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Mallick, D.; Dilshad, T.; Naznin, Z.; Hassan, T. S. M.; Md. Syed, A.; Goodrich, C. G.; Udas, B. P.; Prakash, A.; Anwar, M. Z.; Habib, N.; Abbasi, S. S.; Khan, Q.; Ali, M.; Qureshi, A. H.; Batool, S.; Bhadwal, S.; Khandekar, N.; Gorti, G.; Mini, G.; Varma, N.; Sharma, G.; Luitel, M.; Nyima, K.; Tamang, D. D.
This synthesis report summarizes findings from a participatory assessment of socio-economic drivers, conditions, and climatic and environmental stresses leading to different levels of vulnerabilities in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region
. The study sites included high mountain, mid-hill, and downstream regions of the Indus, Upper Ganga, Gandaki, and Teesta– a tributary of the Brahmaputra River – basins. An integrated and multidimensional approach was adopted to understand social drivers, conditions, climate stresses, and multiple causes of vulnerability. Community perceptions about major socio-economic drivers and conditions were collected in geographical contexts. Upstream regions are characterized by an abrupt rise in topography, extremely rugged terrain, steep slopes, and deeply cut valleys. Midstream characteristics include hills with large areas of dense broad-leaved and mixed forest and extensive agriculture, often on terraced slopes. Downstream areas are mostly flat and characterized by vast floodplains that are prone to flood and river erosion
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The transboundary landscape approach builds on principles of integrated social-ecological systems with conservation and development perspectives at a transboundary level
. The evolution of one such transboundary landscape in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) from the 1990's to the present is discussed through a phase-wise process. Both global and regional discourses have been influential in designing the transboundary Kangchenjunga Landscape which is shared by Bhutan, India and Nepal. The 25,085 sq.km landscape ranges in elevation from 40 to 8,586 m asl and is home to more than seven million people, while hosting more than 4,500 species of plants and at least 169 mammal and 618 bird species. With the aim of conserving and managing the landscape for sustained ecosystem services that ultimately contribute to the livelihoods of the women and men residing therein, the Kangchenjunga Landscape Conservation and Development Initiative was implemented since 2016. Lessons from the Kangchenjunga Landscape indicate that participatory and iterative boundary delineation, transboundary cooperation, identification of a lead institution, ensuring the global-local-global feedback cycle, and regional data sharing are key components for implementing transboundary landscape programmes in the region
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Chaitra, A.; Upgupta, S.; Bhatta, L. D.; Mathangi, J.; Anitha, D. S.; Sindhu, K.; Kumar, V.; Agrawal, N. K.; Murthy, M. S. R.; Qamar, F.; Murthy, I. K.; Sharma, J.; Chaturvedi, R. K.; Bala, G.; Ravindranath, N. H.
The impacts of climate change in terms of forest vegetation shifts and Net Primary Productivity (NPP) changes are assessed for Brahmaputra, Koshi and Indus river basins for the mid (2021-2050) and long (2071-2100) terms for RCP4
.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios. Two Dynamical Global Vegetation Models (DGVMs), Integrated BIosphere Simulator (IBIS) and (Lund Postdam and Jena (LPJ), have been used for this purpose. The DGVMs are driven by the ensemble mean climate projections from 5 climate models that contributed to the CMIP5 data base. While both DGVMs project vegetation shifts in the forest areas of the basins, there are large differences in vegetation shifts projected by IBIS and LPJ. This may be attributed to differing representation of land surface processes and to differences in the number of vegetation types (Plant Functional Types) defined and simulated in the two models. However, there is some agreement in NPP changes as projected by both IBIS and LPJ, with IBIS mostly projecting a larger increase in NPP for the future scenarios. Despite the uncertainties with respect to climate change projections at river basin level and the differing impact assessments from different DGVMs, it is necessary to assess the “vulnerability” of the forest ecosystems and forest dependent communities to current climate risks and future climate change and to develop and implement resilience or adaptation measures. Assessment of the “vulnerability” and designing of the adaptation strategies could be undertaken for all the forested grids where both IBIS and LPJ project vegetation shifts
