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International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)
- Date submitted: 1 Nov 2011
- Stakeholder type: United Nations & Other IGOs
- Name: International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)
- Submission Document: Download
General Contenta) What are the expectations for the outcome of Rio+20, and what are the concrete proposals in this regard, including views on a possible structure of the Outcome document? - The Rio+20 conference should recognise the contribution of mountain systems and their ecosystem goods and services to a green economy, sustainable development, and human wellbeing and should set principles and policies for global, regional, and national actions in support of sustainable mountain development.
- Considering the increasing importance of mountain ecosystems for downstream communities, the high incidence of poverty and unequal access to resources in mountain areas, the growing vulnerability of upstream and downstream populations, and the threats to the availability of mountain ecosystem services, global stakeholders should revisit the criteria of the mountain agenda and Chapter 13.
- International organisations and national governments are implored to favour policies and all possible efforts to strengthen the efforts of mountain communities to ensure a continued availability of fresh water, biodiversity (including agro biodiversity), cultural diversity,
and space for tourism, recreation, and spiritual renewal, as well as to cope with the
consequences of climate and environmental change.
b) What are the comments, if any, on existing proposals: e.g., a green economy roadmap, framework for action, sustainable development goals, a revitalized global partnership for sustainable development, or others? ? Green economy should bring new opportunities for investment in ecosystem services (e.g. freshwater, biodiversity conservation, and carbon sequestration), renewable energy, and creation of jobs while meetings the challenges which are sure to come. It must be pursued with a balanced approach of economic, environmental, and social development and appropriate policy and institutional measures to avoid increasing pressure on an already fragile environment and scarce resources. To this end it is necessary to revisit the mountain agenda. The Rio+20 conference offers an important opportunity to do so, taking into account recent developments and ongoing global challenges.
? Climate change and eradication of poverty take the centre stage in sustainable mountain development. The focus of the Rio+20 is on green economy but the number one priority in developing mountain countries is poverty alleviation �V including the mountainous regions of India and China. What relation does this Asian transition to green economy have on sustainable mountain development (SMD)?
? Some of the specific issues and questions relating to situating the green economy in the context of sustainable mountain development are: a) How to build documentary evidence of national and regional/global influence or contribution of the ecological footprints of mountains? b) What specific roles can mountains play in transforming the ��brown�� economy of the countries to ��green�� economy since the current perception and opinion of the national policy makers is that it may be marginal and negligible. For example, in national reports for Agenda 21, chapter 13, the policy space allotted to mountains is very small. It is therefore challenging to use the green economy plank for leveraging more space in national policies.
? Although mountain regions in developing countries face numerous challenges in the context of a green economy, the green economy development model opens windows of opportunity to rectify earlier development models which have tended to exclude the concerns and interests of mountain regions. The green economy can provide the framework for valuing and compensating critical services of mountain regions that benefit downstream communities, and in the process encourage conservation and address mountain poverty. The green economy paradigm of development can hence unlock the potentials of mountains while preserving mountain values towards sustainable development.
In order to promote sustainable development in mountain regions, the following challenges will need to be addressed in the green economy framework;
Lack of Compensation for Mountain Ecosystem Goods and Services
Mountain ecosystems are important for national, regional, and global economic growth and human wellbeing. However, their services do not receive adequate recognition in national economic decision-making, including development planning and resource allocation. Mountain ecosystem services are often taken for granted, and the role of mountain communities in generating them receives little or no attention. GDP does not account for depletion of natural capital, which is the fundamental basis for all economic activities.
Difficulty of Valuating Mountain Ecosystem Services
The benefits of mountain ecosystem services are largely intangible, and there is no defined market for them, making it difficult to assign a monetary value to particular ecosystems and to demonstrate their value to national, regional, and global economies and to the environment
Unclear Property Rights with Regard to Mountain Ecosystem Services
With markets emerging for carbon, watershed services, and biodiversity, these are now marketable resources, as they were not in the past. However, there are no clear property rights for these resources; the concept of property rights applies largely to assets and products. Without clear property rights, mountain farmers cannot negotiate and benefit from voluntary markets for environmental services such as carbon sequestration and storage, biodiversity, and water protection.
Nascent Market for Mountain Ecosystem Services
While markets for mountain niche products are growing, markets for mountain ecosystem regulation and support services are not yet well developed. Complex rules and regulations, precise measurements, and rigorous verification requirements at different stages bar mountain communities managing small plots of forest land from enjoying the benefits of the global carbon market, for example.
Fragile Mountain Ecosystems
Geographic and climatic features make mountain systems extremely fragile. The fragility of mountain ecosystems represents a considerable challenge to a green economy and sustainable development. The impacts of unsustainable development in the mountains have been more rapid, have taken a heavier toll, and have been more difficult to correct than in other ecosystems (MA 2005). The lowlands are also heavily influenced by undesired changes in mountain areas, because of their dependency on mountain resources and ecosystem services.
Persistent Poverty and Marginalisation of Mountain Areas
Livelihoods in mountain areas are considerably more susceptible to environmental and economic changes than those in lowlands because of rough topography, remoteness, and poor socioeconomic infrastructure. The incidence and severity of poverty and vulnerability are disproportionately high in many mountain regions of the world.
Lack of Disaggregated Mountain-Specific Data
Mountain ecosystems and production systems are closely interrelated, and geographically referenced data are essential to their sound management and planning for sustainable development. Disaggregated economic and social data on mountains are difficult to obtain and, in many cases, not available.
c) What are the views on implementation and on how to close the implementation gap, which relevant actors are envisaged as being involved (Governments, specific Major Groups, UN system, IFIs, etc.); Institutional Framework for Sustainable Development (IFSD):
IFSD in the context of the Mountain region should aim to identify the actors at local, national and regional levels and set out the functions of institutions for achieving better coherence and coordination among agencies implementing sustainable development activities, especially in the mountains. Therefore, any new institutional framework must avoid overlaps and duplication of activities, and synergies need to be achieved in programming efforts of international as well as national organisations through enhanced participation of all stakeholders for attaining good governance. Similarly, at the UN level there should be clear and resourceful mechanism to advocate the Mountain Agenda, gradually integrating it with other sustainable development agenda, otherwise there is a great danger of continuation of ignorance of sustainable mountain development in the UN processes.
Key challenges for institutional strengthening for SMD
Mountain countries and regions face multiple challenges in creating good institutional framework and more importantly, for avoiding the past track record of poor implementation of SMD commitments and policies. The latter was caused by weak national setups and lack of capacity, coordination, and integration efforts that need to be addressed effectively to ensure clear institutional functions and accountability safeguards at all levels.
Role of research-based knowledge and information
Developing proper institutional framework will also have to consider the role of research organisations both at national and regional levels for filling the knowledge gap. SMD issues in the HKH are of transboundary nature e.g., water, biodiversity, markets, and quality standardisation for green products. Before transforming into a green economy, these countries must set green accounting policies and green technology adaptation institutions to assist the shift from GDP to GMP. Consumerism today is a driver of change, changing values and attitudes of the people, but in the green economy context consumers need to also give premium to green products that will require awareness raising, in which data and information will play an important role.
Role of technology and technical capacity building
Green economy will require ��green technologies�� that will need a suitable framework and mechanism for enabling technology adaptation, retrofitting, and transfer to developing mountain countries. Therefore, strengthening of multi-lateral and research institutions focusing on mountain friendly technologies and knowhow, given the specificity of mountain systems, should be a pre-requisite in the new institutional framework.
d) What specific cooperation mechanisms, partnership arrangements or other implementation tools are envisaged and what is the relevant time frame for the proposed decisions to be reached and actions to be implemented? What specific actions are required?
Recognition of benefits deriving from mountain regions
As mountain ecosystem services contribute to sustaining and enhancing the Earth��s sustainability and prosperity, the green economy framework and Rio+20 need to recognise the benefits arising from mountain ecosystems and should set principles and policies for global, regional, and national actions in support of sustainable mountain development.
Improved governance mechanisms
To provide incentives for mountain populations to maintain ecosystem services, environmental governance systems must frame the mountain agenda in environment and development policy. Strengthened governance is needed at all levels, national, regional, and global. National governments have a central role in putting in place policies, strategies, and instruments to create enabling conditions for investment in mountain ecosystem conservation and to attract other actors such as the private sector to finance conservation. The international policy framework needs to recognise the value of mountain ecosystems and the needs of mountain people, and to support international, regional, and country-level implementation of the mountain agenda.
Enhanced economic security and poverty alleviation to facilitate peace and stability in mountain areas
Governments must ensure that the green economy contributes to eradicating poverty, ensuring livelihoods, and promoting social equity and security, in line with the MDGs. Promotion of green economy must be based on equitable access to resources, well defined property rights, and inclusive growth. Governments must take steps to ensure that benefits reach poor and marginalised people including women, indigenous people, and ethnic minorities.
