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This open access volume is the first comprehensive assessment of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region
. It comprises important scientific research on the social, economic, and environmental pillars of sustainable mountain development and will serve as a basis for evidence-based decision-making to safeguard the environment and advance people’s well-being. The compiled content is based on the collective knowledge of over 300 leading researchers, experts and policymakers, brought together by the Hindu Kush Himalayan Monitoring and Assessment Programme (HIMAP) under the coordination of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). This assessment was conducted between 2013 and 2017 as the first of a series of monitoring and assessment reports, under the guidance of the HIMAP Steering Committee: Eklabya Sharma (ICIMOD), Atiq Raman (Bangladesh), Yuba Raj Khatiwada (Nepal), Linxiu Zhang (China), Surendra Pratap Singh (India), Tandong Yao (China) and David Molden (ICIMOD and Chair of the HIMAP SC). This First HKH Assessment Report consists of 16 chapters, which comprehensively assess the current state of knowledge of the HKH region, increase the understanding of various drivers of change and their impacts, address critical data gaps and develop a set of evidence-based and actionable policy solutions and recommendations. These are linked to nine mountain priorities for the mountains and people of the HKH consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals. This book is a must-read for policy makers, academics and students interested in this important region and an essentially important resource for contributors to global assessments such as the IPCC reports
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Vira, B.; Ellison, D.; Mcnulty, S. G.; Archer, E.; Bishop, K.; Claassen, M.; Creed, I. F.; Gush, M.; Gyawali, D.; Martin-Ortega, J.; Mukherji, A.; Murdiyarso, D.; Pol, P. O.; Sullivan, C. A.; Noordwijk, M. V.; Wei, X. A.; Xu, J.
This chapter addresses potential forest and water management strategies based on our understanding of the 'new normal', the challenges imposed, in particular, by climate change and human population growth, and our evolving knowledge of forest-water interactions
. It further considers forest and water management strategies when water is prioritised over other forest-related goals (such as biomass accumulation or the sequestration of carbon in standing forests)
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Mcnulty, S. G.; Archer, E.; Gush, M.; Noordwijk, M. V.; Ellison, D.; Blanco, J. A.; Xu, J.; Bishop, K.; Wei, X. A.; Vira, B.; Creed, I. F.; Mukherji, A.
Our analysis of forest-water relations addresses four important subsystems of a linked planetary social-ecological system: climate, forests, water and people
. In this chapter, we consider how each of these subsystems is changing (trend) and what is causing the change ('determinant'). We discuss the critical determinants of change in forests as they relate to water quality and quantity
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This handbook takes on the earlier attempts of RM&DD, and modifies it to suit the generic requirement of all ICIMOD RMCs
. ICIMOD and ACWADAM, following a consultative process with major partners came up with detailed steps, which were then vetted at a workshop held in Gangtok, Sikkim, India in November 2015. This protocol is useful and practical, because: - It incorporates both ‘hydrogeology’ and ‘socio-economic and governance’ issues to come up with a comprehensive understanding of springs and springsheds
- It combines aspects of research and knowledge generation (Steps 1 to 4) and implementation (steps 5 and 6). For those, who are interested only in knowledge generation can adopt the first four steps, but for implementation, all six steps are needed.
- It is a relatively easy to do, step by step approach that can be adopted by a diverse range of stakeholders – field implementers, grass root workers and NGOs and researchers.
This manual provides a step by step approach, which taken together with a 2 week long practical classroom and field based training, will equip field level officials to implement spring revival programmes in their respective areas. This manual provide conceptual clarity around issues of spring management and revival.
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Private investments in groundwater have emerged as the main pathway through which smallholder farmers in India access irrigation
. This paper discusses the role of groundwater in agrarian growth in West Bengal, India. It finds that agricultural growth in the state has stagnated since mid-1990s, after an initial period of growth in the 1980s and early 1990s. We hypothesize that this stagnation was a direct result of slowdown in growth in groundwater irrigation. The reason for this slowdown was, in turn, government policies related to groundwater and electricity. The paper then goes on to discuss the Groundwater Act of 2005 as well as electrification policies of the government of West Bengal and locates these policies within the broader backdrop of groundwater resource endowments in the state. By juxtaposing groundwater policies and resource realities, the paper questions the relevance of current regulations and suggests some policy alternatives—alternatives that are likely to propel the state and its smallholder farmers on a path of higher agricultural growth
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The Hindu Kush Himalaya is undergoing rapid change, driven by twin megatrends of climate change and urbanisation, which threaten their crucial water-provisioning services for over a billion people across Asia and undermine quality of life, economic development, and environmental sustainability within the region
. This chapter examines current and future megatrends Megatrendsfrom a mountain perspective, assessing the impacts for water, energy and Foodsecurityfood security Food securityof glacial meltGlacial melt, altered river flowsRiver flows and drying springsDrying springs, coupled with unplanned urban growth Urban growthand outmigration. Further innovation Innovation is needed in responding to climate-induced risk, developing hydro-power sustainably and enhancing mountain agriculture.Mountain agricultur
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Regular supply of maintenance fund for water infrastructures in costal Bangladesh is a necessary condition for the existence of river embankments
. This article reviews a number of efforts to identify rules and conditions helping the regular supply of maintenance fund. A number of studies have used experimental games to replicate a real-life situation. The experimental results show that participants from Local Government Engineering Department polders significantly contribute more than players from Bangladesh Water Development Board polders which indicate importance of institutional environment. Also, our study finds significant importance of economic homogeneity in the group as well as proportional sharing of benefits increases the level of contribution
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It is predicted that by the 2050s, the Koshi (Kosi) River basin, the largest Himalayan basin in Nepal, will be experiencing frequent and devastating flooding events and lower lean season flows due to climate change
. This will threaten the livelihoods of millions of inhabitants. Development of water infrastructure has the potential to make water availability more consistent and secure. It could generate as much as 10,086 MW of economically feasible energy and irrigate approximately 500,000 ha of agricultural land. We argue that the challenges of water infrastructure development under climatic uncertainty can be overcome through systematic assessment of climatic and nonclimatic risks and responsive governance mechanisms that employ newer forms of stakeholder engagement and accountability, networks, partnerships and enhanced collaboration across sectors
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