Ang Rita Sherpa

&

Ang Chiri Sherpa

Solukhumbu, Nepal

JULY 2013

Outline

BACKGROUND OF NEPAL   INTRODUCTION OF NEPAL   PROGRAM STRATEGIES   IMPORTANCE OF MOUNTAINS   MOUNTAIN CHALLENGES AND

THREATS:   CLIMATE CHANGE   IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE

OMMUNITY BASED CLIMATE CHANGE & CADAPTATION AND MITIGATION

  WHY HIGH MOUNTAIN GLACIAL WATERSHED PROGRAM?

  HMGWP PROGRAM ACTIVITIES   CHALLENGES   LESSONS LEARN   RECOMMENDATION   AWARENESS

NEPAL

•  In the heart of the Great Himalayan Region

•  The 15th poorest country in the world

•  Over 55% of the population live under the international poverty line of $1.25 a day

•  Over 10 million of its population are at greater risk of natural disasters including floods, drought, disease outbreaks and forest fires

•  Emerging from a 10 –year civil war with fragile peace process

Program Strategies

  Encourage local people in program design, planning and implementation

  Local capacity building to strengthen participatory process

  Education and awareness on environmental and cultural values

  Respect traditional practices on climate change and adaptation

  Community based bottom up planning approach

IMPORTANCE OF MOUNTAINS :   §  Mountains occupy 24% of the

global and surface area

§  Home to 12% of the world’s population

§  Mountains have significant ecological, aesthetic, and socio-economic importance

§  The mountains are home to

indigenous people

§  But in recent times, the mountain ecosystems have been faced climate change

§  The increased temperature is higher in the mountains then in plains

1. Freshwater

•  More than half of humanity relies on the fresh water that accumulates in mountains

•  Mountains are the earth’s unique freshwater reservoirs

•  Mountains are often called nature’s water towers

•  All major rivers in the world have their headwaters in mountains

Mountains are important for:

Mountains are important for: contd……

The Himalayan Mountains are unique religions and cultures that thrive in the remote mountain communities that call the Himalayas home

2. CULTURE

Traditional agriculture and livestock practices are an important livelihood option for mountain people

Mountains are important for: contd……

3. AGRICULTURE & LIVESTOCK

4. BIODIVERSITY

The region is equally important for its rich biodiversity and is popular amongst biologists, botanists and ornithologists

Mountains are important for: contd:

Mountains are important for: contd…

5. NON-TIMBER FOREST PRODUCT (NTFP)

The local people also heavily depend on edible plants from mountains

6. TOURISM The successful accent of Mt. Everest in 1953 made Nepal a popular destination for trekking and mountaineering expeditions

Mountains are important for: contd…

1960 1975 1990 2012

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Number of Tourists entering SNP

Number of tourists

Year

•  MOST REMOTE AND DISADVANTAGED IN THE WORLD

•  POOR COMMUNICATION •  LACK OF ACCESS •  CLIMATE CHANGE

•  TOURISM •  DEFORESTATION •  POLLUTION

MOUNTAIN CHALLENGES and THREATS:

ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS:

Mountains challenges: contd……

•  WASTE GENERATIONS •  OVER EXPLOTATION OF FOREST RESOURCES •  INCREASED LODGES COSUMES MORE

TIMBERS •  CULTURAL CHANGE •  CROWDING AND CONGESTIONS

On the positive side Increased access to: •  Education, •  Health care •  Electricity (in some

villages),

IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE 1. MELTING OF GLACIERS

•  Many small glaciers in Khumbu have already disappeared •  New lakes are forming (IMJA) •  Risk of GLOFs (Three such floods have occurred in the Khumbu within

living memory).

IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Fire Hazard

GLOF

Changing agriculture

Vegetation shift

IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE CONTD……

LANDSLIDE

WINDSTORM

FLOOD

DROUGHT

Local institution formed with the aim of restoring fragile alpine ecosystems and climate change adaptation and mitigation

CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION & MITIGATION BY LOCAL INSTUTIONS

Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Contd……

Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Contd……

PROTECTING NATURAL RESOURCES

•  Established alpine nursery •  Established kerosene depot •  Research on alpine vegetation

restorations •  Introduced alternative energy

such as solar and wind energy

Local people have taken their own initiative in agriculture and energy

Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Contd……

Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Contd……

In order to diversify livelihoods, KACC helped local to processes seabuckthorn juice to sell to locals and tourists.

SUPPORTING LIVELIHOODS

•  RESTORED AND MANAGED PORTER REST HOUSE

•  ESTABLISHED WATER SUPPLY SCHEME

•  IMPROVED BRIDGE ACCESS

IMPROVED INFRASTRUCTURES:

9/20/13

Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Contd……

ECOLOGICAL RESILENCE

Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Contd……

•  Banned juniper harvesting as fuel wood use •  Banned juniper incense use by expeditions •  Reforestation •  Raise awareness at local level

KACC facilitated the Government of Nepal hold a historic cabinet meeting in Kalapathar 5,542m on Climate Change

Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Contd……

HIGH  MOUNTAIN  GLACIAL  WATERSHED  PROGRAM  (HMGWP)  

•  Strengthen scientific, social, and institutional capacity for managing dangerous glacial lakes in mountains

•  Implement community-based, participatory glacial lake risk reduction project in Nepal

•  Foster next generation of climber-scientists •  Raise global awareness for importance of high mountain glacial

watersheds •  Establish High Mountain Glacial Watershed Community of

Practice

1  Community Consultation and Adaptation Planning course by Dr. Glen Anderson and Meghan Hartman in July 2012

2  Community based Climate Change and Adaptation workshops in Khumbu September 2012 (Jonathan Cook and Meghan Hartman)

3  Sharing September workshop findings with different

4  Stakeholders in February 2012

5  District Level Coordination Meeting in Solu Salleri March 2013

6  Reconnect of CC in Khumbu in April 2013.. Dr. A Byers, CC workshop in Thame, Gokyo, Phortse and Pangboche

HMGWP PROGRAM ACTIVITIES:

HMGWP PROGRAM ACTIVITIES CONTD…..

•  Community based Climate Change adaptation workshops

•  Sharing findings of CC workshops and collect feed back from stakeholders

•  District Level Coordination meeting on Climate Change HMGWP

HMGWP PROGRAM ACTIVITIES CONTD…

Produced and displayed information on Climate Change in Dingboche

Conducted community-based participatory sharing at the Imja lake

HMGWP PROGRAM ACTIVITIES CONTD…

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITY Challenges

•  Lack of awareness on climate change •  Lack of financial and technical resources •  Highly fragile mountain ecosystems •  Harsh climatic conditions •  Limited access of governmental organizations •  Lack of road access •  Lack of communication •  Weak institutional framework (nodal agency)

Recommendations

•  Need to study on climate change impact and their vulnerability •  Consider to explore other glaciers and new lakes formation besides

Imja lake •  Hydropower project be established along with the lake reduction

project •  Continue raise awareness on climate change •  Need to develop climate change adaptation plan with maximum

local people’s input •  Need financial as well as technical resources to address the

climate change issues of the area •  Develop joint concern of government, NGOs, INGOs, and

International community (donors, countries, for addressing the climate change issues

Education and awareness is necessary as means of building community preparedness towards climate vulnerabilities

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!