State of gender equality and climate change in Nepal

The State of Gender Equality and Climate Change is a series of reports covering countries across the Asia-Pacific (Vietnam and Cambodia), and Nepal. The report raises awareness about the need for gender-responsive climate action, analyzes gendered impacts of climate change, and suggests ways to enhance and mainstream gender equality into climate-relevant sectoral policies and actions. The objectives of the report are two-fold: 1. To strengthen country-driven processes by presenting more evidence of the links between gender equality and climate change and analysing gendered impacts in the forestry, agriculture, energy, and water sectors; and 2. To provide country-specific recommendations on enhancing gender responsive policy implementation and actions to further augment the integration of gender equality in climate relevant policy areas. The Nepal country report was prepared by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and UN Women.

Tourism-Related Facility Development in Sagarmatha (Mount Everest) National Park and Buffer Zone, Nepal Himalaya

The increase in the number of tourists to mountain regions poses both opportunities and challenges for sustainable mountain development. In order to achieve sustainable development, it is essential to examine societal, landscape, and population transformation in mountain regions. This study explores transformation in the context of the tourism-related facility in Sagarmatha National Park and Buffer Zone (SNPBZ) of Nepal as an example of the Himalayan region. Questionnaire surveys targeting the owners and managers of tourism-related facilities and interview surveys with various community leaders, officials, and school principals were conducted in the park in 2017–2019. Both surveys show that the types, ownership, distribution, and capacity of facilities in the park have been transformed. Growth of tourist numbers, improvement of porters’ accommodation conditions, and migrant labor are the main factors driving the transformation. Tourism has also induced imbalanced development and unequal benefits among the villages in the park. The findings suggest that diversification of trekking routes and facility and service quality improvement could help to mitigate imbalanced development and unequal benefits. The in-depth examination of the transformation of tourism-related facilities augments the knowledge of the dynamic changes of facilities in mountain regions, which is vital for sustainable mountain development.

Consumer attitudes towards the mountain product label: Implications for mountain development

To protect and promote the originality and authenticity of mountain foodstuffs, the European Union set Regulation No 1151/2012 to create the optional quality term “mountain product”. Our research aimed at exploring the attractiveness of the mountain product label for consumers, considering both attitude towards the label itself and purchase intentions. We propose a model to investigate relationships between four latent constructs — mountain attractiveness, mountain food attractiveness, attitude towards the mountain product label, and purchase intention — which have been tested, thus confirming the statistical relevance of the relationships. All 47 items selected for describing the latent constructs are suitable for this purpose. Ridge and LASSO results also show that 17 items of the first three constructs are relevant in explaining purchase intentions. Some contextual variables, such as age, income, geographical origin of consumers, and knowledge of mountain products and mountains for tourism purposes, can positively influence consumers’ behavior. These findings could support the design of mountain development strategies, in particular marketing actions for both the product and the territory.

Biodiversity Conservation and Ecosystem Services in the Hindu Kush Himalaya

With 22% global land surface area, the mountains ecosystem is home to 13% of the total human populations. Evolved as a unique ecosystem, the mountain adds value with diverse ecosystems; tradition and culture as well as ecosystem services for socio-economic development in the mountain areas and beyond. As it caters half of the humanity with its diverse types of ecosystem services, the realization of its significance are still limited in national, regional and global discourses. In the conservation front, there has been a significant progress in the concept and practices from species focussed interventions to habitat and ecosystem/landscape conservation approaches. The Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), known as the highest mountain ecosystems in the world is also the water tower for the region often referred as the third pole. This unique ecosystem is an important repository of biological and cultural diversities and source of varied ecosystems services to 240 million people living within and about a one third of global population living downstream. The region has been in spotlight for being part of the 36 ‘Global Biodiversity Hotspot’ as well as climate change hotspot. However, our understanding the dynamics of changing landscapes and climate and its linkage to people, mostly challenged by poverty are limited. International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), an inter-governmental regional knowledge and enabling centre, has been instrumental in developing knowledge about the dynamics of these fragile ecosystems and support its regional member countries through science based integrated approaches. Since its inception, ICIMOD has been engaged in developing knowledge and supporting policies for mountain development focusing on socio-economic, ecological and environmental dimensions. In this paper, we present the retrospect of our understanding and learnings in the HKH through transboundary landscape management and regional cooperation mostly focused on conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services perspectives. The paper reflects on changing paradigm and complex process for strengthening regional cooperation in the HKH.

HISTORY AND EVOLUTION OF THE UNESCO MAB-6 MOUNTAIN PROJECT “HUMAN IMPACT ON MOUNTAIN ECOSYSTEMS”. FROM ECOLOGY TO MONTOLOGY

Through much of the twentieth century there was little concern over the need for sustainable mountain development. Nevertheless, the 1972 International Conference on the Environment (Stockholm) was an important beginning. The extensive publication that followed emphasized the need for environmental concern and action world-wide, although there was no mention of “mountains” per se. Nevertheless, several research initiatives received important stimulus, including UNESCO’s programme for “Man and the Biosphere”, especially MAB-6: The Impact of Human Activities on Mountain Ecosystems. This led to association with the International Geographical Union’s Commission of High Altitude Geoecology, and later (1977) the United Nations University’s project. These developments encouraged a number of mountain scholars world-wide to establish close personal relationships that had a decisive impact on the inclusion of Chapter 13 (Mountains) in AGENDA 21 (Rio de Janeiro, 1992), critical for the UN declaration of 2002 as The International Year of Mountains and December 11th as International Mountain Day. The following account explains how all these developments produced vital international linkages so that we can recognize, fifty years later how much has been achieved. The following account draws attention to many of the major achievements and the importance of goodwill and international collaboration. Throughout this long period of mountain activity there has been a persistent effort to promote the term “Montology”. This is to emphasize the need for a wide approach to transdisciplinary mountain research.

MOUNTAIN REGIONS OF RUSSIA: RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. THE KEY ROLE OF THE UNESCO MAB-6 MOUNTAIN PROJECT

Project No. 6 "Human Impact on Mountain Ecosystems" of the UNESCO "Man and the Biosphere" Program had its own peculiarities of implementation, both in the international and in the Russian context. It went far beyond environmental problems and was initially focused on the sustainable mountain development issues, assessing the impact of global changes on the mountain environment, economy, and population. Fragile mountain areas occupy a special position in the global Agenda 21 and national strategies for regional development. The specificity of the Soviet and Russian experience in the development and evolution of the MAB-6 project and the role of mountain biosphere reserves in Russia in the preservation of biological and cultural heritage are considered. The adoption in 2020 by the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly of the Model Law "On the Development and Protection of Mountainous Territories of the CIS" opens up new prospects for the development of mountain regions and testifies to the relevance of scientific approaches laid in the foundation of the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Program and the MAB-6 mountain project, in particular.