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MESSAGE FROM THE COORDINATOR
Dear friends,
We are thrilled to launch the first issue of HI-REAP’s bi-annual newsletter. HI-REAP is an ICIMOD programme, funded by the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), with four major components focused on regional collaboration; global engagements and investments for climate actions; actions for cleaner air; and nature-based solutions.
Over the past six months, we've collaborated with government stakeholders, civil society, private sector associations, and non-profits to create an enabling policy and institutional environment for scaling Nature-based Solutions (NbS)
and enhancing regional cooperation in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region.
Our work in four countries – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal – entails promoting NbS for multiple benefits, especially springshed management, rangeland management, agroecology and bioprospecting businesses. We also focus on building institutional capacity and policy support to prepare and adapt to the changing climate including air quality management.
Our efforts in bridging the knowledge gap continues. Together with the Ministry of Forests and Environment, we co-hosted the third authors meeting for the IPBES nexus assessment and highlighted the plight of HKH mountain biodiversity to a very esteemed group of global experts and IPBES secretariat. Similarly, we supported the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA 60) engagements to strengthen the voice of our Regional Member Countries for negotiation processes with collective efforts.
We’ve also consolidated some business cases for development banks and investors and are partnering with the Global Resilient Partnership to roll out the HKH Challenge Fund for green and resilient businesses.
Looking ahead, I am confident our collective efforts will bring us closer to our shared goals. Thank you for being part of our journey.
Warm regards,
Surendra Raj Joshi |
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GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS FOR CLIMATE ACTIONS
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Third authors meeting for the IPBES nexus assessment (5–11 Feb)
Together with the Ministry of Forests and Environment, Government of Nepal, we co-hosted the third authors meeting for the IPBES nexus assessment. The meeting was attended by 130 experts from all the regions across the world. The nexus assessment is a thematic assessment of the interlinkages among biodiversity, water, food, and health, which is currently being prepared for consideration by the Plenary at its eleventh session in 2024.
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GESI-RESPONSIVE NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS
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Rangeland restoration as a nature-based solution: Co-developing guidelines for wildlife habitat and pasture management in Bhutan (11–18 March) The Department of Forests and Park Services, Bhutan, with HI-REAP, organised a series of activities on rangeland restoration and pasture management. The team carried out a field demonstration, and participatory assessment of rangelands concerning pasture accessibility, availability and quality. |
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GESI-RESPONSIVE NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS
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Natural capital accounting for Jigme Dorji National Park, Bhutan (18–29 March)
We worked with the Department of Forest and Park Services, Bhutan, to set the stage for natural capital accounting work, especially to firm the economic basis for management of protected areas and substantiate the need to scale Nature-based Solutions in Jigme Dorji National Park.
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GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS FOR CLIMATE ACTIONS
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Investment opportunities in green and climate resilient businesses in Nepal (29 April) The Government of Nepal hosted the Third Nepal Investment Summit 2024 this April. As part of the summit’s second day, we organised a panel session to delve into investment opportunities in green and resilient business, including understanding policy frameworks, especially tailored for mountain communities. |
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GESI-RESPONSIVE NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS
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CARA implementing partners’ meeting (21–23 May)
This meeting brought all the CARA partners together, including the ADB, World Bank, UK Meteorological Office, IIED and UNDP. We discussed largely what the potential synergies might be between us CARA partners – including climate finance, biodiversity, air quality, seasonal forecasting, and landslides.
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GESI-RESPONSIVE NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS
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Enablers and barriers for scaling nature-based solutions in Bangladesh (29 May)
In collaboration with the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tract Affairs (MoCHTA), Bangladesh, we organised a science policy dialogue to identify the state of knowledge and national policies related to Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for water and develop actionable recommendations for the region. |
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GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS FOR CLIMATE ACTIONS
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ICIMOD at UNFCCC SB60 Bonn climate change conference (3-13 June)
At the SB60, ICIMOD with other mountain countries came together to jointly raise the alarm on the impacts of the climate change on the billions dependent on mountain resources. We advocated that climate-induced disasters and the repercussions do not remain in high altitudes, impacting the ecosystems, development gains, and billions of people living in the lowlands.