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Mountain forest ecosystems provide a wide range of direct and indirect contributions to the people who live in the mountains and surrounding areas
. Occupying steep slopes at high elevation, these ecosystems provide services such as stabilizing slopes, regulating hydrological cycles, maintaining rich biodiversity and supporting the livelihoods of those who are diverse in culture but vulnerable to poverty and food security. This paper (i) reviews several tools for assessing the sociocultural, economic and ecological values of mountain forest ecosystem services, (ii) demonstrates case studies of tool applications from several countries namely, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Iran and Nepal, and (iii) discusses assessment challenges that should be considered in the application of these tools. In Bhutan, an application of benefit transfer showed that the average total value of forest ecosystem services was over USD 14.5 billion per year. In India, an application of stakeholder and household analyses indicated that a total of 29 different ecosystem services are available and sustain livelihoods of local communities near the Maguri Mottapung wetland. In Indonesia, an application of Q methodology identified anticipated benefits and concerns of forest watershed stakeholders related to certification applications for a payment for ecosystem services. In Iran, an application of the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs Tool showed that the regulation of ecosystem services has been declining in Hyrcanian forests despite the forests critical roles in the region. In Nepal, an application of a spatial analytical approach and participatory assessment techniques identified key mountain ecosystem services for community forests at the Charnawolti sub-watershed of Dolakha, and demonstrated forest restoration on degraded lands over the last two decades. Several challenges exist for the assessment of mountain forest ecosystem services and these must be reflected in assessment design. These challenges include the complexity of defining and classifying ecosystem services; limited availability of data on ecosystem services; uncertainties associated with climate change; complex relationships among services including trade-offs and synergies; and limitation of assessments to build successful payments for ecosystem services
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Chaudhary, R. P.; Bhattarai, S. H.; Basnet, G.; Bhatta, K. P.; Uprety, Y.; Bhatta, L. D.; Kotru, R.; Oli, B. N.; Sharma, L. N.; Khanal, S.; Sharma, U. R.
The Kailash Sacred Landscape (KSL) is a transboundary landscape (area: 31,252 sq
.km) around Mount Kailash. KSL is exceptionally rich in cultural and ecological diversity and has its own traditional systems of resource use and management. KSL Nepal comprises approximately 42.5% of the total landscape area, and covers Baitadi, Darchula, Bajhang and Humla districts. This study was conducted in different representative villages of four districts of KSL Nepal with the aim of documenting the traditional practice and knowledge of the indigenous and local communities regarding natural resource use and management. Resources like agriculture, forest, pastureland and non-timber forest products (NTFPs) have been managed by indigenous and local communities since time immemorial. People have been growing various crops depending on the location, climate and culture. Similarly, they decide the breed and number of livestock to be raised based on their access to pastureland, purpose, religious belief and location. Pasturelands are managed in two ways in KSL Nepal, either as open access or controlled access. Social institutions/communities decide the timing, duration, and area of grazing communally. Management structure of highland pasture is better regulated than that of lowland pasture. Forests in KSL Nepal are managed as government-managed forest, religious forest, community forest and leasehold forest. Local people develop rules and regulations to conserve the forest as a community forest and local authorities decide the time for collecting firewood and punish people involved in violating the rules. In some areas of KSL Nepal, forests are conserved as sacred forest where grazing and collection of timber, fodder, NTFPs, etc. are restricted. NTFPs have become major economic products in the region. The production of NTFPs is gradually decreasing due to unsustainable harvesting practices
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Bhatta, L. D. ; Ranabhat, S.; Chaudhary, R. P. ; Sah, J. P. ; Doody, T. M. ; Cuddy, S. M. ; Chettri, N.; Basnet, K.; Madandhar, U.; Baral, H. S.; Thapa, I. ; Gurung, T. B.; Paudel, S. ; Sharma, S.
