Environmental Monitoring and Long-Term Ecological Research for Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development in

1. Environmental Monitoring and Long-Term Ecological Research for Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development in the Kailash Sacred Landscape Robert Zomer, Eklabya Sharma, Krishna Oli, Nakul Chettri Second Third Pole Conference 26-28 October 2010 Kathmandu, Nepal

2. The Hindu Kush-Himalayan (HKH) Region - Importance The third pole on earth - an area of extraordinary beauty and a global hotspot for biodiversity HKH is ecological buffer between Tibetan Plateau and South Asia; influences Global Climate regulation Provides ecosystem services and directly forms the basis for livelihoods for 200 million people; indirectly water and other ecosystem services forms the lifeline for one third of humanity

3. Global Hotspot of Biodiversity and Cultural Diversity

4. Climate Change / Global Warming • Projected to have high impact in the HKH • Accelerated warming evident at higher elevations • Melting glaciers, melting permafrost, • Changes in seasonality, onset of rains, amount of precipitation, temperature regimes • Environmental changes, drying wetlands, glacial lakes • Increase in variability and extreme events • Biodiversity • Shifts in species ranges, invasive species, decoupling of biological cycles • Loss of genetic resources – agro-biodiversity • Livelihoods • Changes in hydrological and climatic regime, extreme events • Cropping cycles, crop suitability, livestock ranges, pests and pathogens, invasive weed species • Shifts in transhumance and nomadic herder patterns, settlement patterns, (impacts on biodiversity)

5. HKH Data Deficit Region • Need for coordinated long-term monitoring and ecological research at the regional levelin the HKH region, • Within the context of climate and other environmental change • Regional data sharing and information exchange to meet the challenges of climate and environmental change in the region • Data availability and data sharing is constrained in the region by policy gaps, political sensitivities, and institutional cultures • Need to developregional approaches for implementation of goals agreed upon in various Global Conventions • Mountain Biodiversity POW COP VII/27 of CBD • Transboundary / Ecosystems Management Approach

6. Ecosystem Management / Landscape Approach • Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) • COP 7 Mountain Biodiversity Program of Work • Ecosystems Management /Transboundary Approach • Regional Cooperation / Integrated Management Highlighted • All countries in HKH signatory to CBD • Landscape Approach • Recognizes transboundary nature of conservation and threats • Includes both natural and managed components of biodiversity • Agro-biodiversity, wildlife and wildlife habit • Explicitly recognizes the important role of cultural diversity in maintaining biodiversity

7. HKH Transect Initiative A Regional Approach

8. HKH Transect Initiative : Goals Through enhanced regional cooperation within the HKH region: • To build capacity for long-term environmental monitoring and ecological research • Facilitate ecosystem management, informed policy-making and sustainable development • Provide the scientific basis for climate change adaptation and building resilient mountain communities

9. Questions that Transects are intended to answer • Impacts of climatic and environmental change on: • Ecosystem Services • LUCC, ecosystem functioning • Biodiversity • wildlife and habitat status • agricultural and genetic resources, • Mountain communities • food security, livelihoods, socioeconomic, demographic and cultural change • Provide support for ecosystem management • Conservation / Sustainable Use / Sustainable Development Options • Identify adaptation options and strategies

10. Regional Cooperation for Environmental Monitoring • Promote and develop mechanisms and policies for regional cooperation • Promote common protocols as a basis for data sharing and quality control • Encourage complimentary research / co-location synergies • Promote and develop mechanisms, policies and platforms for open data exchange and knowledge sharing • Promote and develop mechanisms and policies for international participation and cooperation

11. HKH Transect Vision: • A framework for regionally cooperative effort to facilitate and build capacity for, and establish long-term environmental monitoring and ecological research, and associated institutional networks, across the HKH, • Spatially delineate a geographic sampling frame to encourage and derive the benefits of co-location of research and monitoring sites and sampling efficiency. • Environmental monitoring based on globally accepted common protocols and principles of open data exchange for environmental management. • Establishment of the policy enabling basis for regional long-term ecological research, environmental monitoring, and data sharing.

12. Transect: Regional Facilitation • Transects • Geographically defined transboundary sampling frames • Regional sampling, regional variability, co-location benefits • Four proposed transects( i.e., corridors or mega-transects) • “Transboundary Landscapes” are geographically defined areas which are nested within these transects, as such provide opportunities for piloting. • Policy enabled frameworks for regional cooperation • Encourage regional monitoring, regional cooperation agreements, common protocols, open data exchange, and international cooperation • Transboundary Landscapes provide opportunities for piloting and lessons learned in this regard.

