Transcript Zomer, R. - Third Pole Environment

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
International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development
Kathmandu, Nepal
Second Third Pole Conference
26-28 October 2010
Kathmandu, Nepal
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
Global Hotspot of Biodiversity and
Cultural Diversity
Climate Change / Global Warming
• Projected to have high impact in the HKH
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Accelerated warming evident at higher elevations
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Melting glaciers, melting permafrost,
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Changes in seasonality, onset of rains, amount of precipitation,
temperature regimes
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Environmental changes, drying wetlands, glacial lakes
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Increase in variability and extreme events
• Biodiversity
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Shifts in species ranges, invasive species, decoupling of biological cycles
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Loss of genetic resources – agro-biodiversity
• Livelihoods
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Changes in hydrological and climatic regime, extreme events
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Cropping cycles, crop suitability, livestock ranges, pests and pathogens,
invasive weed species
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Shifts in transhumance and nomadic herder patterns, settlement patterns,
(impacts on biodiversity)
HKH Data Deficit Region
 Need for coordinated long-term monitoring and ecological
research at the regional level in 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 develop regional approaches for implementation of
goals agreed upon in various Global Conventions
 Mountain Biodiversity POW COP VII/27 of CBD
 Transboundary / Ecosystems Management Approach
Ecosystem Management /
Landscape Approach
• Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
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COP 7 Mountain Biodiversity Program of Work
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Ecosystems Management /Transboundary
Approach
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Regional Cooperation / Integrated Management
Highlighted
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All countries in HKH signatory to CBD
• Landscape Approach
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Includes both natural and managed components of
biodiversity
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Recognizes transboundary nature of conservation
and threats
Agro-biodiversity, wildlife and wildlife habit
Explicitly recognizes the important role of cultural
diversity in maintaining biodiversity
HKH Transect Initiative
A Regional Approach
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
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
Regional Cooperation for
Environmental Monitoring
–
Promote and develop mechanisms and policies
for regional cooperation
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Promote common protocols as a basis for data
sharing and quality control
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Encourage complimentary research / co-location
synergies
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Promote and develop mechanisms, policies and
platforms for open data exchange and knowledge
sharing
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Promote and develop mechanisms and policies
for international participation and cooperation
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.
Transect: Regional Facilitation
• Transects
1. Geographically defined transboundary sampling frames
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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.
2. Policy enabled frameworks for regional cooperation
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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.
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
HKH Transect Initiative:
Three Strategic Levels
REGIONAL ENABLING FRAMEWORKS FOR
SCIENTIFIC / TECHNICAL COOPERATION
Transboundary Broker and Facilitator / Regional Platform
Research Institutions, Academia
LANDSCAPE LEVEL: STRATEGIC / POLICY ENABLING
Applied Research / Policies /Stakeholder Priorities
Government agencies, planners, policy makers, CBOs
PRACTICAL ACTION / IMPLEMENTATION
Directly Related to Development Activities
Planner, policy makers, practitioners, development projects,
NGOs, communities,
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
Piloting The
HKH Transect Initiative:
Transboundary Landscapes
International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development
Kathmandu, Nepal
HKH Transect Initiative –
Transboundary Landscapes
Kailash Sacred Landscape
China-India-Nepal
Addressing scientific
uncertainties; Regional
cooperation framework for
research; Capacity building
and information sharing
Biodiversity and Eco-Regions
Climatic, Ecological
and Floristic Ecotones
Transboundary Ecosystem Services
• Significant biodiversity and wildlife habitat
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Highly diverse array of indigenous and endemic species, biomes
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Medicinal plants – insects
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Rare, threatened and endangered species – snow leopard
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Important Bird Areas – wildlife migratory routes
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Ramsar Site (Lake Mansarovar) – many High Altitude Wetlands
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Regionally important issues include loss of rare, threatened and endemic species
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High incidence of illegal trade in CITES species.
• Source of four of Asia’s great rivers:
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Indus, Brahmaputra, Karnali, Sutlej
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Irrigate much of Asia and South Asia
Sustain the vital ecosystem goods and services of a vast region
• Hydrology and Climate Change
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Melting glaciers and and changes in hydrological regime of concern to large downstream populations.
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Melting of permafrost of both regional and global concern
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High Altitude Peat Wetlands (Carbon – Methane)
Transboundary Cultural and Religious Significance
• Sacred Geography
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Significant to hundreds of millions of people around the globe
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Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Sikh, Bon Po, and more
• Important Pilgrimage Site
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Tens of thousands of pilgrims journey to Mt Kailash every year
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Primarily from India, Nepal, and other parts of Tibetan Plateau
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Significant impact on the environment, e.g. trekking, infrastructure,
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in high altitude, harsh, difficult conditions
• Tourism and Infrastructure
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Expected to increase significantly
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Several highways being built and improved
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Airport to be operational by 2011 (capacity of 12,000 per day)
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Tibet expecting over 3 million visitors (end of decade)
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Opportunities for Sustainable / Eco-Tourism Approaches
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Planning for Reduction and Mitigation of Impacts
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Maintenance of Aesthetic Values and Cultural Integrity
Mt. Kailash Tourist Arrivals
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
Drivers of Environmental Change
DIRECT DRIVERS OF CHANGE
Climate Change
Changes in land use/cover
Species introduction or removal
Technology adaptation and use
External inputs
Harvest and resource consumption
Natural, physical, and biological drivers
ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
Provisioning
Regulating
Cultural
Supporting
Rise in temperature, seasonal change in
precipitation regime, extreme weather
conditions
• Demographic and socioeconomic change
Migration, poverty, limited development
options, majority on subsistence
livelihood
INDIRECT DRIVERS OF CHANGE
Demographic (population)
Economic
Socio-political
Science and technology
Culture and religion
HUMAN WELLBEING
AND
POVERTY REDUCTION
Source: MA 2005
Transboundary Landscape
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, ecotourism and heritage site development, installation of monitoring / hydro-met stations
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
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.
Regional Cooperation Framework
Basic Principles
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Participatory Management – ensuring participation of indigenous and local
communities, as well as disadvantaged and socially marginalized groups
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Equitability – ensuring fair and equitable access and benefit sharing,
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Sustainability – aiming for economic, social, and environmental sustainability
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Partnerships – building partnerships among local communities, government /
non-government institutions, the private / corporate sector, and financial
institutions.
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Ecosystem Management– taking an integrated approach into consideration for
socio-economic, socio-ecological, cultural and environmental security.
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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.
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Transboundary Cooperation – promoting and strengthening transboundary
cooperation.
Kailash Sacred Landscape:
Comprehensive Environmental Monitoring Plan
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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
Kailash Sacred Landscape:
Long-Term Vision
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