Institutional strengthening and capacity building
Achieving and maintaining a low carbon economy in the mountains requires substantial changes in policies, priorities, and strategies, the increased application of market-based instruments for conservation and development, and the use of new technologies.
Transboundary cooperation
Many of the mountain ecosystems and their services are transboundary in nature; thus their conservation and management demands regional cooperation. Strengthened networks and regional conventions like the Alpine Convention may enhance coordination of activities and assist in raising mountain concerns in international governance and protocols.
Financial Instruments
Conservation of mountain ecosystem services and the transition towards a more low-carbon path of development require financial resources. The international community must provide the necessary support to leverage financial resources, for example through establishment of dedicated funding windows for mountains in existing funding mechanisms (such as GEF), insofar as they link to other global priorities such as climate change, water, and biodiversity. International and regional payment for ecosystem services (PES) schemes may be introduced to stimulate the provision of vital non-marketed ecosystem services at the global and regional levels.
Indicators of progress
Mountain-specific indicators need to be developed for measurement of progress towards a green economy, such as investment in mountain ecosystem conservation, resource allocation in mountain regions, and stock and health of mountain ecosystem resources such as water, biodiversity, and the cryosphere (e.g., river flow, sedimentation control).
Operationalising the Framework of Green Economy and Good Governance: Recommendations
The above elements may be pursued in a three-pronged policy approach focused on global responsibilities, regional interests, and national tasks. The following are some proposed institutional approaches at the three levels.
National level
? Adopt mountain-specific strategies in national development plans and programmes to achieve the twin goals of conservation and poverty reduction.
? Internalise the costs and benefits of conserving mountain ecosystems in national wealth accounting, resource allocation, and development plans. The costs of producing environmental goods and services need to be factored into the design of policies, strategies, programmes, and projects. In this way the costs and benefits of mountain ecosystems will be integrated into actual prices, markets, and incentive structures.
? Promote markets for mountain ecosystem services. Encourage the private sector through appropriate policy and regulatory support such as clear property rights and access and benefit sharing frameworks so that the market can become an option for financing mountain ecosystem management.
? Develop policies for institutionalising incentives and compensation for mountain ecosystem services, and make mountain ecosystem conservation central to economic decision making.
? Modify and correct policy, institutional, and market failures related to undervaluation of mountain ecosystem services or failure to recognise them in national economic decision making.
? Invest in mountain regions to unlock their potential in a green economy and sustainable development, e.g., for energy, water, high-quality mountain agricultural products, and nature-based and organic products. Investment in mountain regions will generate long-term benefits. Owing to positive externalities, investment in mountains brings high welfare gains. To attract green investment in mountain areas, governments may grant financial support such as low-interest loans or exemption from certain regulations, to build economies of scale and competitiveness. Generating new public-private partnerships is equally important in the overall approach to unlocking the potential of mountains; they can be an important source of revenue to ensure the long-term sustainability of mountain ecosystems while relieving pressure on public budgets.
? Create a conducive environment for investment in mountains and green infrastructure, and provide incentives for promoting industry and business for the benefit of mountain and rural communities. As the returns from green sectors (e.g., conservation and management of forests, watersheds, soils, rangelands, and glaciers) comes only after some time, government support (direct or indirect) is necessary at least in the initial stages to attract private investment.
? Adopt alternative forms of energy such as hydropower, wind power, biogas, and solar energy to reduce negative impacts from the use of fossil fuels and fuelwood.
Regional level
? Promote and strengthen networks and partnerships among mountain regions. International and regional development and research organisations should facilitate transfer of knowledge and experience as well as capacity building for key mountain institutions.
? Promote regional mechanisms for the compensation of ecosystem services provided by upstream communities.
? Strengthen value chains to benefit mountain communities, for example through branding of mountain goods and services.
? Strengthen the information and knowledge base on sustainable mountain development and make it accessible to all concerned.
? Use transboundary approaches and facilitate regional cooperation to address issues of water management, biodiversity, and protected areas, and establish regional funds for management of transboundary ecosystem resources.
Global level
? Create compensation mechanisms and markets for globally significant mountain ecosystem services such as biodiversity and carbon sequestration. Establish institutional mechanisms for providing economic incentives to conserve mountain ecosystems and improve the lives of mountain communities.
? Remove trade barriers and price distortions on green goods and services of mountain regions.
? Enhance international and regional cooperation on mountain issues.
? Pursue a global commitment to conservation and low-carbon development of mountain ecosystems. Provide adequate financing targeted to the mountain regions of developing countries for conservation and development of globally significant ecosystems. Support technology transfer and capacity building for institutions engaged in development of mountain regions.
? Strengthen and expand alliances of mountain stakeholders to lead and undertake the process of sustainable mountain development beyond Rio+20. Strengthen cooperation and networking among the different mountain regions. Regional conventions in mountain regions might be pursued following the example of the Alpine and Carpathian Conventions.
? Strengthen international support for research on mountain systems of global relevance.
Specific Elementsa) Objective of the Conference: To secure renewed political commitment for sustainable development, assessing the progress to date and remaining gaps in the implementation of the outcomes of the major summits on sustainable development and addressing new and emerging challenges. Contributions could include possible sectoral priorities (e.g., (e.g., energy, food security and sustainable agriculture, technology transfer, water, oceans, sustainable urbanization, sustainable consumption and production, natural disaster preparedness and climate change adaptation, biodiversity, etc.) and sectoral initiatives that contribute to integrate the three pillars of sustainable development could be launched and endorsed at Rio+20. Alternative energy technology: improving lives and reducing carbon footprint
People in mountain areas mostly use fuel wood for cooking and heating, which can have detrimental effects on the environment, air quality, and human health. In the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region, there are also indications that aerosols containing large amounts of black carbon are contributing to regional climate change and glacier melt. Investments in alternative, cleaner forms of energy to replace fuel wood and fossil fuels would reduce carbon emissions, improve human health, and secure mountain livelihoods by conserving mountain forest resources.
Green practices in water management
Water for human consumption, irrigation, and hydropower development constitutes a premium resource of mountain regions. There is ample scope for investments in scaling up green practices in water and watershed management. Scaling up represents both an opportunity and a challenge in the mountain regions.
Diversification and value addition in mountain agriculture
Despite sloping land generally unfavourable to cultivation, agriculture is the main economic sector in many mountain regions of developing countries, accounting for between 30% and 60% of gross domestic product (GDP) and employing up to 80% of the workforce. The market for mountain agriculture is largely organic and is therefore likely to grow, providing opportunities for mountain regions to diversify their agricultural sector. The green economy can help shift agriculture away from subsistence levels through promotion of organic farming, horticultural development, herbal and traditional medicine, and value-added products such as handmade paper, tea, bamboo-based handicrafts, floriculture, horticulture, and mushroom processing, among others. Organic products from mountain agriculture can be marketed for their health values.
b) Green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication: views regarding how green economy can be a means to achieve sustainable development in its three dimensions, and poverty eradication; what is its potential added value; experience to date, including what has worked and how to build upon success, what are the challenges and opportunities and how to address the challenges and seize opportunities, and possible elements of an agreement in outcome document on a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication The green economy can provide the framework for valuing and compensating critical services of mountain regions that benefit downstream communities and in the process encourage conservation and address mountain poverty. The green economy paradigm of development can hence unlock the potentials of mountains while preserving mountain values towards sustainable development. A number of opportunities for developing mountain regions in the context of a green economy are explored below.
Realising the Value of Mountain Ecosystem Services
Conventional economics does not take into account depletion and degradation of natural capital and the value of ecosystem services which used to be regarded as ��free public goods��. The green economy recognises the value of the ecosystems in the production of goods and services for downstream economies and for securing overall human wellbeing at local, national, regional, and global scales. This recognition provides an opening for mountain people to be duly compensated and rewarded for stewardship of mountain ecosystems and their services.
Accessing Growing Market for Niche Mountain Products
Mountain goods and products such as medicinal and aromatic plants and other non-timber forest products, mountain crafts, and ecotourism hold special values and have niche markets. Enabling policies and supporting rules and regulations for Marketing Mountain products can benefit mountain regions and help them get value for their products and efforts.
Conserving ecosystem services to fight poverty and enhance livelihood security
Rural poor people depend heavily on natural resources. Around 350 million people who live within or adjacent to dense forests, for example, depend on them for a high degree of subsistence and income (World Bank 2004, cited in Gundimeda 2011). By linking natural resource based livelihoods to production of ecosystem services, the green economy can help reduce poverty and enhance environmental sustainability.
Policy innovations in government for conservation and development of ecosystems
Innovative policy options that are emerging to provide incentives for conserving and developing ecosystem services have potential for mountain regions. For example, the Government of India has established fiscal transfer from the central government to the states for forest ecosystem services.
