit to Save the Himalayas, a rally organised by the Government of Nepal. Dr. Schild also addressed the gathering.

The main event for ICIMOD was a joint ICIMOD-CICERO (Center for International Climate and Environmental Research) side event on ‘Facing the Challenges: Climate Change in the Greater Himalayas’. The event brought together high level dignitaries from the Hindu-Kush Himalayan countries to discuss and elaborate on the formidable challenges facing this unique, vulnerable, and vitally important region, and ended with a call by the Prime Minister of Nepal for an alliance of mountain countries to enhance cooperation and ensure better representation of mountains in the UNFCCC process. Guests of honour included the Prime Minister of Nepal, Mr. Madhav Kumar Nepal; the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry of Bhutan, Dr. Pema Gyamtsho; the Minister of Forest and Soil Conservation of Nepal, Mr Deepak Bohara; the Minister of Environment of Afghanistan and Director General National Environmental Protection Agency, Mr Mustafha Zaher; the Executive Director of the Global Change Impact Studies Centre, Pakistan, Dr Arshad Muhammad Khan; and the Minister of Environment and Development of Norway, Mr Erik Solheim. Several other important dignitaries from the region also participated, including a number of Members of Parliament from India and Nepal. Dr Andreas Schild, and the Director General of CICERO, Dr Pål Prestrud, presented the case of the Himalayas, highlighting the importance of adaptation. This was the first time that the small economies of the HKH officially made adaptation a common agenda at a COP level meeting.

ICIMOD experts were also present at several other programmes: Dr Bhaskar Karky gave a presentation on the NORAD REDD project at a side event on REDD; Dr Mats Erikkson and Ms Julie Dekens reported their studies on adaptation in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region in the Climate and Development Days, releasing the report and showing a documentary film ‘Living with Floods’, after which Dr Andreas Schild convened a panel on mountain, water and adaptation policy; and Dr. Robert Zomer gave a presentation on potentials for carbon finance in the HKH region under different REDD options at the Forest Day. Two press releases were issued and an ICIMOD press conference organised on 16 December. A detailed report is being prepared.

Eco-Friends Nepal and the Climate Change Coalition jointly organised a National Climate Action Rally on 12 December 2009 to mark International Mountain Day (11 December) and the Global Day of Action on Climate Change (12 December). The aim was to draw public attention to the growing impacts of climate change on developing countries like Nepal. The rally had around 400 participants representing different organisations and colleges, including the former Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Mr Ganesh Shah; Dr Jay Kumar Gurung, President of the Himalayan Alliance for Climate Change (HIMCCA); and representatives from ICIMOD, the Society for Environmental and Economic Development-Nepal (SEED-Nepal), Center for Public Health and Environmental Development (CEPHED), Sustainable Utilization of Nature-Nepal (SUN-Nepal), Tribhuvan University, School of Environmental Management and Sustainable Development (SchEMS), Himalayan Academy, Tri-Chandra Campus, St. Lawrence College, Himalayan Academy, Sahid Gangalal Hospital, and others. The ICIMOD team was led by Mr Tek Jung Mahat, the Asia-Pacific Mountain Network (APMN) Node Manager. The rally was inaugurated by Mr Ganesh Shah and went from the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), circled Tundikhel, and returned to the NTB.

Dr Andreas Schild issued a message on ‘Disaster Risk Management in Mountains’ to mark International Mountain Day on 11 December. The message was posted on ICIMOD’s website at http://www.icimod.org/?page=665 and shared widely.

ICIMOD also supported the 7th Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival (KIMFF) 2009, which ran from 10 to 14 December. The exhibition ‘Himalaya–Changing Landscapes’ was showcased in the lobby of the City Hall, one of the two venues for the festival and was well attended. Support was also given to a local youth group, Eco-Friends Nepal, and to the Climate Change in Coalition (3c) to launch a programme called ‘Youth in Climate Action 2009’ observing both International Mountain Day and the Global Day of Action for Climate Change 2009, which fell on 12 December 2009.

At the international level, ICIMOD and several other organisations supported the Government of Nepal’s ‘Summiteers' Summit to Save the Himalayas/International Mountain Day at the COP 15, Copenhagen’. ICIMOD’s mobile photo exhibition, ‘Himalaya–Changing Landscapes’, was displayed together with posters of the art and essay competition by children of the Khumbu region. Dr Andreas Schild made a presentation and members of ICIMOD’s delegation participated in a march through the streets of Copenhagen to call attention to the perils of climate change in the Himalayas and the risks to our global heritage. Read more at www.savehimalayas.org.