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Reynolds, M. P.; Quilligan, E.; Aggarwal, P. K.; Bansal, K. C.; Cavalieri, A. J.; Chapman, S. C.; Chapotin, S. M.; Datta, S. K.; Duveiller, E.; Gill, K. S.; Jagadish, K. S. V.; Joshi, A. K.; Koehler, A.-K.; Kosina, P.; Krishnan, S.; Lafitte, R.; Mahala, R. S.; Muthurajan, R.; Paterson, A. H.; Prasanna, B. M.; Rakshit, S.; Rosegrant, M. W.; Sharma, I.; Singh, R. P.; Sivasankar, S.; Vadez, V.; Valluru, R.; Vara Prasad, P. V.; Yadav, O. P.
Wheat, rice, maize, pearl millet, and sorghum provide over half of the world's food calories
. To maintain global food security, with the added challenge of climate change, there is an increasing need to exploit existing genetic variability and develop cultivars with superior genetic yield potential and stress adaptation. The opportunity to share knowledge between crops and identify priority traits for future research can be exploited to increase breeding impacts and assist in identifying the genetic loci that control adaptation. A more internationally coordinated approach to crop phenotyping and modeling, combined with effective sharing of knowledge, facilities, and data, will boost the cost effectiveness and facilitate genetic gains of all staple crops, with likely spill over to more neglected crops
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Reynolds, M. P.; Quilligan, E.; Aggarwal, P. K.; Bansal, K. C.; Cavalieri, A. J.; Chapman, S. C.; Chapotin, S. M.; Datta, S. K.; Duveiller, E.; Gill, K. S.; Jagadish, K. S. V.; Joshi, A. K.; Koehler, A.-K.; Kosina, P.; Krishnan, S.; Lafitte, R.; Mahala, R. S.; Muthurajan, R.; Paterson, A. H.; Prasanna, B. M.; Rakshit, S.; Rosegrant, M. W.; Sharma, I.; Singh, R. P.; Sivasankar, S.; Vadez, V.; Valluru, R.; Vara Prasad, P. V.; Yadav, O. P.
Wheat, rice, maize, pearl millet, and sorghum provide over half of the world's food calories
. To maintain global food security, with the added challenge of climate change, there is an increasing need to exploit existing genetic variability and develop cultivars with superior genetic yield potential and stress adaptation. The opportunity to share knowledge between crops and identify priority traits for future research can be exploited to increase breeding impacts and assist in identifying the genetic loci that control adaptation. A more internationally coordinated approach to crop phenotyping and modeling, combined with effective sharing of knowledge, facilities, and data, will boost the cost effectiveness and facilitate genetic gains of all staple crops, with likely spill over to more neglected crops
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Sen, A.; Ahammed, Y. N.; Banerjee, T.; Chatterjee, A.; Choudhuri, A. K.; Das, T.; Chandara Deb, N.; Dhir, A.; Goel, S.; Khan, A. H.; Mandal, T. K.; Murari, V.; Pal, S.; Rao, P. S.; Saxena, M.; Sharma, S. K.; Sharma, A.; Vachaspati, C. V.
