MainDBDraft: Landscape approach as nature based solutions – a balancing act for conservation and development in the Hindu Kush Himalayas
Title:
Landscape approach as nature based solutions – a balancing act for conservation and development in the Hindu Kush Himalayas
Geographic region:
Asia
Target group:
Academics and scientists; Communities; Policy makers; Practitioners; Private sector
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Date of submission:
11/01/2021
Further information:
NWPPartner:
International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development
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Geographic scope:
Local; National; Subregional
Adaptation element:
Institutional arrangements
Adaptation sector/theme:
Ecosystem-based adaptation; Ecosystems
Climate hazard:
Erratic rainfall; Floods; Glacial retreat; Increasing temperatures; Land and forest degradation; Loss of biodiversity
Implementing partners:
Ministry of Agriculture and Forest, Royal Government of Bhutan, Thimphu, Bhutan. Kunming Institute if Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China. Institute of Geographic Sciences and natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China. Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation (MONREC), Myanmar, Ministry of Forest and Environment, Government of Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal, Govind Ballab Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment, Almora, India ICIMOD, GPO Box 3226, Kathmandu, Nepal/ info@icimod.org https://www.icimod.org/regional-programme/transboundary-landscapes/ Research Centre for Applied Sciences and Technology, Kathmandu, Nepal
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Civil society
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Country:
Nepal
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The Hindu-Kush Himalaya (HKH) has four biodiversity hotspots defined by higher proportion of threatened species, high endemism, 70% of the original habitat changed and high human pressure. In addition, the prevailing climate change trend showed increasing warming in the Himalayas and high altitude areas with severe impacts on glaciers – the water sources of 1.9 billion people. There are reports of forest degradation, biodiversity loss, vegetation shifting to higher altitudes and colonizing rangelands and occurrence of extreme events of rain, flashfloods, and warm winter. These phenomenon are putting the HKH ecosystems, biodiversity, 240 million people living in the HKH and 1.9 billion people living downstream into vulnerable category. To add on, people in the HKH are poorer than counterparts in lowlands, mal nutrition is rampant and disasters such as floods, landslides and forest fires are making mountain life challenging. The integrated landscape approach that considered social, ecological and environmental dimensions as core area for regional cooperation, the programme also advocates nature based solutions (NbS) to address the emerging challenges including climate change. As defined by IUCN, NbS is “actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural or modified ecosystems that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits.” The concept is a relatively ‘young’, still in the process of being framed the programme is following its five broad approaches namely: (i) ecosystem restoration approaches; (ii) ecosystem-based adaptation, mitigation, and disaster risk reduction); (iii) green infrastructure approaches; (iv) integrated resources management; and (v) ecosystem protection approach including protected area management. Focus has been on capitalizing on mountain niche products for food and nutrient security and economic development, developing connectivity corridors and restoration of critical ecosystems including rangeland and forests, institutional development, science based decision making and providing platform for policy dialogue and regional cooperation. Inclusive planning, both bottom up and top down dialogue, ownership among the stakeholders and sustained programme interventions based on national and regional priorities are the basis of progress and success.
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Technical document/report
Description:
The Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), the highest mountain biome, also referred as the third pole or the water tower of Asia, is an important repository of biological and cultural diversities and source of varied ecosystems services to 240 million people living within and 1.9 billion in the mountains and downstream. The region with about 60% area as rangeland and 15% forests, the HKH has been in spotlight for being part of the 36 ‘Global Biodiversity Hotspot’ and ‘Crises Ecoregions’ as well as climate change hotspot. However, there is still knowledge gap on understanding the dynamics of changing landscapes and climate and its linkage to people, mostly challenged by poverty. International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), an inter-governmental regional knowledge and enabling centre, has been instrumental in developing better understanding on the dynamics of these fragile ecosystems and support its regional member countries through science based integrated approaches. Since its inception, ICIMOD has been engaged in developing knowledge and supporting policies for mountain development focusing on socio-economic, ecological and environmental dimensions. Since 2007, when the IPCC 4th Assessment report published, two alarming situation prevailed for the HKH. The first, there was a warning signal for fast receding water resources – the glaciers and the second was poor representation of the HKH in global discourses on climate change science and its impacts due to paucity of long term research and monitoring mechanism. This led to the inception of ‘Trans-Himalayan Transects’ and ‘Transboundary Landscape’ approach for research and knowledge based decision making for adaptation and resilience building. The ‘approach’ was widely supported by the member countries of the HKH and since 2009, it became a long term core programme of ICIMOD. The programme envisaged to enhance resilience in the HKH through integrated approach focusing on a) livelihood diversification and poverty alleviation; b) enhancing ecosystem resilience with special emphasis on rangeland, forests, freshwater and agro-ecosystems; c) strengthening governance and institutions; d) promotion of long term interdisciplinary research and e) regional cooperation.
Outcome:
With the conceptual development and progress made so far, outstanding gain were observed in the programme. For the first time, the mountain landscapes were considered for transboundary level cooperation with endorsement of regional documents development through consultative and participatory process. The progress noted increased understanding of dynamic of forests, rangelands, wetlands and agroecosystems in the identified landscapes. Collaboration, exchange of information, expertise and knowledge started to fulfill the common objective of conservation of biodiversity and enhancing resilience capacity of community as well as wildlife. Both horizontal and vertical connectivity corridors were perceived and advocated for species to thrive in changing climate. Platforms were created and made operational for policy level dialogue with tangible outlook and planned interventions. In a nutshell, a strong social-ecological resilience building processed has been established.
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Case study
NWPStatus:
Processed
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Created at 11/01/2021 15:11 by
Last modified at 11/01/2021 15:15 by crmmocservices
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