Eco-Friends Nepal, the Climate Change Coalition (3c), and College of Applied Sciences-EF (CAS-EF), with financial and knowledge support from ICIMOD and other development organisations, launched ‘Youth in Climate Action 2009’, a 12-day campaign-cum-capacity building programme targeting school and college students, civil society, and development organisations. The campaign included awareness rallies, workshops in schools and colleges, and drama shows/role plays, as well as training. The campaign coincided with celebrations for International Mountain Day 2009 (11 December) and the Global Day of Action: International Demonstrations on Climate Change (12 December). The programme started with a one-day capacity building training (college oriented) held at the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) on 1 December. The training was attended by about 40 participants from different backgrounds including environment, engineering management, and water resources management. Mr Tek Jung Mahat and Ms Leena Bajracharya of ICIMOD/APMN shared information on APMN’s work on mountain climate change. The programme was followed by a play, ‘The Nature Call’, and a documentary show on climate change, ‘Be informed, be prepared’.

STEP Nepal, a Kathmandu-based youth alliance, organised an interaction programme on ‘Climate change and its impact in Nepal’ in Kathmandu on 28 November 2009. The key speakers were the Honourable State Minister of Local Development, Mr Ganesh Bahadur Khadka; former Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Mr Ganesh Shah; Joint Secretary and Spokesperson of the Ministry of Environment, Ms Meena Khanal; Constitution Assembly Member, Mr Mahesh Chaudhary; Environmentalist Mr Bharat Basnet; APMN Node Manager, ICIMOD, Mr Tek Jung Mahat; and social worker, Mr Ramesh Jung Raymajhi. They gave an overview of the degrading environmental situation in the country and urged concerned communities to take serious action against environmentally unfriendly activities. They presented climate change as one of the increasing and most dangerous environmental threats and underscored the role of youth in the context of the changing environment. The event was organised with the objective of facilitating public dialogue before the Copenhagen meeting.

A two-day ‘Consultative Regional Workshop on High Altitude Wetlands in the HKH’ was organised by ICIMOD from 3 to 4 December 2009. The workshop was attended by 41 participants from six countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan) together with ICIMOD staff. Its objectives were to share knowledge and to experiences on high altitude wetlands (HAWs) and develop a partnership for research and development. The modus operandi included plenary discussions, breakout sessions, guided discussions, a strategic exercise, and a visit to the MENRIS facility. The session was inaugurated and closed by Dr Madhav Karki, Deputy Director-General, Programmes, ICIMOD. The workshop was divided into five sessions, two devoted to the presentation of 12 papers on topics ranging from permafrost to rangeland wetlands, peatlands, and riverine wetlands, the wetland information system, wetlands in Nepal’s protected areas, the impact of climate change on wetland, the status of high altitude wetlands in the region, the importance of biodiversity, and livelihoods in wetlands. The workshop produced a report on knowledge, data and information; a summary report; a mechanism for future collaboration; and suggested activities for regional collaboration.

A three-day training on beehive bio-briquette making was conducted in Kabul from 22 to 24 November for 19 female professionals. The majority of the participants (12) came from the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock and its provincial departments in Kabul, Kapisa, and Parwan. The Department of Women Affairs and three NGOs were also represented at the training. Mr Samden Lama Sherpa from ICIMOD’s headquarters served as the resource person , which was conducted jointly with the Kabul Provincial Department of Agriculture. The training, introduced techniques for making briquettes from dry biomass as an alternative and clean energy source and was organised in response to positive feedback after a similar training conducted in Badakhshan Province in March 2009.

On the occasion of International GIS Day, MENRIS/ICIMOD organised a presentation programme at ICIMOD headquarters on 18 November 2009. The main objective was to give a brief overview of International GIS Day and to orient staff on geographic information systems (GIS) and the boundless opportunities that they present for simplifying our work and to support informed decision making. The presentation was also made with a view to generating spatial awareness amongst staff so as to help them understand the importance of geographic literacy and GIS. The launch of the Mountain GeoPortal group and its fan page on Facebook were announced. This Facebook group was started to raise awareness of GIS in the mountain environment. A short demonstration was also given on one of MENRIS’s earliest publications, ‘GIS for Beginners’ published in 2000. The presentations were given by Mr Paribesh Pradhan and Mr Suyesh Pradhan.

