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Biological invasion is a major component of global environmental change and it has negative impacts on native biodiversity, ecosystem services, infrastructures, agriculture production, and human and animal health
. Direct and indirect economic costs of biological invasions amount to several hundred billions of dollars annually. Lowlands with high urbanization, industrialization, and other economic activities are adversely affected by biological invasions, whereas mountain regions were considered to be relatively less affected by this phenomenon. However, recent research and meta-analyses have revealed that biological invasions are occurring in mountain regions at an alarming rate. Management of invasive alien species (IAS) is more challenging in mountains due to the rugged topography
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Using behavioral economic theory and statistical methods, this study estimates the use value of ecosystem services that the households living in the three watersheds and visitors to the Patal Bhuwaneshwar Cave Temple of the Kailash Sacred Landscape (KSL) area derive from the sites under consideration
. The selected watersheds (Hat-Kalika and Chandak-Aunla Ghat of India and Gwallek Kedar of Nepal) are the pilot sites of the Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation and Development Initiative (KSLCDI) of the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Nepal and India. The present study mainly focuses on estimating the value of the cultural services and the water provisioning services of the forest ecosystem along with assessing a possibility of designing an incentive payment for an ecosystem services (IPES) scheme for provisioning drinking water to one of the pilot sites. We interviewed a total of 1,418 respondents for the study, making it inclusive where women’s share is about 50% of the respondents
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The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) supports regional and transboundary cooperation to meet challenges of climate change, disaster risks, and sustainable development in the Hindu Kush?Himalaya (HKH)
. Action to sustain the HKH has the potential to directly improve the lives of more than one fourth of the world's population. However, facilitating cooperation and policy coherence among the countries sharing HKH resources is a persistent challenge in a region that is prone to conflict and is highly variable regarding development. At ICIMOD, we work across HKH countries to help attain common goals related to sustainable development, using our skills in bringing together different groups within programmatic transboundary approaches covering topics such as river basins or transboundary landscapes. In addition, the Hindu Kush Himalayan Monitoring and Assessment Programme and the Himalayan University Consortium have made strides in promoting regional and transboundary cooperation among HKH countries, particularly emphasizing research synthesis and the role of academia
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Bubb, P.; Soesbergen, A. V.; Bisht, N.; Singh, G.; Joshi, S.; Aryal, K.; Danks, F. S.; Rawat, G. S.; Bhuchar, S.; Wu, N.; Kotru, R.; Yi, S.
This Operations Manual provides a practical method for including ecosystem management in sustainable development planning and implementation at the site and landscape levels and present’s six steps for planning management for ecosystem services
. It is primarily designed to support the work of ICIMOD and its partners in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), but is of use in most terrestrial environments of the world. Currently, there is a lack of operational guidance for development practitioners, natural resources managers, and conservation professionals to put ‘managing for ecosystem services’ into practice. As a result, many natural resources management activities that are intended to work with ecosystem services are still ‘old wine in new bottles’. This publication aims to reduce the gap in understanding, planning, and managing the environment for ecosystem goods and services, thereby strengthening existing development and livelihood activities by using established knowledge on ecology and ecosystem sciences. For more information and training in the use of the Manual please contact Yi Shaoliang, Yi.Shaoliang@icimod.org and Philip Bubb philip.bubb@unep-wcmc.org
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Crop genetic diversity has been an important source of subsistence livelihoods and nutrition in the remote Himalayan region for local communities
. This study documents the crop diversity, their current status and farmer 's knowledge and practices, Study was based on analysis of one local crop diversity fair, 18 key informant surveys, nine focus group discussions and 195 individual household surveys 1,vith set questionnaires. The community structure in the study area has female dominance (52%) with average family size of 7.1. The study documents 78 species of various crops which were used as food, vegetables, fruits, medicine, and spices. Highest varietal diversity, vas recorded in, Maize (15). Paddy (12) wheat (11) and beans (10). However, a number of crop varieties are being lost and threatened over the time. Both anthropogenic and natural drivers of changes were reported as the major reason of such loss. Despite loss of crop varieties farmers have been maintaining a wide range of crop and varietal diversity in situ on farm by their own initiatives and experiences. Our study showed that self-saved seed contributed as the major source of planting material through which they are maintaining the crop diversity. However, a detailed study on t lie seed supply system is needed to support easy access to the farmers. More awareness rising program as well as empowerment of farming communities is essential for tl1e continuation of conservation and management practices
