ICIMOD

New: While no lives were lost, satellite-based rapid assessment reveals severe toll on farmers from the recent flood. Data from SERVIRHKH tools show the extent of flood damage on the Khando River, a tributary of the Koshi in Eastern Nepal, on 26 June, almost 6000 hectares of agricultural land submerged.  #HIGRID #SERVIRHKH #Space2Village #DataIntoAction SERVIR Global Neera Shrestha Pradhan, PhD Sravan Shrestha Saswata Sanyal Vuyasi Rajbhandari

Mountain food systems: a new focus for global academic network. Nature loss, rising temperatures, and land-use change are projected to drive up food insecurity in the densely populated mountains of the Hindu Kush Himalayas. Close to 300 million people live in the mountains of the Hindu Kush Himalaya. With limited transport infrastructure, food systems are highly local, and are critical in sustaining communities. Research and development on food-growing, however, is dominated by knowledge generated in the plains—and fails to capture the true complexity and dynamics of food growing in the context of steep topography; remoteness; mountain hazards and the specifics of climate change in the mountains. To address this gap, Himalayan Universities Consortium, a federation of over 100 universities based within the Hindu Kush Himalaya and around the world with a commitment to the study of the region, is establishing a new working group to build knowledge on mountain food systems. The Himalayan Food Systems thematic working group’s first meeting and planning workshop was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 4-6 June. The HUC Himalayan Food Systems thematic working group joins 10 existing Thematic and Cross-cutting Working Groups: 1. Water 2. Himalayan Environmental Humanities 3. Energy 4. Mountain Agriculture 5. Himalayan Food Systems 6. DRR Resilience Curriculum Cluster 7. Cryosphere and Society 8. Mountain Tourism & Cultural Heritage 9. Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience 10. Traditional, Indigenous, and local knowledge system for Locally Led Adaptation 11. High Mountain Data TWGs are member-led, self-funded and self-organising clusters working on specific thematic areas that are significant in the region. TWGs work together to promote regional collaboration in research and training for sustainable mountain development by enhancing networking and partnership amongst institutions and providing the opportunity for joint research activities, training and capacity building and curriculum development. For more information on HUC Secretariat and any of its working groups contact Truong Huyen Chi (Shachi) Programme Coordinator Chi.Truong@icimod.org. To learn more about HUC: https://huc-hkh.org/ #HUC #HKHuniversities #HKHtransdisciplinarityresearch

📢 Vacancy Announcement: Multiple positions 🔹 Air Pollution Mitigation Specialist You will focus on addressing the pervasive impacts of air pollution in the HKH region. This role involves identifying priority sectors for developing effective solutions through collaborative design and rigorous testing, in partnership with relevant stakeholders. 🔹 Communications Officer ICIMOD’s Communications Officers will primarily focus on conceptualizing and producing a variety of communication materials. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who values delivering impact through written, oral, and visual communication, is passionate about mountains and people, and is committed to helping build a greener, more inclusive, climate-resilient Hindu Kush Himalaya. 🔹 Energy and Emission Specialist You will address the complex challenges of air pollution in the HKH region. Collaborating with the World Bank and government representatives from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, the specialist contributes to developing a roadmap for collective action on air pollution mitigation. 🔹 Publication Coordination Officer (Editor) You will be responsible for editorial and managerial tasks under the direct supervision of the Senior Editor and in collaboration with the Editorial team. The candidate should have excellent writing and communication skills in English, an instinct for organizing ideas, and the ability to package them in audience-appropriate ways. 🔹 Water Resources Management Specialist We are looking for a forward-thinking professional with a passion for shaping sustainable futures. The applicant will work with our dynamic team as a Water Resources Management Specialist and will play a pivotal role in supporting river basin management work in the HKH, especially in the Upper Indus Basin, the Koshi/Ganga Basin, and the Yarlung-Zangbo-Brahmaputra Basin. Apply today: https://lnkd.in/gJzNBYSP #ICIMODJobs #JoinOurTeam #WeAreHiring #JoinOurMission

FULL AUDIO AND WRITTEN TRANSCRIPTS OF THE SANDEE-ICIMOD Karl-Goran Maler Memorial Lecture 2024 AVAILABLE NOW The South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics, which since its formation in 1999 has built the research and leadership skills of hundreds of researchers in the region, has held an annual lecture to commemorate the life of its co-founder Professor Karl-Goral Maler since his death in May 2020. The lecture now forms a central plank of SANDEE’s flagship Research and Training (R&T) workshop, which took place this year in Sri Lanka on 8 – 11 July. It was delivered by Dr Mark Smith, Director General of IWMI Sri Lanka, and Subhrendu Pattanayak, Oak Professor of Environmental and Energy Policy, Duke University, USA. You can listen to the complete audio from both lectures, alongside introductory remarks by ICIMOD Deputy Director, Izabella Koziell and Mani Nepal here: https://lnkd.in/giBxz3yV Since its formation SANDEE has provided over 250 grants and mentored the grant recipients by a group of exceptionally dedicated and motivated group of faculty advisors from around the world. SANDEE alumni have been active not only in teaching, but also in research and policy support in the countries and beyond. The knowledge that these researchers produce enhances the evidence base for informing development policies in the region. Keynote 1 Dr. Mark Smith Director General International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Sri Lanka Advancing water systems science for food security in a climate crisis The focus of Dr Smith’s talk was water security and its growing challenge due to climate change. Listen to the complete audio recording here. Dr Smith provided a comprehensive overview of the impacts of climate change on the hydrological cycle, highlighting the interconnected impacts of climate change on various systems and the need for proactive measures to address these challenges. The pivotal role of water in climate change was also discussed, emphasizing its complex connections to sectors such as agriculture, food systems, health, and ecosystems. Keynote 2 Subhrendu Pattanayak Oak Professor of Environmental and Energy Policy, Duke University, USA Are conservation and energy SDG complements? Panel data evidence from the Himalayas The focus of Prof Pattanayak talk was the relationship between tourism and clean energy adoption in remote areas, highlighting the potential link between tourism and clean energy adoption. Listen to the complete audio recording here. Prof. Pattanayak pointed out that tourists have led to increased energy usage and economic opportunities in Nepal, making a case for the role of tourism in driving clean energy adoption in remote areas. The potential environmental impact of tourism, particularly in relation to solid waste and recycling, was also considered. SANDEE #SANDEE #EnvironmentalEconomics #HKH #ICIMOD