The ICIMOD Board of Governors, ICIMOD Support Group, and the associated committees of the Board and of the Chinese Committee on ICIMOD met in Chengdu, China from 17 to 20 November 2009. Prior to the meetings, field visits were conducted for the participants to the Hong Yuan Grasslands, where ICIMOD has been participating in rangeland development for more than a decade.

A national workshop was held on the ‘Development and Harmonisation of Land Cover Classification of Bhutan within the HKH Region’ at the Institute of Management Studies, Olakha, Thimpu, Bhutan from 16 to 20 November 2009. The workshop was jointly organised by ICIMOD and the Ministry of Agriculture, Bhutan. The Minister of Agriculture of Bhutan inaugurated the workshop. The technical workshop targeted professionals from national institutions working in the fields of natural resources, forestry, land use, and land cover in Bhutan. The key resource staff were Mr Birendra Bajracharya, Mr Salman Siddiqui, Mr Deo Raj Gurung, and Mr Hammad Gilani of the MENRIS Division. Participants learnt about land cover and the Land Cover Classification System (LCCS) and gained skills on the use of LCCS and other software for developing a standardised/harmonised land cover legend. They developed a national legend using the system, which is hoped will contribute to the standardisation/harmonisation of a land cover legend at the regional level.

The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), in collaboration with the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, organised the ‘Asian Regional Meeting and Biodiversity Informatics Workshop’ at the Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel in Bangkok from 16 to 19 November to promote GBIF in the Asian region and orient participants on GBIF database protocols. There were around 50 participants from Asian countries including Oceania. Dr Nakul Chettri represented ICIMOD and shared the experience of the Centre as a regional knowledge hub. He highlighted the biodiversity portal developed in collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Government of Nepal and described some of ICIMOD’s regional information hubs currently under preparation such as the Himalayan wetlands, World Overview of Conservation, Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT), and the biodiversity portal. ICIMOD’s participation was highly appreciated by Dr Nick King, Executive Director of GBIF, and a number of short-term and long-term collaborative plans were discussed.

A ‘Training on Basic GIS’ was organised by the Nepal GIS Society (NEGISS) from 15 to 20 November 2009 to coincide with the celebration of Geographic Awareness Week and International GIS Day on 18 November 2009 with resources and materials from ICIMOD. Mr Govinda Joshi from ICIMOD’s MENRIS/ was the key resource person; he demonstrated different applications and products developed by ICIMOD. There were twenty local participants with multi-disciplinary backgrounds from government bodies, universities, and other organisations.

An international workshop on ‘Land Management in Marginal Mountain Areas: Vulnerability and Adaptation to Global Changes’ was organised from 9 to 11 November 2009 at the North-Eastern Hill University, in Shillong, Meghalaya, India, as part of a collaborative programme between the School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and the Environment and Development Programme of the United Nations University (UNU), Tokyo. The main objectives were to review and share experiences in how and why local communities have succeeded or failed to adjust existing or innovate new agricultural/forest land management systems and to acquaint members of the Sustainable Land Management in the Mountainous Region of Mainland Southeast Asia (SLM-MMSEA) network and other participants with current issues in sustainable land management through a study visit to some field sites in North East India. Dr Isabelle Providoli from the ICIMOD’s Integrated Watershed Management Action Area was invited to attend the workshop and gave a presentation on ‘Sustainable land management knowledge sharing network (WOCAT) in the HKH region, adaptation to environmental change’. Participants learned about the WOCAT/HIMCAT network, the WOCAT overview book, and the NEPCAT fact sheets.

A ‘Value Chain Experience Sharing and Review Meeting’ was organised by ICIMOD’s High Value Products and Value Chain Action Area and Economic Analysis and Gender and Governance Divisions from 8 to 9 November in Kathmandu to discuss key experiences in implementing the project ‘Enhancing Livelihoods and Reducing Poverty of Mountain People by Linking High Value Products and Services (HVPS) to Value Chain Development’ in India and Nepal. There were ten participants, five each from the Himalayan Action Research Centre (HARC), India, and the Asia Network for Sustainable Agriculture and Bioresources (ANSAB), Nepal. The event was also designed to harmonise project activities and strategies at the implementation level with the value chain conceptual framework. Specialists from ICIMOD discussed VC mapping, analysis, governance, upgrading, gender and social inclusion in value chains, and monitoring and evaluation. Partners presented their experiences in implementing value chain interventions on Sapindus mukurosii (Ritha) in Western Nepal and Malta oranges in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, India. Each presentation was followed by group exercises and discussions. The event helped ICIMOD to review the conceptual framework and assisted partners to be systematic in their VC strategies. It was followed by a project review meeting held on 12 November 2009 to revise the strategies and action plans.