Introducing Incentive-based Mechanisms for Mountain Ecosystem Services
Ongoing global and national efforts to develop policies, strategies, and regulatory frameworks for better ecosystem services are creating emerging markets for mountain ecosystem services. Incentive-based mechanisms such as payment for ecosystem services (PES) and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) are emerging opportunities for financing conservation and development of mountain regions.
Creating New Investment and Employment Opportunities
Shifting investment from the brown or industrial sector to a green sector may create interest and bring opportunities in green investments and transfer of green technology. Mountain regions can benefit from green investments in areas such as:
enhanced production and processing of mountain ecosystem goods and services; appropriate pricing and reward or payment systems for proper valuation of mountain goods and services; reducing mountain fragility and the impact of disasters; creation of green employment opportunities (e.g., in agriculture and horticulture) in mountain regions.
Promotion and transition towards a green economy need capacity development in education, research, advocacy and policy reforms. Similarly, enabling policies and institutions are needed to provide necessary incentives to producers of mountain-based ecosystem goods and services. Regional as well as upstream-downstream approaches are needed for promoting green markets and for addressing the challenges of poverty, biodiversity loss, trade barriers and climate change. In summary, there is a need to develop a green economy roadmap for the mountains in the Mountain region based on comparative advantages in terms of different eco-systems niches and/or those where nations have and building competitive advantages through training, skills development, provision of appropriate technologies and financial support. Capacity building of policy makers remains the utmost priority because good policies are needed to drive the new development process.
Role of technology and technical capacity building
Green economy will require ��green technologies�� that will need a suitable framework and mechanism for enabling technology adaptation, retrofitting, and transfer to developing mountain countries. Therefore, strengthening of multi-lateral and research institutions focusing on mountain friendly technologies and knowhow, given the specificity of mountain systems, should be a pre-requisite in the new institutional framework.
c) Institutional framework for sustainable development: Priorities and proposals for strengthening individual pillars of sustainable development, as well as those for strengthening integration of the three pillars, at multiple levels; local, national, regional and international. Role of regional institution for sustainable development of the Mountains:
Given the growing interest in mountain issues among the Mountain countries and the changing regional and global contexts, the role of regional institutions will have to match with the growing expectations of regional and international stakeholders. The growing importance of the Mountain ecosystems goods and services need more collective and concerted management actions at the regional level to ensure sustainable development. Since issues such as freshwater shortage, increasing natural hazards, environment pollution, ecosystem degradation, rapid melting of ice, loss of biodiversity, persistent poverty and increasing vulnerability, and human insecurity are common and interconnected issues, they will need common solutions.
Promoting the mountain agenda globally: While the role of mountain systems as a provider of essential services to the global community has been recognised, countries and relevant international organisations have yet to set priorities in support of mountains. Regional institutions can play an important role in raising awareness, and providing concrete data and evidence on Mountain ecosystems and environment in order to enhance regional and global commitment and actions to support sustainable development in the Mountains, while strengthening upstream-downstream relationships.
Facilitating regional cooperation: While the need for transboundary regional cooperation has now been realised, implementation is a real challenge given the difficult geo-political situation in many mountain regions. Non-political regional knowledge-based organisation should be developed and /or strengthened for providing a neutral and common platform for knowledge exchange, sharing and learning. This can facilitate regional dialogue and cooperation among the HKH countries, and enhance common understanding on sustainable solutions
Facilitating information and knowledge sharing for disaster Risk reduction and resilience building: The Mountain region is classified as the most vulnerable region due to its exposure to multiple risks of extreme events and natural disasters including landslides, floods, droughts, and glacial lake outburst floods that can endanger sustainable development infrastructure. Reducing the risk of natural disasters is critical for poverty alleviation and for sustaining development efforts. There is a need for a regional organisation that can play the role of a catalyst in sharing information and real time data in order to reduce such risks and vulnerabilities.
Reducing scientific uncertainties and knowledge gaps: There is a lack of mountain disaggregated data. Easy availability of accurate socio-economical, environmental and biophysical data is vital for policymakers, resource managers and researchers for sustainable management and allocation of limited natural, human and financial resources for achieving sustainable development. Data generated by national and international institutions in the Mountain region are often of a national nature. There is a need for an agency that can contribute by developing and continuously tracking the trends of key indicators of sustainable development.
Valuing mountain ecosystem services: In the context of green economy, there has to be proper valuation of the role of the Himalayan mountain system as the providers of critical ecosystem goods and services. These values need to be translated into enabling policies and actions to help reorient national and global policies towards Mountain region resulting in increased investment in research, conservation and development. Providing more realistic economic value for these green services is possible through carbon financing tools such as REDD+, PES and other compensation mechanisms. This is expected to provide incentives to the mountain people to sustainably manage and preserve the vital goods and services while enhancing their own livelihoods by practicing sustainable resources management.
Facilitating cross-country learning in sustainable mountain development solutions: The new agenda of the green economy and good environmental governance will require new knowledge, technologies, and capacities. Although institutions have been generating valuable knowledge in the MOUNTAINS, the knowledge has largely been country specific. Regional institutions can play an important role in consolidating this knowledge, bringing in regional perspectives and facilitating cross-boundary learning for promoting multi-disciplinary and integrated approaches that can enhance SMD.
d) Any proposals for refinement of the two themes. Recall that Resolution 64/236 describes the focus of the Conference: "The focus of the Conference will include the following themes to be discussed and refined during the preparatory process: a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication and the institutional framework for sustainable development". Green projects are suitable for subsistence economies:
Most of the mountain areas of the HKH region are under subsistence agriculture. Some are more primitive while others have varying degrees modernisation and inroads of the market economy. Nepal and Bhutan, typical mountainous countries, are over 80 per cent rural. Development has come to these areas due to emphasis on specific niche products such as apples, vegetables, rice as well as services and it has come in different scales due to remoteness. In most of the mountain cities and towns development models have been transported from the plains without much regard to mountain specificity and therefore the environmental consequences have been rather devastating, especially in more fragile valleys.
Traditional and low-external-input agriculture systems have potential for organic production:
Mountain areas of the North Eastern States of India and the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh have been practicing traditional forms of agriculture called shifting cultivation for centuries that have been blamed for deforestation and environmental degradation. A more sustainable solution is community resource management strategy and policy under which land and tree tenure is assured, access to technical and extension service is improved and communities are allowed to chose the crops, and trees, including agro-forestry practices.
Decentralization and devolution can lead to good governance:
Change in mindset has followed the acceptance by governments of the need to accommodate local developmental aspirations, without suspecting secessionist tendencies, which still exist in parts of mountain areas. These social movements and conflicts are about identity politics, caste and class grievances, and protests against general irresponsiveness to local aspirations. Mountain communities that have been given economic freedom and political autonomy to choose the development path have addressed to SMD goals better as shown by case studies of Community Forestry (Van Panchayats) in Uttarakhand, India and Nepal.
Full SubmissionSoutheast Asia and Pacific (SEAP) mountains, which are spread across two geographic regions �V mainland Asia and island/archipelagic states in the Pacific Ocean - form one of the world��s highest but also most severely threatened biodiversity pools. A number of indigenous peoples who are marginalized, poor, and underserved by their respective nation states live in structurally weak and fragile SEAP Mountains even made more vulnerable by increased frequency and intensity of rainfall, extreme temperatures and severe tropical storms. Expanding global population and economic pressures are driving migrant lowland settlers toward SEAP Mountains while extractive companies harness the mountains�� timber, minerals and water resources without giving due share to the local communities. In general, the mountains have not been mainstreamed in the governance of most Southeast Asian countries, which highlight the need for policy reforms to protect social and ecological systems in the mountains, strengthen sustainable development, prevent environmental damage, and improve national and regional food security. Governments and civil society organizations, international and local donors, and development agencies have played key roles in facilitating development and/or resolving conflicts arising from competing demands on SEAP mountain resources. Lessons learned in addressing conflicts showed that these involve a slow process that is best initiated by creating an environment for dialogs to take place. Toward this end, stakeholders must be capacitated on collaborative negotiations and non-adversarial communication skills to enable them to engage in multi-stakeholder dialogs that strive for win-win solutions and aim to do the greatest good for the greatest number of people in the long run. Improving governance, meeting the economic needs of the people, and making them more self-reliant through proper education avert conflicts that border on terrorism in remote regions of SEAP Mountains. People in the SEAP Mountains need to take charge of development of the welfare of their communities and the mountains in partnership with civil society, particularly for advocacy and building public support for mountain-specific policies and development approaches. Partnerships need to be forged with the private sector based on corporate social responsibility initiatives to provide innovative, simple technological and market solutions to livelihoods problems in the mountains following low carbon or green growth pathways. Specifically, private sector support can be directed for empowering mountain stakeholders with community-based technologies and for developing business skills. Product value chains through cooperative efforts among the primary producers and private businesses can result in reasonable returns on their investments for both the mountain people and downstream commercial enterprises. Ecotourism can be promoted to help generate income in mountain communities and among indigenous peoples as strategies, to counter violent conflicts and finance mountain conservation and sustainable development. Participatory action research that takes into account local good practices and indigenous knowledge are needed to determine carrying capacity of mountains and for implementing plans and measures for adapting to and mitigating the worsening impacts of climate change and unregulated human activities on mountain resources. There is growing awareness on the benefits provided by the SEAP Mountains in terms of ecosystem goods and services. Increasing frequency of mountainoriginated disasters both in the uplands and lowlands has raised policy level awareness for integrated approaches. Combining the increased awareness, with traditional and scientific knowledge will help improve sustainability in resource use by creating opportunities for multi-stakeholder participation that can address pressing mountain issues and challenges. Effective participation of communities in mountain governance �V supported by enabling policies �V can pave the way for sustainable mountain resource management practices, and help end pervasive poverty in the uplands through carefully-planned and community-controlled, human development initiatives. In summary, this report advocates: ? Developing good governance mechanisms that account for unique characteristics and wealth of mountains and meet needs and aspirations of mountain people in reducing poverty and conserving the region��s once-rich biodiversity through sustainable development approaches. ? Assisting mountain communities in negotiation and collaborative dialogues for resolving conflicts and enabling them to participate in sustainable mountain development activities in collaboration with government, civil society, donors and the private sector. ? Strengthening research by combining traditional practices and scientific knowledge for developing actionable plans for implementing with the meaningful participation of stakeholders both in the mountains and downstream. ? Consolidating international and national funding mechanisms and resources for financing sustainable development programmes and achieving well being of mountain people. Executive Summary Mountains of the Hindu Kush-Himalaya (HKH) have abundant natural resources and unique landscapes that provide valuable ecosystem goods and services for livelihoods. However, the harsh terrain and lack of enabling institutional framework and policies pose major challenges to sustainable mountain development. The region includes four global biodiversity hotspots, 330 important bird areas, and 60 global eco-regions. The 488 protected areas in the HKH provide vital ecosystem goods and services to more than 1.5 billion people in the uplands and the lowlands. The greater Himalayas ? the water tower of Asia ? is source of 10 major river systems that provide the vital resources such as water, food, biodiversity and energy for a large number of people in countries of the region, including India and China ? two fast growing economies. The region is home to more than 40 per cent of the World?s poor and is also ranked as being at "extreme" risk from climate change. Progressive warming at higher altitudes has been three to five times the global average. The region has witnessed increased snow and glacial melt and frequency of extreme events that have exacerbated livelihood risks including poverty, food insecurity, hazards and social inequity. Climate-induced changes have not only made it difficult for mountain countries to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) but also threaten to slow down or even reverse the progress achieved so far. The HKH countries face frequent food and energy crises and growing social and political unrest while climate impacts have shrunk development space. Progress on past global commitments to sustainable development remains largely unfulfilled. The Rio+20 conference is an opportunity for the HKH region to take stock of progress made towards meeting the Sustainable Mountain Development goals defined in Agenda 21/Chapter 13. This report assesses constraints and opportunities in three major areas: environmental quality, economic development, and social equity. It examines community-level progress by studying people-centric, vertically integrated, and participatory efforts made since Rio?92. It reviews policies, legal instruments, and programmes that aimed at benefitting mountain people and highlights the opportunities for transforming to a green economy. Both upstream-downstream relations and benefit sharing mechanisms needed for sustaining resource flows and maintaining ecosystem goods and services for driving the green economy are examined in terms of linking incentivised producers of ecosystem services with both local and distant markets. The report includes learning from 10 specifically commissioned case studies on sustainable development programmes in forestry, watershed management, agriculture, clean energy, eco- tourism, biodiversity, and community development. The studies indicate that biogas and micro hydro for clean energy, community-based approaches for managing natural resources, eco-tourism for equitable income distribution, organic agriculture and watershed management for enhancing and sustaining productivity of ecosystem goods and services, are some of the best practices that can help achieve sustainable goals. The report also captures the insights of hundreds of stakeholders on the Green Economy and Institutional Framework ? two agenda items of Rio+20 conference. The general consensus is that these concepts were defined somewhere else and passed down to stakeholders and therefore lack clarity from a mountain perspective, and need elaboration to suit mountain specificities ? fragility, marginality, inaccessibility, and richness of niche ecosystem products and services. There is also an agreement on the need to look beyond Rio+20 and come up with actionable programmes and concrete proposals for embarking on the green growth and environmental governance pathways focusing on ecosystem management, water resources, biodiversity conservation and poverty reduction as key themes. This would require investment by national and global agencies in creating green jobs through green projects, and policy reforms to incentivise agriculture, natural resources and enterprise development sectors facilitated by enabling policies, knowledge sharing, regional cooperation, environmental governance and substantial and dependable support from the global community. To sum up, the HKH report calls for: ? Adapting and developing good governance systems for the HKH Mountains taking into account their unique characteristics as `water towers? and biodiversity hotspots for addressing poverty reduction and enhancing human well being. ? Reducing increased vulnerabilities and risk of HKH mountain ecosystems and linking adaptation and resilience-building plans to sustainable development to create green jobs and develop green infrastructures. ? Empowering and assisting mountain communities to gain fair access to and benefits from ecosystem goods and resources they have been safeguarding as the primary stakeholders. ? Providing enabling conditions and incentives for investment through public-private ventures with appropriate funding mechanisms and technological support for enhancing wellbeing and reducing disparities. ? Strengthening national and regional institutions to facilitate upstream-downstream exchanges, trans-boundary cooperation, capacity building, and generating and disseminating knowledge, technical expertise and information for promoting SMD, and ? Consolidating all new and existing funding mechanisms related to Climate Change, Biodiversity, and MDGs for adequately funding SMD actions in vulnerable and least developed mountain countries and regions. Kathmandu Declaration on Green Economy and Sustainable Mountain Development 7 September 2011, Kathmandu, Nepal Preamble Following the invitation of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), 120 participants including scientists, development practitioners, policy makers, and civil society and private sector representatives met in Kathmandu from 5 to 7 September 2011 to deliberate on the role of mountains in green economy. Recalling the recognition of the importance of mountains at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992 through adoption of Chapter 13 in Agenda 21, and realising the need to revisit the mountain agenda in the upcoming United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in June 2012 (commonly called Rio +20), the participants put forward the following declaration.1 Declaration Recognising that: -� mountain systems support about half of the earth?s human population by providing numerous goods and services including fresh water, food, life-saving medicinal herbs, energy, rich biodiversity and associated traditional knowledge, as well as cultural diversity; -� global drivers of change such as growing human population, increasing urbanisation, industrialisation, globalisation, other socioeconomic changes, and climate change put increasing pressure on the available natural resources of the world and the mountains in particular; -� mountain ecosystem goods and services have therefore to respond to an increasing demand, while prevailing policies have not adequately prepared mountain populations and regions for the new challenges, and global dynamics create strong externalities for mountainous areas; -� mountain communities are characterised by their resilience, and their adaptation efforts have produced promising solutions relevant not only locally but also to the global community at large; - promoting the sustainability of mountain ecosystems and services for future generations � and for the continued prosperity of both upstream and downstream areas requires targeted actions and the concerted efforts of local, national, regional, and global institutions, calling for a joint effort of all sectors of society; - the call for a low carbon economy has the potential to strengthen sustainable mountain � development and help to create the conditions necessary for achieving the Millennium Development Goals in mountain areas; - mountain economies are characterised by their low carbon footprint and by their potential to � contribute low-carbon products to the local and global markets; - however, the low carbon footprint is accompanied by a high incidence of poverty; � the participants formulate the following recommendations. General �- The Rio+20 conference should recognise the contribution of mountain systems and their ecosystem goods and services to a green economy, sustainable development, and human wellbeing and should set principles and policies for global, regional, and national actions in support of sustainable mountain development. �- Considering the increasing importance of mountain ecosystems for downstream communities, the high incidence of poverty and unequal access to resources in mountain areas, the growing vulnerability of upstream and downstream populations, and the threats to the availability of mountain ecosystem services, global stakeholders should revisit the criteria of the mountain agenda and Chapter 13. �- International organisations and national governments are implored to favour policies and all possible efforts to strengthen the efforts of mountain communities to ensure a continued availability of fresh water, biodiversity (including agrobiodiversity), cultural diversity, and space for tourism, recreation, and spiritual renewal, as well as to cope with the consequences of climate and environmental change. Recognition, valuation and capture of benefits deriving from mountains -� More focused research, reliable data and information, dissemination of positive experiences, applicable knowledge, and good practices, and systematic efforts to create awareness among grassroots communities, civil society, and government institutions are required. -� Considering the ecological, economic, and cultural diversity of the global mountain systems, regional centres of excellence and knowledge should be created and strengthened. -� Approaches to green economy in mountains shall be designed according to local conditions and must be context appropriate, taking into account mountain specificities such as environmental fragility, vulnerability, and low economies of scale. Appropriate policy frameworks -� International efforts to include the use and value of natural resources in gross domestic product (GDP) are commended and should be adopted at the national level. � Concrete mechanisms, customised for mountain areas, must be promoted at the global, national, and local levels to reward and compensate mountain communities for conservation and provision of ecosystem services. �- Governments should create incentives and provide support for market-driven investments and flow of financial resources (including remittances) for low-carbon production and sustainable development in mountains. -� Development of services for mountains (e.g., knowledge, technology, business development, and infrastructure) should be low carbon, environment friendly, and mountain adapted. � International organisations, intergovernmental organisations, and the private sector should contribute to the promotion of niche products and services of mountains through mechanisms such as mountain branding, labelling, and standards. �- Approaches must be promoted to improve markets for ecosystem services, to simplify processes of international instruments such as REDD+, and to develop and improve methods for valuation of environmental services. -� The transboundary aspects of mountain ecosystem services call for regional cooperation, collaborative institutional partnerships, and a strengthening of upstream-downstream linkages. Ensuring equity �- Promotion of green economy in mountains needs to be based on equitable access to resources and property rights, inclusive growth, and ensuring that benefits reach poor people including women, men, and children, indigenous people, and ethnic minorities. �- Marginalised groups must have a role in resource governance and a voice in decision making. �- Traditional knowledge and practices need to be documented, evaluated, and built upon to solve problems at the local level and beyond, and to conserve and develop mountain ecosystem services. �- A dynamic green economy and society must be supported so that mountains become attractive to youth and to emigrants from the mountains. Sustainable Mountain Development Draft Regional Report Hindu Kush ? Himalaya prepared for the Lucerne World Mountain Conference 10-12 October 2011 From Rio 1992 to Rio 2012 and beyond HKH Region Rio+20 Assessment Report DRAFT FOR DISCUSSION From Rio 1992 to 2012 and beyond: Sustainable Mountain Development Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) Region The report aims to provide an overview and assessment of trends, issues, and challenges for promoting sustainable mountain development in the HKH region highlighting progress made since 1992, and encapsulating the lessons learned in key areas. It covers all the three pillars of sustainable development and scopes the opportunities in the two themes of Rio+20 conferences ? Green Economy and Institutional Framework for sustainable development and poverty reduction. The Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) a participant in the Mountain Partnership Consortium (MPC) provided financial support for carrying out this study. The views expressed in this document are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect views of their organisations or that of the SDC. By: Madhav Karki, ICIMOD Sudhirendar Sharma, Consultant Tek Mahat, ICIMOD Sanam Aksha, ICIMOD Amulya Tuladhar, Consultant and 14 Case study authors: Amrit Bdr. Karki, Binita Shah, Izhar Hunzai, Dhrupad Choudhury, Sudhirendar Sharma, Syed Mahmood Nasir, RS Tolia, Pushkin Phartiyal, Gopal Rawat, Prabhu Budhathoki, Nakul Chhetri, Sanam Aksha and Basudev Upadhyaya International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) Kathmandu, Nepal From Rio 1992 to 2012 and beyond: Sustainable Mountain Development Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) Region
Table of Contents
Acronyms and Abbreviations ..............................................................................................................4
Executive Summary..............................................................................................................................7
PART I: Setting the satge
1.0 HKH mountain ecosystem goods and services .......................................................................9
1.1 Overview.................................................................................................................................9 1.1.1 Water �V the lifeline of the people....................................................................................9
1.1.2 Biodiversity: the source for food, nutrition, fibre, and medicine....................................9
1.1.3 Ecosystem services .........................................................................................................9
1.1.4 Cultural services............................................................................................................10
1.2 Key physical characteristics of the HKH Mountains............................................................10
1.2.1 `Water tower of Asia��: The 10 river basins of the Hindu Kush-Himalayan Region.....11
1.2.2 Geographic features of the HKH Mountains ...............................................................12
1.2.3 River basin areas of the HKH.......................................................................................12
1.3 Trends in the HKH region over the last 20 years..................................................................13
1.3.1 Demographic changes...................................................................................................13
1.3.2 Globalisation and economic liberalization....................................................................15
1.3.3 Political changes and democratization movement ........................................................17
1.4 Climate change as a major driver of change .........................................................................18
1.4.1 Biophysical implications of climate change .................................................................18
1.4.2 Implications on biodiversity and land use.....................................................................19
1.4.3 Implication on Ecosystem Goods and Services ............................................................20
1.4.4 Impacts on the Rangelands ...........................................................................................21
1.5 Community movement in natural resources management ....................................................22
1.6 Information and communication technologies (ICTs) ..........................................................23
1.7 Expansion of eco-tourism.....................................................................................................23
1.8 Major policy and legal reforms.............................................................................................25
1.9 Harnessing the potential of water resources..........................................................................26
1.10 Emergence of major socio-political conflicts .......................................................................26
1.11 Major activities in promoting the Mountain Agenda............................................................27
1.12 Poverty reduction measures and successes ...........................................................................27
1.13 Growing urbanisation and high labour migration .................................................................28
1.14 Growing awareness and importance of indigenous and traditional knowledge....................29
1.15 Regime changes and social movements towards good governance......................................29
1.16 Emergence of China and India as an economic power .........................................................30
PART II: Progress of changes in the HKH region since 1992
2.1 Assessment objectives, methods and activities.....................................................................32
2.2 Overview of the Sustainable Mountain Development efforts in the HKH region ................33
2.2.1a. Van Panchayats or Community-managed forestry, Uttarakhand, India........................34
2.2.1b. Community forestry and good forest governance in Nepal ..........................................36
2.2.1c. Forest Watershed CDM, Himachal Pradesh, India .......................................................38
2.2.1d. Securing livelihoods and natural resource management through community empowerment: The Experience of Natural Resource Management Groups of NERCORMP.....39
2.2.1e. Watershed Management in Pakistan �V an adaptation and Sustainable Development practice .......................................................................................................................................41
2.2.2 Conservation and Development of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in Uttarakhand, India .......................................................................................................................................42
2.2.3 Transboundary Eco-tourism in Eastern Himalaya: A case of Sikkim (India) and Bhutan .......................................................................................................................................43
HKH Region Rio+20 Assessment Report
2.2.4 Organic Agriculture in Uttarakhand �V a green solution for mountain agriculture ........44
2.2.5a. Case Study on Nepal��s Bio-Gas Programme �V Opportunities for Green Economy and Sustainable Mountain Development Goals ..................................................................................45
2.2.5b. Micro-hydro Energy Development in Northern Pakistan .............................................46
2.3 Major institutions and networks launched or strengthened...................................................47
2.4 Social and gender equity and inclusion.................................................................................48
2.5 Food security situation in the region.....................................................................................49
2.6 Analysis of initiatives: challenges, opportunities, lessons learned, links to Rio+20 ............51
2.6.1 Frame conditions for the analysis of progress in SMD.................................................51
2.6.2 Analysis of the case study findings in the context of SMD..........................................52
2.6.3 Major learning from the case studies ............................................................................53
2.6.4 Finding a balance among the three pillars of sustainable development........................54
2.6.5 What has worked and what has not...............................................................................56
2.7 Progress in poverty reduction, social and environmental sectors ...................................59
PART III: Challenges and opportunities for sustainable mountain development
3.0 General overview...............................................................................................................60
3.1 Emerging trends and opportunities for sustainable mountain development......................60
3.1.1 Building on the success stories and learning from the failures .....................................61
3.1.2 Scope for Green Economy for sustainable development and poverty reduction ..........61
3.2 Green Economy: Driving factors and key issues for the HKH Mountains.........................63
3.2.1 Green Economy: opportunities.......................................................................................63
3.2.2 Green Economy: challenges...........................................................................................63
3.3 Institutional Framework for Sustainable Development (IFSD) ............................................64
3.3.1 Key challenges for institutional strengthening for SMD ..............................................64
3.3.2 Role of research-based knowledge and information.....................................................64
3.4 Role of technology and technical capacity building .........................................................65
3.5 Opportunities for social and gender equity and inclusion.................................................65
3.6 Role of regional institution for sustainable development of the HKH Mountains..............66
3.6.1 Overview.......................................................................................................................66
3.6.2 Promoting the mountain agenda globally .....................................................................66
3.6.3 Facilitating regional cooperation...................................................................................66
3.6.4 Facilitating information and knowledge sharing for disaster Risk reduction and resilience building .................................................................................................................66
3.6.5 Reducing scientific uncertainties and knowledge gaps...............................................66
3.6.6 Valuing mountain ecosystem services ........................................................................67
3.6.7 Facilitating cross-country learning in sustainable mountain development solutions....67
3.6.8 Accessing and customizing global knowledge for the HKH region .............................67
3.6.9 Networking and building partnerships..........................................................................67
3.7 Conclusions......................................................................................................................67
Executive Summary Mountains of the Hindu Kush-Himalaya (HKH) have abundant natural resources and unique landscapes that provide valuable ecosystem goods and services for livelihoods. However, the harsh terrain and lack of enabling institutional framework and policies pose major challenges to sustainable mountain development. The region includes four global biodiversity hotspots, 330 important bird areas, and 60 global eco-regions. The 488 protected areas in the HKH provide vital ecosystem goods and services to more than 1.5 billion people in the uplands and the lowlands. The greater Himalayas ? the water tower of Asia ? is source of 10 major river systems that provide the vital resources such as water, food, biodiversity and energy for a large number of people in countries of the region, including India and China ? two fast growing economies. The region is home to more than 40 per cent of the World?s poor and is also ranked as being at "extreme" risk from climate change. Progressive warming at higher altitudes has been three to five times the global average. The region has witnessed increased snow and glacial melt and frequency of extreme events that have exacerbated livelihood risks including poverty, food insecurity, hazards and social inequity. Climate-induced changes have not only made it difficult for mountain countries to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) but also threaten to slow down or even reverse the progress achieved so far. The HKH countries face frequent food and energy crises and growing social and political unrest while climate impacts have shrunk development space. Progress on past global commitments to sustainable development remains largely unfulfilled. The Rio+20 conference is an opportunity for the HKH region to take stock of progress made towards meeting the Sustainable Mountain Development goals defined in Agenda 21/Chapter 13. This report assesses constraints and opportunities in three major areas: environmental quality, economic development, and social equity. It examines community-level progress by studying people-centric, vertically integrated, and participatory efforts made since Rio?92. It reviews policies, legal instruments, and programmes that aimed at benefitting mountain people and highlights the opportunities for transforming to a green economy. Both upstream-downstream relations and benefit sharing mechanisms needed for sustaining resource flows and maintaining ecosystem goods and services for driving the green economy are examined in terms of linking incentivised producers of ecosystem services with both local and distant markets. The report includes learning from 10 specifically commissioned case studies on sustainable development programmes in forestry, watershed management, agriculture, clean energy, eco- tourism, biodiversity, and community development. The studies indicate that biogas and micro hydro for clean energy, community-based approaches for managing natural resources, eco- tourism for equitable income distribution, organic agriculture and watershed management for enhancing and sustaining productivity of ecosystem goods and services, are some of the best practices that can help achieve sustainable goals. The report also captures the insights of hundreds of stakeholders on the Green Economy and Institutional Framework ? two agenda items of Rio+20 conference. The general consensus is that these concepts were defined somewhere else and passed down to stakeholders and therefore lack clarity from a mountain perspective, and need elaboration to suit mountain specificities ? fragility, marginality, inaccessibility, and richness of niche ecosystem products and services. There is also an agreement on the need to look beyond Rio+20 and come up with actionable programmes and concrete proposals for embarking on the green growth and environmental governance pathways focusing on ecosystem management, water resources, biodiversity conservation and poverty reduction as key themes. This would require investment by national and global agencies in creating green jobs through green projects, and policy reforms to incentivise agriculture, natural resources and enterprise development sectors facilitated by enabling policies, knowledge sharing, regional cooperation, environmental governance and substantial and dependable support from the global community. To sum up, the HKH report calls for: ? Adapting and developing good governance systems for the HKH Mountains taking into account their unique characteristics as `water towers? and biodiversity hotspots for addressing poverty reduction and enhancing human well being. ? Reducing increased vulnerabilities and risk of HKH mountain ecosystems and linking adaptation and resilience-building plans to sustainable development to create green jobs and develop green infrastructures. ? Empowering and assisting mountain communities to gain fair access to and benefits from ecosystem goods and resources they have been safeguarding as the primary stakeholders. ? Providing enabling conditions and incentives for investment through public-private ventures with appropriate funding mechanisms and technological support for enhancing wellbeing and reducing disparities. ? Strengthening national and regional institutions to facilitate upstream-downstream exchanges, trans-boundary cooperation, capacity building, and generating and disseminating knowledge, technical expertise and information for promoting SMD, and ? Consolidating all new and existing funding mechanisms related to Climate Change, Biodiversity, and MDGs for adequately funding SMD actions in vulnerable and least developed mountain countries and regions. PART I: Setting the stage 1.0 HKH mountain ecosystem goods and services 1.1 Overview The Hindu Kush-Himalaya (HKH) region are rich in natural resources, including an abundance of water, biodiversity, scenic landscapes, steep heights and deep gorges, and fragile but diverse ecosystems and fertile valleys that provide a bundle of ecosystem goods and services. The HKH is the source of 10 of Asia?s major river systems. It includes all or part of four global biodiversity hotspots, 330 important bird areas, two mega-diversity countries (India and China), and 60 eco-regions of which 12 are among the global 200 eco-regions. The 488 protected areas cover 39 per cent of the HKH region. The mountains in the HKH provide fresh water and ecosystem goods and services to more than 210 million mountain people and close to 1.3 billion people living in the plains downstream. The river basins are an important source of water, food, biodiversity and energy. However, recent climatic changes and warming have been threatening these mountain ecosystems, including fresh water, high elevation biota including forests, agro-biodiversity, and range and pasture ecosystems. The following section discusses major ecosystem goods and services of the HKH region. 1.1.1 Water ? the lifeline of the people Water and water cycle are the most important ecosystem goods and the services the HKH region provides to downstream populations and the rest of the earth. This is why they have been referred to as the ?water tower of Asia? for the lowlands (Viviroli 2007; UNEP-WCMC 2002). The 10 major rivers originating in the HKH region provide fresh water to about 1.5 billion people. The rivers also supply water for irrigation. Recent estimates on the extent of ice and snow in the mountains of the HKH region is about 60,000 sq. km. Besides, the region also has a large number of fresh water lakes and groundwater. 1.1.2 Biodiversity: the source for food, nutrition, fibre, and medicine The HKH Mountains are a treasure trove of biological and agricultural diversity including food, fibre and medicinal plants. The region is rich in medicinal and aromatic plants, different types of mushrooms, fibres such as cashmere, and mountain crops such as amaranths, buckwheat and different types of millet that are in great demand in downstream and global markets. The mountains are also sources of different types of timber, firewood fruits, vegetables, forage plants, and non-timber forest products that support downstream economies. Similarly, the vast and diverse gene pool especially wild relatives of important crops found in the HKH region are important resources for humanity. 1.1.3 Ecosystem services Besides supporting livelihood in the mountains and downstream the HKH region provides support a healthy and safe environment and climate. For example, the mountains play a vital role in natural water purification and water retention in the form of groundwater, ice, and snow as well as in lakes, forested watersheds and streams. Mountain ranges are also responsible for atmospheric and climate regulation and modulate the climate beyond their geographical boundaries. For example, the cryospheric environment comprising of `water-ice-air-ecosystem-human? systems in the HKH is believed to influence and respond to the global and regional environmental change processes and mechanisms including the Asian monsoon systems (TPE/CAS 2010). Mountain soils are important reservoirs for water and carbon as well as nutrients that enhance soil fertility in the valleys, and downstream. Mountain forests (28% of the world?s forests) are highly relevant as protective shields natural hazards and they help ensure slope stability and prevent or reduce erosion, landslides, and avalanches. Mountain forests, especially in the tropics, have high genetic diversity and serve as important as wildlife habitats. Together with highland wetlands, mountain forests play a significant role in biospheric carbon storage (IPCC 2007b). The predominant land use of the HKH region is forest, range and shrub lands and therefore has a major role in carbon storage 1.1.4 Cultural services Mountain areas support high diversity of cultures. Many of these cultures have rich traditional agricultural knowledge that promotes sustainable production systems. However, these lifestyles are severely threatened, (The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences 2002) by climate and other changes that are taking place globally. For many of these cultures, mountains play an important spiritual role: they are living forces, sources of power and symbols of the sacred (Bernbaum 1997). Additionally, the mountains and many aspects of the cultures of the people attract tourists, who in turn can contribute towards improving local livelihoods. Every year thousands tourists from downstream areas and all over the world visit the unique HKH landscape for rest, recreation and relief from the unbearable summer heat and urban pollution. 1.2 Key physical characteristics of the HKH Mountains The HKH region, which is also known as the greater Himalayan region or ?the roof of the World? extends from 15.95� to 39.31� N latitudes and 60.85� to 105.04� E longitudes. It encompasses mountains of eight South and East Asian countries: Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar, from west to east. The region has extensive, rugged, and enchanting high altitude landscapes and the largest areas covered by glaciers and permafrost outside the Polar Regions, and are often also referred to as the `Third Pole?. The HKH including the Tibetan plateau region plays a significant role in global atmospheric circulation that influences two major weather systems: monsoon and the Westerly as shown in the figure below (Figure 1). It is a geo- morphologically unique region in that the mighty Himalayas act as the geological buffer protecting the lush green south slopes from the dry and arid winds of the north thus supporting a unique mosaic of several biota and eco-regions. Figure 1: The role of HKH Mountains as atmospheric and climatic modulators and ?water tower? (UNDESA: Please Reference Full Submission for Figure) Largely these weather systems together with the massive heights of the HKH Mountains define the nature and extent of biodiversity, forest, agriculture, human settlements and hydropower potential as well as diverse range of industrial raw materials extracted from the region for industrial uses and export to the market worldwide (Eriksson & Jianchu 2009). 1.2.1 `Water tower of Asia?: The 10 river basins of the Hindu Kush-Himalayan Region The geographic qualifier 'Hindu Kush-Himalaya' is not very precise. The region extends 3,500 km over all or parts of eight countries from Afghanistan in the west to Myanmar in the east and is the source of 10 major Asian river systems -? the Amu Darya, Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra (Yarlungtsanpo), Irrawaddy, Salween (Nu), Mekong (Lancang), Yangtse (Jinsha), Yellow River (Huanghe), and Tarim (Dayan). These rivers provide water, ecosystem services, and the basis for livelihoods to about 210.5 million people (see Figure 2). People living in the basins of these rivers directly depend on the water mainly for irrigation, drinking, sanitation, and industrial uses (Jianchu et al 2009). The river water also recharges and nurtures some of the richest ecosystems and farmlands in the world (ICIMOD 2009). Figure 2. The ten river basins of the HKH region (UNDESA: Please Reference Full Submission for Figure) The Himalayan range alone has the snow and ice cover of 35,110 sq.km containing 3,735 cu. km. of eternal snow and ice (Qin 2002). The total snow and ice cover for the HKH region is about 60,000 sq. km. (ICIMOD 2011). Hills and mountains, particularly the HKH mountain system, have been the sites of adaptation, mitigation, and resilience of the local people. Since time immemorial, they have maintained a rich cultural identity, food security and biogenetic diversity within the parameters of their own traditions. 1.2.2 Geographic features of the HKH Mountains The HKH region spreads over 3.44 million sq. km. and has a population of around 210.5 million (ICIMOD 2009). Table 1. HKH regional area (Total estimated area: 3,441,719 sq.km)
|HKH component (sq.km)*
|% Proportion of country
|Area in km2
|TEN Major River Basins
|TEN Major River Basins within the HKH
|Differences (Albers - UTM)
|Differences (Albers - UTM)
|Yellow River
|Estimated Population
|28.48 (2)
|1.33 (3)
|0.71 (1)
|29.48 (4)
|72.36 (5)
|11.01 (2)
|27.8 (1)
|39.36 (2)
|Density (per sq.km)
|Total Population 1992 (in 1000s)
|Total Population 2009 (in 1000s)
|Pop. anual growth rate 2000 - 2009 (in %)
|Life Expectancy at Birth (in years) 2009
|Human Development Index (HDI) 2010 (Out of 169 countries)
|Gender Inequality Index (GII) 2008 (out of 138 countries)
|Multidimensional Poverty Index (MDI) 2000-2008 (out of 118 countries)
|Gini coefficient of income inequality 2000-2010
|Pop. Below intl. Income Poverty line (PPP US$1, 1.25/day, 1994-2008 %)
|Adult Literacy Rate 2005-2008 (%)
|1.4 (2008)
|67 (2008)
|47 (2005)
|59 (2008)
|66 (2009)
|41.5 (2007)
|64 (2009)
|0.088 (Value)
|67 (2009)
|BCIM as a whole
|Sri Lanka
|GDP (US$ billions)
|Per capita GDP (in US $)
|GDP growth (in %)
|Share of GDP (in %) Agriculture
|International trade - GDP
|e-conference event
|Event Duration
|No. of stakeholders
|Partipicating countries
|Total contribution and key issues
|4-24 April 2011
|20 countries in Asia Pacific, Europe, North and Latin America (majority from HKH)
|Over 210 Key topics: climate change, deforestation, shifting cultivation, water and globalisation
|South and Central Asia (Youth Perspective)
|9-29 May 2011
|38 countries Asia Pacific, Europe, North & Latin America (mostly from HKH & Central Asia)
|Over 400 Key topics: green jobs, technology transfer and alternative energy, mainstreaming youth in the Rio+20 process
|Countries covered
|Total case studies/remarks
|Thematic focus
|HKH (covered by commissioned case studies)
|India, Bhutan, Nepal, and Pakistan
|10 (Balance between 3 pillars ? economic, ecological and social/institutional of SD/SMD); policies and implementation)
|Biodiversity, Community Forestry; Eco-tourism; Micro-hydro; Biogas; Organic Agriculture; Watershed; CBNRM; REDD+
|HKH (key informant?s sharing)
|Bangladesh, China, Myanmar, Afghanistan
|Country representatives presented country priorities
|Capacity building, Ecotourism, bio-geographic diversity and climate impacts
|Participating Countries
|Key highlights
|Major outputs
|Asia-Pacific Youth Forum on Climate Actions and Mountain Issues (convened as Asia Pacific Youth meeting on Rio+20), 8-12 August 2011
|43 Youth from 17 countries HKH Countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar , Nepal and Pakistan
|- Capacity building sessions - Motivational sessions - Sustainability exercises - Team work for developing youth statements for Rio+20
|- Asia Pacific Youth Declaration on Climate Change and Sustainable Development - Asia Pacific Youth Position paper on Rio+20
|Regional Sharing Workshop on Assessment of Challenges and Opportunities in the Asia Pacific region for Rio +20, 23-25 August 2011
|50 participants from 7 countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China (one each), India (9), Myanmar (1), Nepal (12) Pakistan (3)
|- Presentation of and discussion of case studies - Presentation of Key Informants - Sub/regional group work to assess key issues, challenges and opportunities and develop recommendations
|- Finalisation of structure of Assessment Report - Documentation of key issues, challenges and opportunities - Development of key recommendations
|Case study theme
|Major findings
|Medicinal Plants/NTFPS
|Identification and removal of policy barriers can improve access to medicinal plants by local people and double the benefits; can be a model sub-sector for SMD
|Community-based NRM
|Enabling communities to participate in planning, designing, implementing and monitoring of NRM at local level can empower and lead to improved resource governance
|Community forestry and REDD+
|Good model of forest resource governance enabling farmers to improve livelihoods and participate in and benefit from REDD+; CF of Nepal is a good practice case for SMD as it gives ?triple dividend?: improved environment in terms of watershed management and biodiversity conservation, enhanced local income and carbon sequestration -adaptation, mitigation and poverty reduction
|Important source of income to local community with relatively more distributive effect achieving income equity.
|Van Panchayats (Community forestry)
|Generate multiple products such as clean energy, compost, fodder banks; carbon co-benefits (REDD) and lead to biodiversity conservation
|Forestry CDM
|CO2sequestration; helps to develop new forestry institutions; benefits and sharing are issues that need to be addressed.
|Organic agriculture
|Improved agro-ecosystem resilience, soil organic carbon deposits; reduced costs; increased net income; high community acceptance.
|Bio-gas promotion
|A good program promoting massive peoples? participation; significant social and economic benefits (carbon credits being paid) and recognised environmental benefits (CDM board has awarded CER certificate).
|Micro-hydel projects
|Low-cost, clean and sustainable source of energy for remote mountain communities (off-grid locations) offsetting carbon emissions and generating and trading CERs under a UNFCCC recognised CDM programme.
|Watershed management
|Watershed conservation in catchment areas of a major storage and hydroelectricity dams has multiple benefits; Policy weaknesses have led to poor sectoral coordination and thematic integration of social and environmental pillars; future potentials are high including that through REDD+


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Very, very pleased with the spinner luggage that I ordered from you. It's feather light and will fit my needs perfectly… I'm thinking about ordering another one for my husband.
~ Cathy
I was very pleased with my purchase and have been telling everyone what a great deal I got for such a high quality item! I will definitely be a returning customer!
~ Haley
I had to order new luggage pretty much at the last minute and it arrived so quickly that my wife didn't even have a chance too stress about it. I now have your website saved to my favorites and you can bet that I will be utilizing your services again.
~ Kenny
I am very impressed with your organization and plan on being a loyal purchaser going forward.
