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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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Kotru, R.; Chaudhari, S.; Lemke, E.; Mueller, M.; Chettri, R.; Basnet, S.; Amatya, S.; Pandey, A.; Shrestha, A. J.; Pasakhala, B.; Yao, F.; Gurung, J.; Aryal, K.; Gurung, K; Bhatta, L. D.; Pradhan, N.; Bisht, N.; Joshi, S.; Dorji, T.; Rajbhandari, U.; Chitale, V.; Shaoliang, Y.
The report presents comprehensive updates on the progress made under Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation and Development Initiative (KSLCDI) in 2016
. The report builds on the reports submitted by partner organisations of KSLCDI and achievements of the year 2016.
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The Support to Rural Livelihoods and Climate Change Adaptation in the Himalaya (Himalica) initiative aims to support poor and vulnerable mountain communities in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) mitigate and adapt to climate change impacts through collaborative action research and pilot activities
. Research and pilot activities are expected to help build the capacities of institutions working on building and strengthening resilience to climateinduced vulnerability which will subsequently improve the livelihoods of mountain communities in the HKH. Adaptive capacity can be attained when the significance and value system of the services mountain ecosystems provide local communities and those living downstream are understood, maintained, and recognized. Visualizing such impacts, the Himalica initiative is implemented through five main activity areas: i) building capacity to formulate adapted policy, ii) expanding knowledge management, iii) strengthening collaborative action research, iv) piloting activities for climate change adaptation, and v) building overall capacity. After the completion of Ecosystem Services Assessments (ESAs) in Bhutan, Myanmar and Nepal in 2014 and 2015 as a part of strengthening collaborative action research, the ecosystem theme at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) further initiated assessments of ecosystem services in Bangladesh and Pakistan
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Management of natural resources (land, water, soil, vegetation) has multiple benefits
. It not only provides ecosystem goods such as food, timber, fuelwood but also services like regulation of hydrological flows, erosion control, carbon sequestration and conservation of biodiversity. Sustainable management of natural resources in the upper catchments of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) is critical for both upstream and downstream communities
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This report is intended to explain timber value chain focusing on material flow, governance mechanism, the flow of revenues and value chain issues to be considered for REDD+ implementation in Nepal
. The results of the value chain analysis captured the value chain dynamics of Sal (Shorea robusta) timber taking two major supply channels into consideration; subsidized local market and open market channel, which are found to be functioning in timber market
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Shifting cultivation is a dominant form of farming in the eastern Himalayas, practised by a diverse group of indigenous people from the most marginalized social and economic groups
. The survival of these indigenous people and the survival of their forests are inextricably linked. However, policy makers and natural resource managers perceive shifting cultivation to be wasteful, destructive to forests, and unsustainable. Although policies have tried to ban it or ‘wean’ shifting cultivators away from the practice by incentivizing them to take up alternative options, shifting cultivation persists. As a result, neither the livelihood issues of the shifting cultivators nor the health of the forest ecosystems on which shifting cultivation depends are properly protected. Shifting cultivators and policy makers must seek common ground to improve shifting cultivation for farmers and forests. A joint solution is also required to address climate change as good forest cover plays a prominent role in the sequestration of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. This publication is the result of research undertaken in Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal on the promotion of innovative policy and development options for improving shifting cultivation in the eastern Himalayas. It is divided into two parts: Part 1 presents the findings of the study on the effect of government policies on customary tenure and institutions and alternative options. Part 2 presents a discussion of the findings of the three countries as well as some general and country-wise recommendations. It is hoped that the findings of the research will enable governments to improve their shifting cultivation polices, which will, in turn, help shifting cultivators to improve their economic and social status
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This paper assess the relationship between reducing emission from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) regulation and farmers’ choice for livestock production systems using a multinomial choice model fitted to data from household survey of 324 farmers from Nepal
. The results indicate that intensive livestock system is more likely to have chosen by farmers involving in REDD program. The association between REDD and livestock systems remain when controlling for all factors included in the study. Better access to market and extension, distance to the river, total livestock units, and keeping improved breed are significant and critical for choosing intensive system. The results suggest that REDD regulation may have reduced grazing and forest use and farmers alternative livestock system becomes more intensive. Government policies should consider livestock management system as an important factor while formulating national REDD strategy. Further study is needed to evaluate the net effect of REDD and intensive system
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In the neo-liberal climate of reduced responsibility for the state, alongside global platforms established to implement the Hyogo Framework for Action, a new arena opens for a multitude of stakeholders to engage in disaster risk reduction (DRR)
. The key role that the state can play in instituting effective DRR tends to receive little attention, yet in situations where the state apparatus is weak, such as in Nepal, it becomes evident that integrating DRR into development is a particularly challenging task. Due to the political situation in Nepal, progress has been stalled in providing a legislative context conducive to effective DRR. This paper traces the evolution of key DRR initiatives that have been developed in spite of the challenging governance context, such as the National Strategy for Disaster Risk Management and the Nepal Risk Reduction Consortium. Informed by in-depth interviews with key informants, the argument is made that the dedicated efforts of national and international non-governmental organisations, multilateral agencies and donors in mainstreaming DRR demonstrate that considerable progress can be made even where government departments are protective of their own interests and are slow to enact policies to support DRR. The paper suggests however, that without stronger engagement of key political actors the prospects for further progress in DRR may be limited. The findings have implications for other post-conflict countries or weak states engaging in DRR
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This paper assess the relationship between reducing emission from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) regulation and farmers’ choice for livestock production systems using a multinomial choice model fitted to data from household survey of 324 farmers from Nepal
. The results indicate that intensive livestock system is more likely to have chosen by farmers involving in REDD program. The association between REDD and livestock systems remain when controlling for all factors included in the study. Better access to market and extension, distance to the river, total livestock units, and keeping improved breed are significant and critical for choosing intensive system. The results suggest that REDD regulation may have reduced grazing and forest use and farmers alternative livestock system becomes more intensive. Government policies should consider livestock management system as an important factor while formulating national REDD strategy. Further study is needed to evaluate the net effect of REDD and intensive system
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