13. Transect: Regional Facilitation • Within these Transects: • Promote Long-Term Research and Monitoring • Collection of basic data – environmental parameters • Climate, hydrology, biodiversity, development, demography • Regional open data exchange and knowledge sharing • Encourage regional (i.e. national) institutions to establish and take ownership of: • Long-term ecological research, environmental monitoring • Hydro-meteorological stations, gauging stations, snow monitoring, glacier field monitoring, etc... • Promote co-location of research and monitoring sites

14. HKH Transect Initiative:Three Strategic Levels

15. Role of ICIMOD • Regional, facilitator and broker with a mountain perspective • Contributing to country—based knowledge becoming regionally accessible • Promoting the extension from local to transboundary approaches • Customising international knowledge • Capacity development, common methodologies, regionally accessible data, monitoring, quality control

16. Piloting The HKH Transect Initiative: Transboundary Landscapes

17. HKH Transect Initiative – Transboundary Landscapes

18. Kailash Sacred LandscapeChina-India-Nepal Addressing scientific uncertainties; Regional cooperation framework for research; Capacity building and information sharing

19. Biodiversity and Eco-Regions Climatic, Ecological and Floristic Ecotones

20. Transboundary Ecosystem Services • Significant biodiversity and wildlife habitat • Highly diverse array of indigenous and endemic species, biomes • Medicinal plants – insects • Rare, threatened and endangered species – snow leopard • Important Bird Areas – wildlife migratory routes • Ramsar Site (Lake Mansarovar) – many High Altitude Wetlands • Regionally important issues include loss of rare, threatened and endemic species • High incidence of illegal trade in CITES species. • Source of four of Asia’s great rivers: • Indus, Brahmaputra, Karnali, Sutlej • Irrigate much of Asia and South Asia • Sustain the vital ecosystem goods and services of a vast region • Hydrology and Climate Change • Melting glaciers and and changes in hydrological regime of concern to large downstream populations. • Melting of permafrost of both regional and global concern • High Altitude Peat Wetlands (Carbon – Methane)

21. Transboundary Cultural and Religious Significance • Sacred Geography • Significant to hundreds of millions of people around the globe • Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Sikh, Bon Po, and more • Important Pilgrimage Site • Tens of thousands of pilgrims journey to Mt Kailash every year • Primarily from India, Nepal, and other parts of Tibetan Plateau • Significant impact on the environment, e.g. trekking, infrastructure, • in high altitude, harsh, difficult conditions • Tourism and Infrastructure • Expected to increase significantly • Several highways being built and improved • Airport to be operational by 2011 (capacity of 12,000 per day) • Tibet expecting over 3 million visitors (end of decade) • Opportunities for Sustainable / Eco-Tourism Approaches • Planning for Reduction and Mitigation of Impacts • Maintenance of Aesthetic Values and Cultural Integrity

22. Mt. Kailash Tourist Arrivals

23. KSL Conservation and Development Challenges • Physical change • Over extraction or poor management of resources, introduced and invasive species, forest degradation, change in landuse/cover • Climate change • Rise in temperature, seasonal change in precipitation regime, extreme weather conditions • Demographic and socio-economic change • Migration, poverty, limited development options, majority on subsistence livelihood

24. Transboundary Landscape

25. KSL Conservation Initiative – Phase One: 2009-2011 • The major outcomes includes the following: • Regional Cooperation Framework (RCF) • Policy enabling environment for ecosystem management • Conservation Strategy • Through a participatory consultative process • Establishing a Regional knowledge-sharing platform. • Comprehensive Environmental Monitoring Plan: • Long-term ecological, climatic, and biodiversity datasets • Promote regional cooperation on environmental and climate change monitoring and networking • Feasibility Assessment • Baseline assessment and policy / enabling environment analysis • Supported by studies and understanding on traditional knowledge systems, eco-tourism and heritage site development, installation of monitoring / hydro-met stations

26. Kailash Sacred Landscape National Project Boundaries delineated by each country based on Baseline Assessment and a National Consultation Process Criteria: Watershed Boundaries, Ecosystems, Biodiversity, Existing PA’s, Conservation Priorities, Administrative Units, Cultural Sites

27. KSL Regional Cooperation Framework • Four Constitutive Elements: • Transboundary biodiversity, environmental, and cultural conservation; • Scientific and technical cooperation; • Information exchange and sharing; • Regional guidelines, policy mechanisms, and soft legal instruments. Based upon a improved knowledge base and information sharing among international, regional, national, and local stakeholders and actors.

28. Regional Cooperation Framework Basic Principles • Participatory Management – ensuring participation of indigenous and local communities, as well as disadvantaged and socially marginalized groups • Equitability – ensuring fair and equitable access and benefit sharing, • Sustainability – aiming for economic, social, and environmental sustainability • Partnerships – building partnerships among local communities, government / non-government institutions, the private / corporate sector, and financial institutions. • Ecosystem Management– taking an integrated approach into consideration for socio-economic, socio-ecological, cultural and environmental security. • Lessons-Learned Approach – applying lessons learned from other transboundary mountain programs, including the Alpine Convention, the Carpathian Convention, and the Mount Everest and Kangchenjunga transboundary frameworks. • Transboundary Cooperation – promoting and strengthening transboundary cooperation.

29. Kailash Sacred Landscape:Comprehensive Environmental Monitoring Plan • Regional Cooperation • Hierarchical Approach - Integration with National Efforts • Transparency and stakeholder involvement • Integration of Community Based Approaches / Initiatives • Socioeconomic, cultural and environmental change • Regional knowledge sharing /open data exchange • Developing institutional networks and regional networking • Environmental and ecological indicators • Stratified ecosystem / species -specific sampling • Permanent environmental monitoring and long-term ecological research sites

30. Kailash Sacred Landscape:Long-Term Vision

31. Thank You