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Traditional knowledge (TK) is very important for sustainable development
. However, it faces the risk of loss in many parts of the world, including Nepal. There are only a few studies on the determinants of the use and erosion of TK and practices in the Kailash Sacred Landscape. The present study documents traditional practices and the factors determining its erosion in the Gwallek-Kedar Area of Baitadi district, Far Western Nepal. The Gwallek-Kedar Area, which spreads across eight Village Development Committees, is rich in biodiversity and cultural diversity. People who live in the vicinity of Gwallek-Kedar use the resources for medication, livelihood support, and livestock feed. The study documents traditional practices in the area, especially on agriculture and forest-based herbal remedy, and empirically determines the factors behind the erosion of such traditional practices
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This paper explores possible ways to integrate conservation and development in transboundary landscapes of HKH region based on review of various documents across the region
. Acknowledging trade-offs for achieving twin goals sets the stage for negotiation and collaboration amongst multiple stakeholders to draw agreements on particular strategies. The strategies include engaging stakeholders and political organizations at different scales, their capacity building, establishing nested collaborative structures, strengthening existing institutions and institutional linkages within and across international borders, developing market based incentives for local communities, building trust amongst stakeholders and partnerships with the private sectors.
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Crop productivity is directly dependent on soil fertility
. High organic carbon content in soil is vital as it leads to improved soil quality, increased productivity, and stable soil aggregates. In addition, with the signing of the climate agreement, there is growing interest in carbon sequestration in landscapes. This paper looks at how soil organic carbon (SOC) can be increased so that it contributes not only to the reduction of atmospheric CO2, but also translates to the increased food production, thereby enhancing food security. This synergy between climate change mitigation and enhancing food security is even more relevant for mountain landscapes of the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region where there remains huge potential to increase CO2 sequestration and simultaneously address food security in the chronic food deficit villages. Soil samples were collected from seven transects each in Bajhang and Mustang and from four land use types in each transect. Samples of soils were taken from two depths in each plot: 0–15 cm and 15–30 cm below the soil surface to compare the top soil and subsoil dynamics of the soil nutrients. The lab analysis was performed to assess the soil texture, soil acidity in “power of hydrogen” (pH), and macro-nutrients reflecting soil fertility. Secondary data was used to analyze the level of food deficit in the villages. The pH value of soil from Bajhang ranged from 5.3 to 9.1. The pH value of soil ranged from 5.7 to 8.8 in Mustang. SOC contents of sampled soils from Bajhang ranged from 0.20% to 7.69% with a mean amount of 2.47% ± 0.17%. SOC contents of sampled soils from Mustang ranged from 0.51% to 8.56% with a mean amount of 2.60% ± 0.25%. By land use type, forest land had the highest carbon (C) content of 53.61 t·ha−1 in Bajhang, whereas in Mustang, agricultural land had the highest C content of 52.02 tons·ha−1. Based on these data, we can say that there is potential for increasing SOC through improved soil health and crop production holistic soil management should be practiced for higher productivity, and incorporating livestock for farmyard manure would fertilize cultivated soils, which increases soil productivity. Increasing productivity would aid in enhancing the access and availability of food in these mountain village
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Yi, S.; Rawat, G. S.; Wu, N.; Bubb, P.; Chettri, N.; Kotru, R.; Sharma, E.; Bhatta, L. D.; Bisht, N.; Aryal, K.; Gurung, J.; Joshi, S.; Adhikari, B. S.; Rawal, R. S.; Ghate, R.; Gurung, K.; Goodrich, C. G.; Chitale, V. S.; Shakya, B.; Ismail, M.; Chaudhary, R. P.; Yan, Z.; Wang, J.
This framework document has been prepared by the team at ICIMOD working on various aspects of ecosystem management in collaboration with the United Nations Environment – World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP–WCMC), with technical inputs from eminent ecologists, gender and governance specialists, sociologists and economists from the region
. The document provides basic background, principles and key terms for ecosystem management, major considerations in the context of the HKH and the process and practical steps required for the management of ecosystems
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