Nakul Chettri

International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development | ICIMOD · Transboundary Landscape

Mountains have been projected as a pivotal ecosystem maintaining habitat heterogeneity, global biodiversity, ecosystem functions and services to humans. With over 24% of the global terrestrial areas and half of the Global Biodiversity Hotspots, mountain are also repository of rich culture and laboratory of good practices demonstrating social-ecolog...

Himalaya represents a unique landscape displaying varied eco-zones, climatic conditions, large elevation gradient, and enormous natural resources. Among the range of biodiversity, birds are well studied in the Himalaya but findings of research and exploration in the region has not been systematically compiled till date. In this chapter, we provide...

The book features selected cuisines of the ethnic communities of two transboundary landscapes – the Far Eastern Himalayan Landscape shared by China, India, and Myanmar, and the Kangchenjunga Landscape shared by Bhutan, India, and Nepal. We present the recipes of these cuisines and discuss their implications for biodiversity conservation, cultural p...

Large cardamom (Amomum subulatum Roxb.) is an economically important cash crop that provides a livelihood option for the rural communities in Sikkim Himalaya. However, its production has declined drastically over the past few decades due to climate change and other factors affecting the livelihood of marginal cardamom-dependent farmers in the regio...

Climate change has emerged as one of the major threats to biodiversity and the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) is facing the challenges due to a higher rate of elevation dependent warming and erratic rainfall. The rich biodiversity and bounty of ecosystem services provided by this 'water tower' and the 'Third Pole' are under higher risk. Though there is...

Introduction of the book with context, scope and structure

The cryosphere of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) is an important source of water for maintaining ecosystem health, supporting biological diversity, and providing ecosystem services (very high confidence). This biodiversity-rich region – 40% of which is under protected area coverage – is characterised by interconnected and diverse ecosystems. Sixty p...

This is a conference report highlighting the rationale, organisation and key message came from the conference.

Ecological breakdowns are posing many serious threats to the lives of both humans and wild animals in the spaces where those lives are shared. Today the intensification of conservation-related conflict is one of the main ecological challenges faced in the Western Ghats of India. This article explores some of the complex interactions between differe...

Achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) requires a context-specific understanding of how actions to achieve one goal interact with others. We analyzed statistical data, and conducted online surveys and interviews with conservation professionals to understand how terrestrial conservation goals (SDG 15: Life on land) influence and are infl...

Abstract Mountains have been projected as a pivotal ecosystem maintaining habitat heterogeneity, global biodiversity, ecosystem functions and services to humans. With over 24% of the global terrestrial areas and half of the Global Biodiversity Hotspots, mountain area also repository of rich culture, laboratory of good practices and the ecosystem d...

Biodiversity and ecosystem services contribute significantly to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Nepal. However, they are declining across the country. To protect Nepal’s biodiversity and ensure that its diverse natural resources and habitats can continue to support its people and wildlife for generations to come, policymakers...

The contemporary phase of increasing biodiversity loss; land-use intensification led to civilizations at the cost of natural resources is intricately linked to modern crises. Traditional knowledge is becoming a promising instrument in the contemporary state of global crises—especially on biodiversity loss and reaching out to sustainable development...

Mountains play a crucial role for both the highlands and lowlands, but are particularly vulnerable to climate change and human interventions. This policy brief focuses on ecosystem restoration in the mountains. It highlights the role of healthy mountain ecosystems and their services and provides a set of recommendations to help design effective res...

It is a challenge to scale‐up from simplified proxies to ecosystem functioning since the inherent complexity of natural ecosystems hinders such an approach. One way to address this complexity is to track ecosystem processes through the lens of plant functional traits. Elevational gradients with diverse biotic and abiotic conditions offer ideal sett...

Nature’s Contributions to People (NCPs) underpin the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) but are declining globally. It is therefore critical to identify the drivers of changes in NCPs, and to understand how and where NCPs can contribute towards the achievement of the SDGs. Using the conceptual framework of the Intergovernmental...