📢Vacancy Announcement: Join ICIMOD as a Glacio-Hydrology Specialist. We are seeking an experienced and accomplished scientist for the role of Glacio-Hydrology Specialist. This role will be under our Action Area on Managing Cryosphere and Water Risks in Strategic Group 1 – Reducing climate and environmental risks. The position offers a unique opportunity to make a substantial impact in addressing the risks associated with cryosphere change across the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region. https://lnkd.in/gJzNBYSP #Leadership #ClimateAction #ICIMODJobs #JoinOurTeam

"Climate change is a crime scene. The glaciers are making it visible. We cannot look the other way." Head of Science at leading Spanish online newspaper El Diario's Antonio Martínez Ron speaks with scientist Miriam Jackson, as well as Alton Byers, Eñaut Izagirre, and climber Sebastian Alvaro, about ice loss from the mountains 100 years after the first photograph from Everest. https://lnkd.in/gydsxQdi #SaveOurSnow #ClimateChange #HinduKushHimalaya #ClimateCrisis #ClimateAction

The regional roll-out of the global Early Warnings for All initiative cannot come early enough for the Hindu Kush Himalaya—where fossil-fuel-driven temperature rise is hugely increasing risks to lives, property, industry, and livelihoods, from monsoon and cryosphere hazards. ICIMOD has for over a decade prototyped sustainable and scalable community-based flood early-warning systems in the region, building a tool so robust it has been deployed in Malawi, in Africa. At a Nepal Government National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority workshop on monsoon preparedness last month, Satish Kumar Singh, Chief Minister of Madhesh Province in Nepal, paid tribute to the efficacy of the intervention, which he deemed so crucial and cost-effective that he found funds to sustain the work after seed capital ran out. A small fund rewards the caretaker of the Community-Based Flood Early Warning System (CBFEWS) monitoring station, provides pre-monsoon training and pays for the upkeep of the system. Demonstrating the value of such methods to local decision-makers allows ICIMOD to extend the approach to other communities who might be in harm’s way. https://lnkd.in/eTrhXyBg World Meteorological Organization, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), ReliefWeb, UN Climate Change, Mountain Partnership of the United Nations, World Economic Forum, Carolina Adler, Teresa Fogelberg, Anita Arjundas, Juergen P. Kropp, Saswata Sanyal, Neera Shrestha Pradhan, PhD, Arun Bhakta Shrestha, Vijay Ratan Khadgi, Faisal M. Qamer, PhD, Miriam Jackson, Chimi Seldon, Shailendra Shakya, Serena A. Debabrat (Deb) Sukla #SG1 #DRR #CBFEWS

📰 In the News The ancient, skilled practice of Himalayan honey hunting is under threat from climate change and environmental degradation, reports French newswire AFP from Lamjung, 100km northwest of Kathmandu. ‘We’re losing everything’ says 65-year-old honey hunter Som Ram Gurung. 'When we were young, there used to be beehives on almost all cliffs because of the abundance of wildflowers and water sources. But with each passing year, it's becoming harder to find hives.' Shifting weather and drying water sources from fossil-fuel-driven climate change, along with habitat loss, are key drivers in the decline in pollinators, scientists confirm, with ICIMOD reporting that at least 75 percent of Nepal's crops depend on pollinators such as bees. 'The reduced pollination that ensues has already had alarming economic consequences,' ICIMOD states. Read here: https://lnkd.in/gHj9pWBv #ClimateAction #ClimateAdaptation #Biodiversity Surendra Joshi paavan mathema Anup Ojha

Outmigration was one key reason that Bhutan’s rice production halving between 2019 and 2022, compounded by COVID-19. To understand the drivers of rural outmigration, their impact on land use change and farmland abandonment, parliamentarians from Bhutan met counterparts from Nepal earlier this year to learn about each other’s policies, strategies and plans for a shared, and growing, challenge. The study mission, led by then chair of Bhutan’s Good Governance Committee, marks a step-up in transregional exchanges around climate resilience and readiness in the eight-country Hindu Kush Himalaya. It also prefigures a landmark gathering of ministers that ICIMOD will convene in Kathmandu this Autumn. Read on to find out more about the Bhutan-Nepal governments’ workshop: https://lnkd.in/gsMmQVxb #HKHParlimentarians #ClimateMigration #HIREAP

LAUNCHING THIS WINTER: ICIMOD’S FIRST EVER ALL WOMEN CRYOSPHERE EXPEDITION APPLY NOW – https://lnkd.in/grZt6bCA ICIMOD is offering 10 women from Bhutan, China, India, Nepal and Pakistan aged 21 to 28 the chance to make history, build skills, and forge a new network, by joining our first ever ‘HKH Women On Ice Expedition’ this December. The expedition will build women’s skills and understanding in a critical sphere of science that remains hugely dominated by men. No experience is necessary. Apply by 15 August to be the part of this first-ever all-women expedition. For more information: https://lnkd.in/guWg6_4i #HKHWomenOnIce #SG1 #cryowednesday Miriam Jackson Finu Shrestha Sunwi Maskey Izabella Koziell