In the last few decades, the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region has undergone rapid economic and social changes. Unplanned and haphazard development activities have had severe impacts on forests in the region. Furthermore, increasing temperature, drought, changes in phenology, increasing pest and fire outbreaks, and changing nutrient dynamics due to climate change have altered the composition, productivity, and biogeography of forests. Forest ecosystems are now experiencing even higher levels of degradation because of climate change. The region has also experienced vegetation shifts and a decline in vegetation productivity.

Nepal’s forests have been one of the most vulnerable to climate change in the region. Around 40% of Nepal’s geographical area is covered by forests, with a high dependency on these forests for everyday needs and livelihoods. An estimated 80% of the population depend on forests for fuel wood, timber, and grazing. Given the dependency on forests, the threat to forests and ecosystems is a huge threat to the communities who depend on them, calling for urgent adaptation planning and implementation. Nepal’s forest statistics reveal that forest degradation has become more critical than deforestation.

The solution

While climate change and development activities can be very difficult to reign in, we can better plan and manage forest ecosystems to strengthen their protection. In Nepal, there is a lack of accurate information on forest degradation and climate change impacts on forest ecosystems – information that is crucial in assisting decision-makers plan and manage forests. Filling this information gap would help protect the vulnerable forests.

The Climate Resilient Forest Management System developed by our SERVIR/HKH Initiative and partners aims to fill this gap and enhance decision-making at the district level in Nepal by providing more precise and scientific information on climate change vulnerability and degradation of forest ecosystems.

As part of the system, we developed a web-based decision support tool that provides information on present and future climate sensitivity, forest degradation, forest fire risk and forest vulnerability. Using geospatial tools and techniques, and a multi-tier approach to vulnerability assessment and adaptation planning, the support tool effectively identifies “adaptation footprints” – areas requiring urgent adaptation intervention and forest management because of high sensitivity to climate change and high levels of degradation of forest ecosystems. The tool also includes community forest management as a component, where the role of gender and social inclusion in management practices in 225 community forest user groups in Nepal is analyzed. The information covering community forests adds a layer of previously unavailable information, which together with updated scientific evidence provides inputs for crucial community-level forest management plans.

The decision support tool also provides user-friendly access to information on climate sensitivity, degradation, and forest fire risk for all 77 districts in Nepal. The open access tool also includes options to compare any two parameters side-by-side for the same study area. An adaptation planning toolbox provides a list of suitable adaptation options that can be implemented to enhance resilience of the forest ecosystems.

Implementation

The Department of Forests and Soil Conservation (DoFSC), currently hosts the decision support tool on their website, which has been a key instrument for decision-makers in Nepal to analyze the vulnerability profile of forest ecosystems at the district/division level. The profile acts as a guiding document to identify the degradation and vulnerability hotspots which assists in decisions and priorities of forest management for a particular district.

“Forest fire is a major issue every year in Nepal during the fire season. We have been working together with ICIMOD/SERVIR-HKH on the Forest Fire Detection and Monitoring System which has helped us keep track of the fires on a near real-time basis and understand the most vulnerable districts. The information is very useful to us in preparing forest fire management strategies.”
– Sundar Sharma, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), Government of Nepal.

SDG linkages

Each of the RMS solutions are linked to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals outlined by the UN in 2015. The SDGs that this intervention contributes to are as follows: