Co-developing the publication on rangelands and pastoralism in the Hindu Kush Himalaya

About the event

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) is bringing together domain experts and practitioners from across the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region, particularly its partner institutions in the Regional Member Countries, to co-develop a regional publication on rangelands and pastoralism in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), tentatively titled ‘Grassroots to global goals: rangelands and pastoralism in the Hindu Kush Himalaya.’

The publication is envisaged as a comprehensive, evidence-based, and policy-relevant synthesis on rangelands and pastoralism in the HKH, aimed at informing decision-making, empowering local communities, and guiding sustainable landscape management. Through this publication, we intend to synthesize the state of knowledge on rangelands and pastoralism across the HKH region; capture the emerging threats, challenges, opportunities, and innovations; integrate scientific evidence with local and Indigenous knowledge; and frame the issues within the regional and global policy contexts.

The publication will:

• provide an updated, regionally consolidated synthesis of the status, trends, and trajectories of rangelands and pastoralist systems across the HKH.
• document the ecological, socio-economic, and cultural importance of rangelands, and the critical role pastoral communities play in biodiversity conservation, ecosystem services, and climate resilience.
• analyse key drivers of change including climate impacts, land-use dynamics, governance challenges, and socio-political transitions affecting rangeland health and pastoral livelihoods.
• highlight community-led innovations, best practices, and locally appropriate management strategies that enhance resilience and sustainability.
• offer actionable policy and institutional recommendations aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the Paris Agreement, and other global and regional frameworks.

The aim is to have this publication ready by mid-2026 so that it can serve as a flagship knowledge contribution from the HKH to the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists 2026, while also serving as an important guiding document for rangeland programme development and fund raising in Medium-Term Action Plan VI (MTAP VI).

The structure of the book including major chapters and section outlines has been agreed with the coordinating lead authors, authoring teams for each chapter have been formed, and the drafting of the chapters has been initiated. The authors are renowned scholars and practitioners in rangelands, pastoralism and mountain development from Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan.

Objectives

The main purpose of the first meeting of the authors’ is to present the progress of the work that has been initiated, shape the first full draft of the publication, ensure thematic coherence, clarify chapter boundaries and overlaps, identify gaps, and agree on next steps.

Specific objectives of the first authors’ meeting are as follows:

• Present the first draft and review progress
• Ensure conceptual clarity, thematic coherence, and cross-cutting linkages and clarify chapter boundaries
• Identify next steps to finalise the draft chapters
• Propose a tentative list of peer reviewers for each chapter
• Develop a shared timeline and roadmap for the next steps towards completion of the publication

Expected outputs

• First draft content for each chapter.
• Tentative list of internal and external reviewers.
• Concrete next steps and a shared timeline for finalizing the full draft.