ICIMOD and the Friedrich-Schiller University Jena, Germany, organised a BRAHMATWINN International Symposium on ‘Supporting Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in the Upper Brahmaputra River Basin (UBRB)’ from 8 to 9 November 2009 in Kathmandu, Nepal. The symposium was part of the ‘BRAHMATWINN’ project, which since 2006 has brought together a consortium of 17 partners from Europe and Asia under funding from the European Commission’s 6th Framework Programme. More than 70 experts from Europe and five regional member countries attended. The Chief Guest, Mr Kishor Thapa, Secretary, Water and Energy Commission Secretariats (WECS), Government of Nepal, urged the experts to pay more attention to the application of IWRM on the ground. The overall objective was to bring stakeholders in the HKH region together and present the main findings of the BRAHMATWINN project, which promotes IWRM by improving knowledge on land and water resources in the Upper Brahmaputra River Basin (UBRB). The key finding of the project was that climate change impacts on water availability, high water variability, and upstream-downstream conflicts are a major challenge in the UBRB. The project also noted a significant temperature increase since 1960 in all regions, seasons, and modelling scenarios. One major outcome was the development of a Brahma River Basin Information System (BrahmaRBIS), a web-based information management system with a focus on time series and geospatial data.

From 6 to 13 November, the Wild Foundation, with support from various donors, organised the 9th World Wilderness Congress in Merida, Mexico. Over 1500 delegates from more than 51 countries including students, business people, scientists, conservation photographers, and politicians took part. The President of Mexico, HE Mr Felipe Calderon, inaugurated the Congress, which was attended by numerous eminent conservationists including Dr Jane Goodall. Dr Nakul Chettri from ICIMOD made a presentation on ‘Trans-Himalayan Conservation’ highlighting ICIMOD’s transboundary conservation initiatives and the need for long-term monitoring of biodiversity and climate change and for regional cooperation in research and data sharing. As a message to COP 15, a declaration was made with a call to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to recognise that large-scale nature conservation is a first-order climate change strategy for both mitigation and adaptation, and is necessary to address both the climate change and biodiversity extinction crises, and to protect and restore the ecosystem services like supply of freshwater on which all humans rely. The declaration also calls on the Conference of the Parties to the CBD and UNFCCC, and their Secretariats, to integrate the implementation of the two conventions.

A mobile version of ICIMOD’s photo exhibition ‘Himalaya: The Changing Scenario’, specially prepared for the GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development (GBPIHED), Uttarakhand, India, was shown by GB Pant in Shimla, Mohal-Kullu, and Srinagar. In Shimla, the exhibition was held at the Peter Hof, HP State Guest house, during the Himalayan Chief Ministers’ Conclave on 29 and 30 October. In Mohal-Kullu, the exhibition took place at the Himachal Pradesh Unit of GBPIHED on 2 and 3 November, and was inaugurated by Mr A.K. Malik, CO of Seema Suraksha Bal (SSB), Shamshi. In Srinigar, the exhibition was held at the Garhwal unit of GBPIHED on 6 and 7 November, where it was inaugurated by Mr R.S. Negi, Inspector General and Director of the SSB Academy, Srinagar. Visitors to the exhibition included many respected personalities such as the Honourable Chief Ministers of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests, and the Minister for Environment and Forests, Jammu & Kashmir, and other high-level government officials from various ministries and departments of Himachal Pradesh and other Himalayan states, vice chancellors of different universities, directors of central and state government departments, scientists from different organisations, members of civil society, and forest officials. Visitors felt the need to organise more exhibitions like this to create awareness of the impact of climate change on the environment.

ICIMOD, the University of Southampton, and the Centre for Geo-informatics (Z_GIS) of Salzburg University organised a training workshop together with the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) and Aaranyak from India on a methodology developed for assessing the socioeconomic vulnerability of the flood prone community in the upper Brahmaputra river basin. During the training, the method was tested in two villages, Dakhala and Guimara, in Kamrup District, Assam. Nineteen mid-level professionals from the North East region working in the field of disaster management, from the Water Resources Department, Brahmaputra Board, GB Pant Institute, Department of Agriculture, and various universities and NGOs, attended the 8-day training. The training workshop was divided into two parts: theory and methods followed by hands on exercises and sharing of experiences, and fieldwork. In the field, participants learned about community mapping and how to prepare community maps on flood hazards, riverbank erosion, and infrastructure and services. They transferred the information to GIS and generated hazard and vulnerability maps of the type designed to help decision makers and departments working in the field of disaster management. The concept and training package can help participants to seek community wisdom for planning and decision making. Participants also prepared action plans, which exceeded the project’s intention to produce hazard and vulnerability maps.

ICIMOD and ICRAF (World Agroforestry Centre) South East Asia conducted a five-day training on ‘Hydrological and carbon stock appraisal tools in the context of payment for environmental services (PES)’ at the Godavari Training and Demonstration Centre from 26 to 30 October 2009 with 19 participants from Nepal and one from Bhutan. The training included a field visit to Lamatar. With the growing demand for food, drinking water, and energy, combined with pressure on natural resources in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan (HKH) region, there is increasing interest in PES and incentive-based mechanisms. ICRAF, in collaboration with national and international partners, has developed several tools to assess the feasibility of PES initiatives prior to implementing PES schemes. Following consultations with numerous institutions in Nepal, ICIMOD and ICRAF agreed to hold the training course on these tools for interested and relevant institutions.. Participants were introduced to rapid assessment tools developed by ICRAF to provide rapid, cost-effective, and integrated ways to assess environmental services (such as the hydrological functions of a watershed and carbon stock and change) and local people’s and policy makers’ related knowledge and perceptions. It is expected that, through the action plan commitments, the organisations will be able to implement these tools in their areas of work.

A regional training on ‘Harmonised and Standardised Rangeland Mapping of the HKH Region’ was organised by ICIMOD’s Environmental Change and Ecosystem Services Programme and conducted by the MENRIS Division at the ICIMOD headquarters from 26 to 30 October 2009. The aim was to formulate a regional legend with inputs derived from local knowledge and the country perspective, to train national representatives in the use of LCCS software, and to establish a work plan for the production and validation of the final regional rangeland datasets. The fourteen participants from six regional member countries (Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan) learned about land cover and the LCCS approach, and acquired skills on the use of LCCS and other free FAO/Global Land Cover Network (GLCN) software for developing a standardised and harmonised rangeland legend. Participants will develop a legend using the system, which will contribute to standardising and harmonising rangeland classification within the HKH region.

The Himalaya – Changing Landscapes photo exhibition, sponsored by the Swiss Development Corporation (SDC), was held in Berne, Switzerland from 25 to 31 October 2009 at the Weisenhausplatz in the heart of the old city of Berne, an excellent location for attracting the general public. Four university students volunteered and provided excellent and essential support. Visitors included many people who had visited or worked in Nepal as well as some ICIMOD alumni, and several school groups who had specific questions and assignments; they found the exhibition informative, interesting, and visually beautiful. Climate change specialists from the University of Berne highly appreciated ICIMOD’s efforts to raise awareness about the impact of climate change among the Swiss public. A media event was held at the exhibition ground on 26 October. Dr Madhav Karki from ICIMOD and Mr Jean-Bernard Dubois from SDC welcomed the guests; Mr Peter Gueller, the first regent of ICIMOD, spoke about the history of ICIMOD; and Prof Bruno Messerli spoke about the impacts of climate change in the Himalayas. The event and a related press release received excellent press coverage; ICIMOD and the exhibition was featured on the cover of the main Bernese newspaper, ‘Der Bund’, and in many other publications. This coverage attracted many people to the exhibition. Read more at www.changing-landscapes.com

