Back to news
21 Apr 2022 | Press releases

Land Cover Monitoring System for Nepal Launched

2 mins Read

70% Complete
Photo: Jitendra Raj Bajracharya/ICIMOD.

Kathmandu, 22 April: The Forest Research and Training Centre (FRTC) is pleased to announce the launch of Nepal’s National Land Cover Monitoring System (NLCMS) to mark Earth Day. The system uses cloud computing and artificial intelligence to generate consistent data on how much of a region is covered by forests, wetlands, agriculture, and other land and water types, on an annual basis.  

The NLCMS will improve reporting on forest cover change and support Nepali lawmakers in making evidence-based policies to improve related land management practices. The FRTC developed the NLCMS with support from SERVIR-HKH, a joint initiative of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). 

The Ministry of Forests and Environment (MOFE), Government of Nepal, USAID, and ICIMOD jointly organized the Earth Day event, which was chaired by Biswo Nath Poudel, Vice-Chair of the National Planning Commission and Chair of the ICIMOD Board of Governors. 

Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Forests and Environment (MOFE), Ramsahay Prasad Yadav recalled Nepal’s world-leading commitment at COP26 to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045 and become carbon negative thereafter. He added that the MOFE is committed to institutionalising the NLCMS for forestry sector policymaking, planning, and management to help achieve this commitment.  

In his keynote address, Michael Michener, Deputy Assistant Administrator of USAID’s Bureau for Resilience and Food Security said that SERVIR has demonstrated the powerful collaboration between NASA and USAID in bringing together science and technology to empower countries in monitoring and responding to their environmental challenges. He said, “We are committed to working with the Government of Nepal to seize the opportunities meaningful climate action creates, and we look forward to continuing our partnership to advance Nepal’s green, resilient and inclusive development.”   

Similarly, Pema Gyamtsho, Director General of ICIMOD emphasized that the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region is a climate hotspot, and that regular monitoring of land cover and land use change is important for land use planning, sustaining ecosystem services, and building resilience to climate change.  

During the event, Yam Pokhrel, Director General of FRTC, explained how the NLCMS works. He acknowledged the collaborators for their support in conceptualizing, and developing the software, and incorporating the latest methodologies in land cover mapping.

Nepal’s national forest cover data was last updated in 2015. The NLCMS will make annual data available, classified into 11 specific land cover types. System users can further customise these classifications to generate datasets that comply with national and international reporting requirements.


For more information, please contact: Neraz Tuladhar, Media Officer, ICIMOD – media@icimod.org

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
31 Oct 2014 Press releases
Government of Myanmar and regional knowledge centre collaborate to promote ecotourism and the conservation of protected areas

On Thursday, 30 October, in the presence of Union Minister U Htay Aung of the Ministry of Hotels ...

8 Feb 2022 Press releases
ICIMOD collaborated research finds Everest’s highest glacier could disappear by mid-century

A recent article published in the Nature Portfolio journal Climate and Atmospheric Research reports that the ice ...

9 Aug 2021 Press releases
A spotlight on mountains in the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework

Nepal’s Rt Honorable Prime Minister, Sher Bahadur Deuba has called for common regional voice at the upcoming United Nations Biodiversity ...

6 Dec 2017 Press releases
MOPE, EU, and ICIMOD host international conference on resilient HKH

After four days of invigorating discussion on resilience issues in the Hindu Kush Himalaya, Nepal’s Ministry of Population and the ...

17 Feb 2022 SERVIR-HKH
Request for proposals: ICIMOD/SERVIR-HKH Small Grants Programme

Programme title ICIMOD/SERVIR-HKH Small Grants Programme Announcement type: Request for proposal RFP ...

3 Dec 2017 Press releases
MOPE and ICIMOD host international conference on resilience

More than four hundred experts in Kathmandu to discuss solutions for mountain communities Four hundred experts from around the world are ...

5 Dec 2023 Press releases
Right Honourable Mr Ram Chandra Paudel, President of Nepal, attends celebrations to mark 40 years of ICIMOD

Kathmandu, [5 December 2023] – The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) marks four decades of catalysing sustainable development in the complex ...

14 Dec 2015 Press releases
Glaciers reveal mountain precipitation is twice as high-Himalayan snowfall underestimated

The amount of snow and rain in the Himalaya is about twice as high as commonly assumed. Research in the ...