Environment Assessment of Nepal; Emerging Issues and Challenges

The environment plays a crucial role in enabling and sustaining poverty reduction – and the effect is magnified within mountainous ecosystems such as those found in Nepal. Including environmental considerations in planning is a must, but to do this we need the relevant environmental data. In Nepal, environmental data and information can be difficult to find. Many data sets are unpublished – held in reports, ministry files, and others – much is inconsistent, and there are big gaps, especially in terms of time series and reliable, verified data. The Environment Assessment of Nepal, published jointly by ADB and ICIMOD, attempts to bring together a large part of what is available to provide an analysis of environmental status and trends in the country; the policy, legal and institutional framework for environmental management; financing mechanisms; and major environmental issues and opportunities. The Assessment highlights data inconsistencies, gaps, and needs, and the extensive list of sources provides an excellent starting point for anyone attempting to locate relevant environmental data.