Dr Nakul Chettri represented ICIMOD at the 2nd Open Science Conference on ‘Biodiversity and society: Understanding connections, adapting to change’ organised by DIVERSITAS from 13 to 16 October at the International Convention Centre in Cape Town, South Africa. The conference brought together over 600 biodiversity experts from 70 countries with backgrounds in biological, ecological, and social sciences to address key questions that underlie our limited understanding of the current situation. More than 20 parallel symposiums covered all facets of biodiversity conservation (climate change, valuation of ecosystem services, and human wellbeing, to name a few); more than 200 posters were displayed at a poster session; and there were four panel discussions. Many global conservation figures participated including Achim Steiner and Pavan Sukhdev from UNEP, and David Cooper from CBD. Dr Chettri presented a poster on ‘Large scale conservation in the Hindu Kush-Himalayas’, in which he highlighted the importance of regional cooperation for the long-term monitoring of biodiversity and climate change in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region. Dr Chettri also organised a meeting with Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment (GMBA) representatives (Eva Sphen and Falk Huettmann) and discussed the follow up to the International Mountain Biodiversity Conference. Both ICIMOD and GMBA agreed to organise a regional training on data mining to help develop a mountain database for the HKH region in collaboration with GBIF. During the meeting, potential partners, the content of training modules, tentative dates, and the training budget were discussed.

The 14th annual WOCAT (World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies) Workshop and Steering Meeting (WWSM 14) was held in Rabat, Ifrane, Morocco organised by the UNESCO-GN Chair, and Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Mohammed V-Agdal, Rabat. The goal was to: bring together the main collaborating and funding institutions and the core collaborators; to assess progress and exchange experiences; to further develop the programme; and to plan for the future including budgetary consequences. ICIMOD is the focal point of this global network for the Himalayan region. Dr Isabelle Providoli from the Integrated Watershed Management Action Area and two NEPCAT members participated in the workshop, together with Ms Sabita Aryal from Kathmandu University and Mr Bishnu Dhital from the Sustainable Soil Management Programme (SSMP) Nepal. Highlights included a special focus on taskforce (TF) group work; progress reports and planning; and a field trip to Moroccan study sites. A symposium jointly organised with the DESIRE project was held on 19 October and was open to the broader Moroccan and international professionals and institutions.

ICIMOD's Gender and Governance Division and the Asia Pacific Mountain Network (APMN) jointly organised an e-discussion on ‘Climate Change in the Himalayas: The Gender Perspective’ (Gender and Climate Change) from 5 to 26 October 2009. The aim was to provide input to the discussions taking place in the run up to, and at COP-15 in Copenhagen in December 2009. The e-discussion aimed to generate knowledge on the gendered impacts of climate change in the Himalayan region, and the different capacities for adaptation of women and men, by exploring (i) the different vulnerabilities of women and men to climate change impacts, (ii) the factors affecting women’s and men’s capacity to adapt, and (iii) the conditions that would facilitate gender mainstreaming in adaptation strategies. The discussion attracted over 130 contributions from a total of 407 registered participants representing 54 countries. Contributions came from a diverse spectrum of participants including academics, development practitioners, researchers, and students, who shared their experiences, observations, perceptions, and opinions on gender, development, climate change, natural disasters, and planning to mitigate the impacts of climate change on the most vulnerable people. For more information visit http://www.icimod.org/?page=609.

The first international training on ‘Participatory Integrated Watershed Management’ was held at the Godavari Training and Demonstration Centre by ICIMOD from 5 to 15 October 2009 with twenty participants from 12 different countries (all the regional member countries plus Italy [FAO-Rome], the Philippines, Tajikistan, and Uganda). Fourteen resource persons, including freelance consultants and partner organisations, provided participants with theoretical and practical knowledge of participatory integrated watershed management approaches. The four modules comprised: 1 -- Introduction to participatory integrated watershed management including analysis of the role, importance, and issues of participatory watershed management and familiarisation with conservation technologies and strategies; 2 -- Familiarisation with the processes and issues involved while working with communities in participatory integrated watershed management; 3 -- Introduction to integrated watershed management planning with communities, basic knowledge of different tools for community-based integrated watershed management planning; 4 -- Introduction to the enabling framework for participatory integrated watershed management such as the policy environment, local governance, and payment for ecosystem services.Each participant prepared an action plan to apply the learning from the training in their future work. Action plans will be followed up three and six months after the training to monitor the application of the training.

