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There is a growing recognition of the contribution of the cryosphere to human societies
. This is especially important in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), where poverty and vulnerability are high and climate change impacts on the cryosphere are strong. However, there is a lack of synthesized knowledge about the contributions of the cryosphere to high mountain communities. This paper uses a cryosphere service framework—a derivative of the ecosystem service concept—to classify different goods and services provided by the cryosphere. Case studies were selected using an adapted systematic review methodology. These studies were then synthesized and examined through the lens of critical political ecology. The review shows that while the cryosphere provides a whole range of goods and services for mountain communities, not all of these are well documented. Material services like the supply of water for irrigation and agriculture, and disservices such as disasters, are better documented than non-material services like the spirituality of landscapes. The majority of the case studies do not use an interdisciplinary lens. While some studies on irrigation discuss the physical basis and human organization of irrigation, the literature on disasters mostly focuses on the physical processes and at most generalized loss and damage assessments. Further, most case studies do not use the critical epistemologies needed to examine how politics, power, and intersectionality influence societal responses to changes in the cryosphere. The paper suggests that future studies adopt interdisciplinary collaboration to understand human impacts and adaptive responses through critical political ecology frameworks
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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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