Enhanced transport of dust with the prevailing mid to upper tropospheric westerly winds from arid regions in South-west Asia and North-west India into the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) and the influx of marine aerosol from the Arabian Sea (AS), Tropical Indian Ocean (TIO) and Southern Bay of Bengal (SBoB) into India along with the low level south-west wind flow during the onset of the South-west (SW) monsoon, 2014 was observed in campaign mode
. Ambient airborne particulates (PM2.5 and PM10) were collected at 9 sites in and around IGP, India, viz. Patiala, Delhi, Lucknow, Varanasi, Giridih, Kolkata, Darjeeling, Bhubaneswar and Nagpur; over AS, TIO and SBoB providing a glimpse into the aerosol loading and its transport mechanisms. The highest average PM2.5 (61.8 ± 18.6 μg m−3) and PM10 (182.2 ± 58.0 μg m−3) mass concentrations were recorded at Delhi (upper IGP) and Lucknow (middle IGP) respectively. Average PM2.5 (18.1 ± 10.1 μg m−3) and PM10 (39.6 ± 15.8 μg m−3) levels recorded over the open oceanic regions in AS, TIO and SBoB were much lower than those observed over the land stations and the average PM2.5 recorded over coastal AS and SBoB (49.1 ± 28.7 μg m−3). Cluster analysis, Potential Source Contribution Function (PSCF) and Concentration Weighted Trajectory (CWT) analysis portray that PM2.5 and PM10 levels at the land stations were influenced by weak to moderate contributions from AS, BoB, the arid South-west Asia and North-west India, peninsular India and from the polluted IGP region
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Roy, P. S.; Behera, M. D.; Murthy, M. S. R.; Roy, A.; Singh, S.; Kushwaha, S. P. S.; Jha, C. S.; Sudhakar, S.; Joshi, P. K.; Reddy, C. S.; Gupta, S.; Pujar, G.; Dutt, C. B. S.; Srivastava, V. K.; Porwal, M. C.; Tripathi, P.; Singh, J. S.; Chitale, V.; Skidmore, A. K.; Rajshekhar, G.; Kushwaha, D.; Karnataka, H.; Saran, S.; Giriraj, A.; Padalia, H.; Kale, M.; Nandy, S.; Jeganathan, C.; Singh, C. P.; Biradar, C. M.; Pattanaik, C.; Singh, D. K.; Devagiri, G. M.; Talukdar, G.; Panigrahy, R. K.; Singh, H.; Sharma, J. R.; Haridasan, K.; Trivedi, S.; Singh, K. P.; Kannan, L.; Daniel, M.; Misra, M. K.; Niphadkar, M.; Nagbhatla, N.; Prasad, N.; Tripathi, O. P.; Prasad, P. R. C.; Dash, P.; Qureshi, Q.; Tripathi, S. K.; Ramesh, B. R.; Gowda, B.; Tomar, S.; Romshoo, S.; Giriraj, S.; Ravan, S. A.; Behera, S. K.; Paul, S.; Das, A. K.; Ranganath, B. K.; Singh, T. P.; Sahu, T. R.; Shankar, U.; Menon, A. R. R.; Srivastava, G.; Neeti; Sharma, S.; Mohapatra, U. B.; Peddi, A.; Rashid, H.; Salroo, I.; Krishna, P. H.; Hajra, P. K.; Vergheese, A. O.; Matin, S.; Chaudhary, S. A.; Ghosh, S.; Lakshmi, U.; Rawat, D.; Ambastha, K.; Kalpana, P.; Devi, B. S. S.; Gowda, B.; Sharma, K. C.; Mukharjee, P.; Sharma, A.; Davidar, P.; Raju, R. R. V.; Ketewa, S. S.; Kant, S.; Raju, V. S.; Uniyal, B. P.; Debnath, B.; Rout, D. K.; Thapa, R.; Joseph, S.; Chhetri, P.; Ramchandran, R.
A seamless vegetation type map of India (scale 1: 50,000) prepared using medium-resolution IRS LISS-III images is presented
. The map was created using an on-screen visual interpretation technique and has an accuracy of 90%, as assessed using 15,565 ground control points. India has hitherto been using potential vegetation/forest type map prepared by Champion and Seth in 1968. We characterized and mapped further the vegetation type distribution in the country in terms of occurrence and distribution, area occupancy, percentage of protected area (PA) covered by each vegetation type, range of elevation, mean annual temperature and precipitation over the past 100 years. A remote sensing-amenable hierarchical classification scheme that accommodates natural and semi-natural systems was conceptualized, and the natural vegetation was classified into forests, scrub/shrub lands and grasslands on the basis of extent of vegetation cover. We discuss the distribution and potential utility of the vegetation type map in a broad range of ecological, climatic and conservation applications from global, national and local perspectives. We used 15,565 ground control points to assess the accuracy of products available globally (i.e., GlobCover, Holdridge’s life zone map and potential natural vegetation (PNV) maps). Hence we recommend that the map prepared herein be used widely. This vegetation type map is the most comprehensive one developed for India so far. It was prepared using 23.5 m seasonal satellite remote sensing data, field samples and information relating to the biogeography, climate and soil. The digital map is now available through a web portal (Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. Typ
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