~ Dennis
Call Us:
13779 Ridgedale Drive
Minnetonka, MN 55305


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A 14K yellow gold pendant set with forty-eight pave Diamonds totaling 0.33 carats, total weight, in the 16mm "Turtle" design, without chain. Approximately: 13/16" (including bail) x 9/16"
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Description & Details
Diaphanous silk chiffon takes its inspiration from a flowing one-shouldered Grecian silhouette, the lush material just barely tethered by a ruched waist. Coren Moore adds a cascading tie at the shoulder, which can be removed along with boning for shape and support. Side zip with hook-and-eye closure. Silk chiffon with polyester lining. Dry clean. USA.
- Falls 46.5" from natural waist
Contact a BHLDN Stylist
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A special waterfowl hunting day designated by DNREC's Division of Fish and Wildlife will be held on Dec. 8 on public and private lands statewide.
Youth hunters ages 10 through 15 and non-ambulatory disabled hunters are all welcomed. Hunters must be accompanied by a licensed or exempt adult age 21 or older, and must be able to safely handle a firearm. Youth hunters age 13 through 15 must have completed a hunter education course, posses a certification card, and purchase a Delaware junior hunting license.
For more information, including daily limits and possession limits, call (302) 739-9912 or visit dnrec.delaware.gov/fw.
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Luggage tags look fantastic! Ya'll did a great job and we can't wait to give them to the guests at a bridal shower! Thanks again!
~ Alysia
My experience with Luggage Pros was great. The care and attention you obviously give pays off, certainly for this happy customer. I just wish I needed more luggage now!
~ Gail
I love my new suitcase. It is perfect and arrived quickly. I will definitely recommend your site. Thank you.
~ Geri
A pleasure to deal with your company all went perfectly. Thank you.
~ Marilyn
Got the luggage quickly and it looks great. I will be trying it out next weekend.
~ Pat
I purchased a piece of luggage for my son. He loved it! The purchase was smooth and fast!
~ Anne
My compliments on your superior service, especially considering the adverse weather conditions your area was experiencing at the time. My order was a gift to my daughter who described it as "fabulous!" We will certainly use Luggage Pros again in the future.
~ Margaret
The luggage looks beautiful and I'm really looking forward to my first trip with it, probably in about two months.
~ Debbie
My experience with your company has been everything good. I care about price and customer service. You deliver.
~ Paul
Really like your service and web descriptions. Top notch.
~ Randy
Call Us: 1-800-595-5456
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13779 Ridgedale Drive
Minnetonka, MN 55305


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Take a step in the right direction this season with our stylish shoe range for kids, featuring a selection of casual and smart shoes. Treat little feet to comfortable trainers for sports or play, durable boots, splash-tastic wellies, cosy slippers and pretty pumps. With character styles, contemporary designs and girly colours to pick from, youre bound to find something theyll love.


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ColorQube™ 9300 Series
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WorkCentre™ 7800 Series
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WorkCentre™ 7970
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|Cost Control
Printing color doesn't have to be expensive. Monitor and manage security, usage and costs with easy-to-use software.
Equitrac Express®A.N.D. PcounterPharos UniprintYSoft SafeQ® Xerox Standard Accounting
|Test Grading and Analysis
Streamline testing and get graphical, customizable reports that illustrate areas of strength and weakness.
Gravic® Remark Office OMR®
helps K12 schools save time and money processing tests, assessments, surveys and other plain paper forms.
|Document Workflow
Scan paper into electronic documents that are easy to share, store and access.
SMARTdocument Travel™Scan to PC Desktop™ Scan to PC Desktop for K-12 Education™ (PDF)DocuShare™ RSA Qdirect.SCAN™ Streem Alert®
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My order was perfect and I thank you for the great service. My shopping experience has been very enjoyable and as your name suggests, very professional. I will not hesitate in future to shop again at Luggage Pros :-)
~ Suzette
Excellent. I had to change my order because I'd ordered a size bag larger than I wanted, and your staff was able to change the order accurately and were very courteous. Thanks for a very good experience.
~ Joyce
We love the luggage, have owned TravelPro in the past look forward to using the lightweight set soon.
~ Vince
Love your business and my new luggage. I am, and will continue to be, a loyal customer.
~ Jeff
The Rimowa case was bought for a gift. My experience with Luggage Pros was very easy, efficient and seamless. I would order from you again.
~ Marla
Your products, pricing, & service are great & that is why I've bought many pieces of luggage over the years & will continue to do so from your company. I travel all over the world on business and need & want high quality durable luggage. Thanks!
~ Peter
My second purchase. Very satisfied with your product offering, the products themselves (i.e. quality) and your pricing as well as your expeditious shipping of the items.
~ Barry
Just to let you know that I have been purchasing my luggage from your company for a few years, and have always found it to be a pleasant experience. Thank you.
~ Gary
We are busy travelers and when we want to update or purchase lighter luggage we always shop around. We are never able to beat your prices and your service is unequaled. Fast, courteous and affordable. Thanks again for a great company.
~ Joan
I thought the service and product were excellent. We gave the luggage tags as gifts at our party and they were a big hit with our guests.
~ Michael
Call Us:
13779 Ridgedale Drive
Minnetonka, MN 55305


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Privacy Policy
The confidentiality of personal information is of utmost importance, and therefore Turkish Airlines guarantees that it will comply with the following guidelines
Usage of personal information
Information that is collected during the process of application is solely used for the purpose of establishing a Turkish Corporate Club Agreement. Any other use of personal information is strictly forbidden by Turkish Airlines' policies.
Usage of personal information by third parties
Turkish Airlines reserves its right to transfer personal and company information to third parties in order to complete the application processes necessary for establishing corporate agreements. Again, Turkish Airlines guarantees the privacy of personal and company information that is collected for Turkish Corporate Club membership.
Privacy of personal information
Turkish Airlines utilizes all practical and proven methods in to prevent loss, modification, abuse, exposure and unauthorized usage of the data and information collected for corporate agreement purposes. It is our primary concern that all information supplied be used only for the purposes intended.


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Membership and Fitness
It's just what your body deserves…
Ockenden Manor Spa offers individual and joint memberships, including a Premium 'Retreat' membership - inclusive of twelve one-hour treatments – providing the perfect way to indulge in all that the Spa has to offer. Membership numbers are limited to preserve the serene atmosphere that our guests desire.
Spa members enjoy access to all of the Spa facilities including:
- Heated 15m indoor pool
- 11m outdoor pool with swim-through to indoor pool
- Outdoor Hot Tub
- State-of-the-art fitness suite with Life Fitness and PowerPlate equipment
- Fitness Studio offering a range of fitness classes. Click here for full class listing
- Flotation room to take the stresses of life away
- Indoor Spa Bath
- Walk-through rainforest shower
- Stunning reception relaxation lounge offering complimentary tea by Camellia's Tea House and Nespresso coffee facilities
- Beautiful garden roof terrace with relaxation area
Ockenden Manor Spa offer eight beautifully appointed treatment rooms plus a couple's treatment suite where you can relax and enjoy our range of iLA, REN and Electric Body treatments. For those hands and feet requiring care and attention, we offer nail treatments by Leighton Denny Expert Nails.
We also like to treat our spa members. They receive discounts on food, beverages and treatments as well as other special discounts. Please click here for a full list of our members benefits. Alternatively, you can or click here for our spa rules and guidelines.
If you'd like to find out more about our Spa memberships, please fill in the form below and one of our team will be in contact. Alternatively, you can call 01444 449191 to arrange a personal guided tour of the Spa facilities.


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You can't have Hershey's without the Hershey's Kiss. They are one of America's most iconic candies with its classic tear-drop like shape, bright foil wrapper and thin paper strip at the top. This, like the Cookies 'n Creme Kisses I reviewed earlier this month, is one of the new limited editions Kisses to be found on store shelves. I found these in my local Walgreens.
I admit, I am a Kiss junkie. I cannot resist trying the latest and (sometimes not the) greatest Kiss variety I see when I'm in the store. I since lost count of the flavors I've tasted, but it's always fun for me to just give them a try. I found these Marshmallow Creme ones especially appealing because last year Hershey's released a Chocolate Marshmallow Kiss variety that was less than stellar. When I saw the illustration of the Marshmallow Creme Kiss on the package showing a filled center, I couldn't help but get excited about it.
The Kisses are very cute with their silver and brown checkered foil wrappers. The texture of them is very creamy and the smooth interior makes them much less structurally sound than the other kisses I've had. You just look at the buggers and they melt.
The inside isn't a marshmallow creme at all. Actually, it really reminds me more of that tub frosting you can buy at the store. It's thick, creamy and has that roasted vanilla flavor that marshmallows get after you toast them. Combined with the chocolate coating, it's a very sweet little Kiss. I can't help but wonder what they'd taste like smooshed between some graham crackers. I'll put it on my to do list.
I like these better than a majority of the Kiss varieties I've had to date, but they don't take home the blue ribbon. I found myself finishing the bag with no problem, so at least I know they're good enough to be addictive. I'm looking forward to seeing what else Hershey's does with the Kisses.
Rating: Will Eat Again