Back to news
6 Feb 2017 | Uncategorized

Incentivizing Mountain Communities for Ecosystem Services in the Context of a Changing Climate

2 mins Read

70% Complete

The International Conference on Biodiversity, Climate Change Assessment, and Impacts on Livelihood was organized in Kathmandu from 10-12 January 2017. The three-day event brought together 300 national and 100 international scientists, policy makers, and development workers to facilitate the integration of science, technology, policy, and action. The conference focused on exploring ways in which approaches from the natural and social sciences might be used to support economic development, particularly in developing countries which face serious climate hazards, biological invasion, biodiversity loss, agriculture, and water stress.

The President of Nepal, Bidhya Devi Bhandari, inaugurated the conference. She spoke about the importance of nature conservation in combating the negative impacts of global climate change. She highlighted the importance of transboundary cooperation saying, “Nature conservation should extend beyond national borders. Transboundary cooperation is necessary for conservation.’’

David Molden, Director General of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), shared the dais with President Bhandari.  Molden said he was grateful to be part of the conference, and highlighted the importance of mountain regions, particularly the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH). Underscoring the value of biodiversity and ecosystem services, Molden referred to the HKH as repository of biodiversity – with 488+ protected areas, 330 important bird areas, 33 Ramsar sites, and 1000+ languages. He spoke of challenges related to various drivers of change, including climate change, and underlined the existing and potential impacts of climate change on biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Panelists in the symposium

As part of the conference, ICIMOD, together with its partners, hosted a symposium, Incentivizing Mountain Communities for Ecosystem Services in the Context of a Changing Climate, on 11 January 2017. Eminent experts in the fields of ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation from Bhutan, China, India, Bangladesh, and Nepal, were part of the event. More than 200 delegates from 25 countries representing diverse sectors, institutions, and agencies working in the HKH on ecosystem services, climate change, sustainable development, poverty, human health and wellbeing, food and security, development, and economy participated.

The symposium featured one keynote speech, and six presentations. The discussions focused on incentivizing mountain communities, particularly in the HKH, for their contributions to securing ecosystem services. SP Singh, a renowned educationist, ecologist and former Advisor to the State Planning Commission, Government of Uttarakhand, Dehradun, and former Vice-Chancellor of Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University, Uttaranchal, delivered the keynote speech. Krishna Chandra Poudel, Secretary, Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation, Government of Nepal, presided as chair of the event.

On the final day of the conference, Eklabya Sharma, Director Programme Operations, ICIMOD, shared the dais with Dhani Ram Paudel, Minister of Education, Government of Nepal, during the closing session. Sharma acknowledged the organizers for giving biodiversity, climate change assessment and livelihood due consideration at the event, and recognizing how a nexus of drivers and impacts affect biodiversity and human wellbeing. He thanked the organizers for allowing ICIMOD the opportunity to not just participate in the conference but also support a special symposium as part of the event. Sharma highlighted the significance of Himalayan biodiversity and ecosystem services, and spoke about the Hindu Kush Himalayan Monitoring and Assessment Programme (HIMAP), initiated by ICIMOD for generating baseline and developing mechanisms for periodic assessment, and monitoring of HKH ecosystems, economic development and environment. He also highlighted the role of the Himalayan University Consortium, facilitated by ICIMOD, where Tribhuvan University, the main organizer, is a major stakeholder. He concluded his closing remarks saying the conference has proved a great platform for experts, amateurs, and young mind from various academic institutions to get together to share knowledge.

Stay current

Stay up to date on what’s happening around the HKH with our most recent publications and find out how you can help by subscribing to our mailing list.

Sign Up

Related Content

Continue exploring this topic

6 Apr 2017 Uncategorized
Chitwan District Government Officials Participate in Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Programme

Module two of a certificate programme on climate change, which is part of Chitwan district’s 2073-2074 (2016-2017) annual programme, took ...

14 Dec 2016 Uncategorized
ICIMOD Contributes to Institutionalizing PES Schemes in Nepal

The Government of Nepal is taking steps towards making Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) a reality. In 2017, the country ...

3 Mar 2017 Uncategorized
Research Findings Show Decrease in Snow Cover in Select Basins of the Hindu Kush Himalaya

The majestic Himalaya draws its name from snow. “Himalaya” is descriptive term in Sanskrit which translates to “abode of snow”. ...

30 Nov 2015 Uncategorized
Learning to Monitor Glacier Health

  The Cryosphere Initiative of the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in collaboration with the Department of Hydro-Met Services (DHMS), ...

28 Mar 2017 Uncategorized
Cryosphere Research Capacity Building in Afghanistan

A training course titled “Application of Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for the Mapping and Monitoring of ...

4 Apr 2017 Uncategorized
World Water Day 2017 “Why Waste Water”

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in collaboration with the Pakistan Council of Research in ...

11 Apr 2017 Uncategorized
HI-AWARE Wins Gender Award

ICIMOD hosted celebrations at its Kathmandu office on the event of International Womens Day, 2017. The occasion saw various inspiring ...

6 Apr 2017 Uncategorized
REDD+ Partner in Myanmar Celebrates the International Day of Forests 2017

Hoping to raise awareness about the importance of forests, and provide information on ICIMOD’s REDD+ activities, the Forest Research Institute