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The Rupa Lake Fisheries and Rehabilitation Cooperative in Nepal is involved in an PES scheme to reduce sedimentation and pollution of the lake and its wetlands, improve the water quality, increase fish production and generate alternative income
. The Cooperative makes direct and indirect payments to different upstream groups (community forestry groups, schools and communities) for watershed management activities. Communities adopted agroforesty, organic farming, build check dams and use bioengineering for flood and landslide control, engage in alternative income activities such as bee keeping and goat rearing. It has benefited 5.000 households and improved their socio-economic status since 2006. The payments to the cooperative are reported to be voluntary. The PES scheme seems to be a successful example of PES scheme.
 
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This article largely relates to innovative approaches and technologies deriving from two projects: - the SDC-IDRC funded People and Resource Dynamics Project (PARDYP), implemented by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and partners in five watersheds in the Himalayan Hindu Kush;
- the work of the SDC-funded Sustainable Soil Management Programme (SSMP, implemented by Helvetas- Intercooperation), which focuses on improving soil fertility and farm management for promotion of food security and better livelihoods in the mid-hills of Nepal
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The presentation described research in five areas in India, China, Nepal and Pakistan, where participation of local communities was key to sustainable watershed management
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Conference paper on this presentation is also available in the Mounatin Forum on-line library.
 
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The Hindu Kush-Himalayan (HKH) mountain range is suffering in recent decades from increasing population pressure, especially in the “Middle Mountains”, where the catchments are degrading rapidly due to unsustainable land management practices
. In response to this concern the “People and Resource Dynamics Project – PARDYP” (1996-2006) was launched, with a focus on natural resource degradation in the “Middle Mountains” of the Himalayas. PARDYP was a research for development project and the main objectives were (1) to find options and approaches to support sustainable and equitable access to water, land, and forests; (2) to improve productivity of farming systems; (3) to increase productivity of agricultural land; and (4) to test and disseminate improved water management options. The project operated in five middle mountain watersheds across the HKH - two in Nepal, and one each in China, India and Pakistan. The key approach was social empowerment through awareness raising, involvement of local institutions and users, encouraging women involvement, user committee formulation and technical backstopping. In this article we will list the most popular options addressing soil fertility and water scarcity which can lead to significant improvements in farmer’s livelihoods. A key learning of the project was that the opinions of land users govern whether new technologies and approaches are accepted. However, a big challenge at the end of every project is to promote knowledge sharing and to encourage cross-fertilization of ideas, with other middle mountain inhabitants and practitioners in the region
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