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REGIONAL COLLABORATION AND POLICY ACTION
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First authors workshop for the HKH springs outlook (4–8 June)
The workshop brought together more than 60 multi-disciplinary experts, from the HKH region and beyond to take stock of spring knowledge from science, policy, and practice in the region. The HKH Springs Outlook attempts to close the gaps in spring science and provide recommendations for policy and practice.
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REGIONAL COLLABORATION AND POLICY ACTION
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Eighth meeting of the HKH High-Level Task Force (10–11 June)
As we gear up to convene the second Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) Ministerial Mountain Summit, we organised this meeting to finalise the HLTF Recommendation Report on the high-level regional institutional mechanism for the HKH region, draft of the Ministerial Declaration 2024, and the plan for the Summit.
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Air quality management in the Indo-Gangetic Plain and Himalayan Foothills (26–27 June)
This science-policy dialogue was organised to discuss and acknowledge principles for transboundary AQM cooperation in IGP-HF, strengthen regional knowledge exchange on key AQM topics, and highlight financing opportunities for large-scale AQM actions. 11 steps have been agreed on as the way forward for improving air quality in the region.
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In Chattogram Hill Tracts, life is on water |
A blog by Sushmita Kunwar |
Upon initial gaze, the Chattogram Hill Tracts greets you with lush green hills, lakes, waterfalls, and thriving forests that stretch endlessly. One might ponder: how can such a place grapple with water scarcity? READ MORE |
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Hindu Kush Himalaya is a ‘biosphere on the brink’: ICIMODBy DownToEarthThe Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth, is a ‘biosphere on the brink’, the organisation said in a statement as 130 global experts arrived in Nepal for the Third Lead Authors meeting of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) nexus assessment. READ MORE
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The silent crisis of mountain springs and its implicationsBy Samuel Thomas and Sushmita Kunwar, MongabaySome 100 million people in the Hindu Kush Himalaya, depend on water from springs for drinking, cooking, sanitation, livestock rearing and minor irrigation. Nearly half of the springs in the Indian Himalayas are drying up. The authors of this commentary highlight a project to reverse the loss of springs in Nepal, Bhutan and four states in the Indian Himalayas, using an inclusive and sustainable nature-based solution.
READ MORE
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Bhutan explores controlled burning of mountainsides By Sushmita Kunwar and Ramesh Timilsina,Dialogue Earth
As wildfires become more frequent and destructive in the Hindu Kush Himalaya, Bhutan is considering a return to controlled burning—a traditional practice to protect its pasturelands. The authors of this article explore ‘good fires’ – prescribed burns – an Indigenous practice from communities to bring life back to the forests and rangelands.
READ MORE
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Over 60 multi-disciplinary experts have been chosen to lead the HKH Springs Outlook, aiming to bridge the gaps in spring science and offer recommendations for policy and practice.
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In preparation for the second HKH Ministerial Mountain Summit, we held the eighth HLTF meeting to finalise the Recommendation Report, the draft of the Ministerial Declaration 2024, and the Summit plan. The HLTF includes senior government officials from all eight HKH countries.
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Copyright © 2024 International Centre For Integrated Mountain Development, All rights reserved.
The bi-annual HI-REAP newsletter is shared with the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Government of the United Kingdom, HI-REAP partners and relevant stakeholders.
ICIMOD implements the HI-REAP initiative – in its four regional member countries – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal, with China being our knowledge and learning partner. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preference or unsubscribe at any time.
Our mailing address is:
International Centre For Integrated Mountain Development
Khumaltar, Lalitpur, Kathmandu, Bagmati, PO Box 3226, Nepal
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