Proceedings of the workshop on assessing freshwater ecosystems for sustainable hydropower development in Nepal

Anthropogenic and natural disturbances have impacted the health of freshwater ecosystems throughout the Hindu Kush Himalayan region. Hydropower development has caused a decline in the connectivity and environmental flows (e-flows) of rivers. To minimize these impacts, the Government of Nepal recently endorsed the Hydropower Environmental Impact Assessment manual. Following its launch, an in-depth training needs assessment revealed that it was necessary to improve stakeholder capacity in freshwater ecosystem assessment for its effective implementation. In this regard, ICIMOD and its partners organized a four-day workshop in November 2019 on assessing freshwater ecosystems as part of environmental impact assessments in Nepal’s hydropower sector.