The Strategic Plan for Biodiversity (2011–2020), formally adopted by COP in 2010 in Aichi, Japan provided an overarching global framework on biodiversity whose vision is to value, restore, and conserve biodiversity for the benefit of all people by 2050. This retrospective analysis of progress against the 20 Aichi Targets based on the Sixth National...

Protected Areas (PAs) are a key strategy for conserving areas of outstanding biodiversity value and promoting sustainable development. Significant efforts have been made towards establishing PAs over the last few decades across the globe. However, an assessment of PAs in mountain regions, including in the biodiversity rich Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH)...

SDG 15 – Life on Land. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss. Cite this: Walz Y., Chettri N., Adhikari B., Vasseur L, Amitha Bachan KH, Libert A. (2022). SDG 15 – Life on Land. In FEBA (Friends of E...

Forest biomass is an important component of terrestrial carbon pools. However, how climate, biodiversity, and structural attributes co-determine spatiotemporal variation in forest biomass remains not well known. We aimed to shed light on these drivers of forest biomass by measuring diversity and structural attributes of tree species in 400-m 2 plot...

The Kangchenjunga Landscape (KL), a transboundary area shared by Bhutan, India, and Nepal, identified human-wildlife as a cross-border issue. Diverse in species and its ecosystem services, this landscape is characterized by the presence of isolated protected areas in proximity to human settlements and agricultural land. Diverse wildlife species (la...

The Third Pole encompasses the Tibetan Plateau and surrounding areas including the Pamir-Hindu Kush mountain ranges in the west, the Hengduan mountains in the east, the Tienshan and Qilian mountains in the north and the Himalayas in the south.. It contains the largest ice mass outside the polar regions, provides freshwater resources to more than tw...

The Khangchendzonga Landscape (KL), a part of ‘Himalayan Biodiversity Hotspot’, is known for its unique biodiversity assemblage. In recent years, the KL is experiencing threats to biodiversity due to the biological overdominance of native Maling bamboo (Yushania maling). In the present study, we investigated the impacts of the overdominance of Y. m...

Invasive alien species (IAS) are one of the major drivers of biodiversity loss across the globe. They affect natural ecosystems, agriculture, human health, and livelihoods. Invasion rate in mountain ecosystems in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) is likely to increase in the future, leading to greater biodiversity loss. Aichi Biodiversity Target 9 of t...

We conducted a systematic review on the research on mammals in the Far Eastern Himalaya Landscape using the SALSA approach, with a focus on opportunities for cross-border collaboration among India, Myanmar and China. A total of 124 literatures from 1962 to 2021 were identified and reviewed. Over the decades, there has been a steady increase in rese...

The Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), the highest mountain biome, also referred as the third pole or the water tower of Asia, is an important repository of biological and cultural diversities and source of varied ecosystems services to 240 million people living within and 1.9 billion in the mountains and downstream. The region has been in spotlight for be...

This report is an important milestone towards recognising the Hindu Kush Himalaya’s global significance under the World Heritage Convention, which fosters international cooperation. The report lists seven broad areas in the HKH where new natural World Heritage sites could be found. It also identifies possible extensions of existing World Heritage...

Large cardamom (Amomum subulatum Roxb) is endemic to Bhutan, India, and Nepal. The three countries can work together to create a common branding and marketing message to profile and promote large cardamom as a niche product of the Eastern Himalaya, and establish common product standards, production guidelines, and support systems to ensure quality...

Yak husbandry is an age-old practice across the Indian Himalayan highlands (Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, the West Bengal hills, and Sikkim) with several indigenous communities dependent on it. It is an important part of the tradition, religion, and social life of the highland communities. However, in recent years, due t...

Collective action can strengthen rural market linkages through the engagement of women and other marginalised groups. It can help to address challenges such as small quantities, time poverty, illiteracy and limited rural mobility. An example of successful collective action is the Kangchenjunga Landscape Conservation and Development Initia...