With the support of the Ford Foundation, ICIMOD is conducting a value chain study on mountain tourism in Upper Mustang. The study focuses on mapping and analysing the value chain of Upper Mustang as a tourist destination, and designing upgrading strategies that will increase the benefits from tourism for local stakeholders living in the rangelands of Upper Mustang (especially herders and pastoralists). Rangeland areas are generally recognised to be among the most vulnerable areas for climate and global change, threatening the traditional means of livelihood of herders and other inhabitants of the rangeland area. Although previous ICIMOD studies have shown that tourism is the most promising alternative livelihood option to livestock and agricultural production, other ICIMOD studies have revealed that communities in Upper Mustang are currently receiving only limited benefits from tourism in the area. Strengthening a pro-poor tourism destination value chain will allow local communities to capitalise on the economic opportunities presented by tourism in the area, thereby decreasing their vulnerability to climate change and other drivers of change in the fragile ecosystem. A draft value chain analysis report was prepared based on data collected in October and November 2009, as well as several stakeholder consultation meetings in the field. The findings were presented in a stakeholder debriefing meeting in Pokhara on 19 December 2009. The prioritised interventions will form the basis for designing a project in early 2010, focused on implementing value chain interventions that will make vulnerable groups benefit more from the tourism destination value chain.

6–8 January 2010
Inception Meeting of HIMALA with NASA
Kathmandu, Nepal
Contact: Mandira Shrestha

20–29 January 2010
Regional Workshop on HKH Regional Statistical Database
Kathmandu, Nepal
Contact: Sudas Sharma

26–29 January 2010
Rangeland Policy Experience Sharing Workshop
Islamabad, Pakistan
Contact: Yi Shaoling

15–16 February 2010
Flash Flood in the Himalayas
State of the art in flash flood risk management in the Himalaya
Kathmandu, Nepal
Contact: Dr Arun Bhakta Shrestha
Read more...
ICIMOD, recognising the importance of addressing flash floods in the Himalayas, has been conducting various activities over the past few years. In 2005, an international workshop was organised to understand the state-of-the-art in flash flood risk management and flash flood risk in the region. Since 2006, ICIMOD, with support from USAID/OFDA, has been conducting activities targeted towards capacity building in flash flood risk management. As a result, resource manuals have been developed, case studies conducted, and trainings delivered.
Objectives: It is accepted that the best way of learning is through knowledge sharing. Many recent developments have happened in the HKH region and globally in connection to flash flood risk management. The major objective of the workshop is to share the findings of the case studies conducted by ICIMOD and to share state-of-the-art in the region and globally in flash flood risk management, thereby supporting risk management capacities and awareness in the Himalayas.
Participants: Participation will be mainly by invitation, and participants will include representatives from government institutions, non-government organisations, community-based organisations, and universities who have accumulated experience on issues related to flash flood management. However, interested professionals are encouraged to contact the workshop coordinator with proposals. A select number of such participants will be included. A total of 30 participants are expected.

15–19 February 2010
Satellite Remote Sensing for Air Quality Analysis in the Himalayan Region
Kathmandu, Nepal
Contact: Bidya Banmali Pradhan

26–27 February 2010
ICIMOD Nepal Day
Contact: Madhav B. Karki

15 March–6 April 2010
Low-cost Soil and Water Conservation Techniques and Watershed Management Activities
Kathmandu, Nepal Contact: Keshar Man Sthapit

• Local Responses to Too Much and Too Little Water in the Greater Himalayan Region (2009)
• Potential for Carbon Finance in the Land Use Sector of the HKH Region: A Preliminary Scoping Study (2009)

• Diversified Livelihoods in Changing Socio-ecological Systems of Yunnan Province, China (2009)
• Adjusting to Floods on the Brahmaputra Plains, Assam, India (2009)
• Life in the Shadow of Embankments – Turning Lost Lands into Assets in the Koshi Basin of Bihar, India (2009)
• Living with Water Stress in the Hills of the Koshi Basin, Nepal (2009)
• Traditional Knowledge and Local Institutions Support Adaptation to Water-Induced Hazards in Chitral, Pakistan (2009)

• Sustainable Energy for the Himalayan Rangelands (2009)
• Climate Change and the Hindu Kush-Himalayan Rangelands (2009)
• Gender Mainstreaming in Rangeland Resources Management (2009)
• Co-Management of Rangelands in the Hindu Kush-Himalayas: Using collective wisdom and collaborative action to cope with challenges (2009)
• Regional Geo-data Sharing Initiative in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan Region (2009)

• Gender and Climate Change (2009)

• Hindu Kush-Himalayan Glaciers: Frequently asked questions (2009)

• Newsletter of the Chinese Committee on International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Volume 3, No.2 (2009)

• Facing the Challenges: Climate change adaptation in the greater Himalayas (2009)
• Potential for Carbon Finance in the Landuse Sector within the Hindu Kush-Himalayan Region of Asia (2009)
• Facing the Challenges: Climate change adaptation in the greater Himalayas (2009)