Himalayan countries discuss roadmap to adapt to climate change

Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal on August 18 started a three-day high-level technical consultative meet­ing in Kathmandu, Nepal.Called ‘Sacred Himalayas for Water, Livelihoods, and Bio-cultural Heritage’, the expected outcome of the meeting will create a road­map leading to the proposed ‘Climate Summit for a Living Himalayas in Bhutan 2011’.

Dr Jagadish Chandra Pokharel, Vice Chair of the National Planning Commis­sion, Nepal, congratulated the Bhutan government for tak­ing the initiative to develop a regional framework and national adaptation plans to fight climate change and to reduce the vulnerability of local populations living in the region.

He commended the role of ICIMOD (International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development), of which he is a board member, in providing technical backstopping to the summit.
Agriculture Minister Dr Pema Gyamtsho said that countries should work together in developing me­dium- and long-term strate­gies as citizens of the eastern Himalayas.
“We share a common geog­raphy, common problems, and a common destiny and need to take collective action to tackle the problems posed by chang­ing climate.” He emphasised.
Dr Madhav Karki, Acting Director General of ICIMOD, highlighted the potentials of the HKH region, also known as the ‘Third Pole’ or the ‘Wa­ter Towers of Asia’ as a major water source for close to 1.3 billion people.
He suggested four key mes­sages for building a climate-resilient region and long-term adaption including liveli­hood diversification, disaster preparedness, climate risk assessment for infrastructure development, and improved management of natural re­sources. He also stressed the urgent need to share scientific knowledge to address the ‘knowledge gaps’ that cur­rently exist in the region.
Nawang Norbu, one of the participants from Bhutan, presented the rationale for the proposed Climate Sum­mit for a Living Himalayas, Bhutan 2011, and its links to the process, and the rationale for focusing on the southern slopes of the eastern Himala­yan region.
Source: http://bit.ly/cWYJeS