Ecosystem services (ES), or tangible and intangible goods and services from nature, are an integral part of the rural economy in Nepal. However, there is limited recognition of their contribution to human wellbeing. To understand the linkages between local people and ES, an integrated assessment based on the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment framewor...

This book, which features 16 primate species from the landscape, as well as information on their conservation status, is aimed at general readers and specialists alike. It is hoped that readers will appreciate the diversity and beauty of the primates in the region, be informed of key aspects of their ecology, their place in the ecosystems and in fo...

The Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region has a great diversity of flora and fauna that supports the livelihood and well-being of one fourth of humanity. The HKH hosts four of the 36 ‘biodiversity hotspots’ of the world and is a storehouse of rich agrobiodiversity. The Kangchenjunga Landscape (KL) is a transboundary complex with an area of 25,086...

Human–wildlife conflicts have intensified by many folds and at different levels in recent years. The same is true in the case of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), the roof of the world and a region known for its wealth in biodiversity. We present a systematic literature review (SLR) using the search, appraisal, synthesis, and analysis (SALSA) framewor...

Large black cardamom is an important cash crop for marginal farmers in the Eastern Himalayas. It is ecologically native, involves little workload and is not dependent on high external inputs. However, climate change and lack of product profiling have increased risks for farmers. This intervention focused on developing a package of practices (POP) t...

Human–wildlife conflicts have intensified by many folds and at different levels in the recent years. The same is true in the case of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), the roof of the world and a region known for its wealth in biodiversity. We present systematic literature review (SLR) using the search, appraisal, synthesis, and analysis (SALSA) framew...

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 ecosys tem services for socio-economic development in the mountain areas and beyond. As it caters half of the humanity with its div...

Objective: This review consolidates the available information on the socio-economic and ecological significance of Mithun in the lives of ethnic communities in the Eastern Himalaya. Methods: Standard guidelines were followed for the review and data collection was carried out at three stages; literature search, literature screening, and literatur...

Forests in the Barsey-Singalila transboundary area under Khangchendzonga landscape (KL) are facing pressures of resource uses. Despite continuous utilizations, complete data are lacking from the ground level. Socioeconomic, demographic, and forest use data were obtained by interviewing 233 households across two study locations. Forest product marke...

Wildlife is used for a range of purposes such as food, healthcare and ornamentation. Most wildlife trade is legal, contributing to livelihood and income generation for many people including some of the world’s poorest. However, the part of wildlife harvesting and trade occurring outside the laws is considered the biggest threat to conservation afte...

Nepal Himalayas combine Oriental and Sino-Japanese zoogeographic realms as well as those of the eastern and western Himalayas. Physiography coupled with the diverse local climates has enriched the biodiversity of the Nepal Himalayas. The order Chiroptera constitutes more than 25% of the mammalian fauna and forms the most speciose group of mammals i...

The Neora Valley National Park (NVNP) is one of the key protected areas in the KL-India and transboundary in nature. Considered as one of the most pristine ecosystems, the NVNP is an important National Park due to wide altitudinal variations, intact primary forests and also being part of the ecological tri-junction with Sikkim and Western Bhutan. T...

Yaks play a critical role in ecosystem management, food, and energy security, as well as in the livelihood enhancement of the highlanders in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH). They are also integral to the culture, tradition, and social life of the high-mountain communities. However, yak herding is impacted by climate change, closure of international b...

The Kangchenjunga Landscape has huge potential for increased tourism, mainly due to its pristine nature, aesthetic value and rich biodiversity. A transboundary initiative conceived in 2012 is investing in redefining the opportunities that tourism can provide for marginalized rural communities. Measures include jointly developing unique products tha...

The Strategic Plan for Biodiversity (2011–2020), adopted by the State of Parties through the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 2010, is a ten-year global framework for action by all countries and stakeholders to conserve biodiversity and enhance benefits for people. The plan has 20 targets, known as the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, which s...

The study presents the first comprehensive overview of ecosystem services (ES) research from the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), a region often referred to as the ‘water tower of Asia’. Through a systematic literature search, we consolidated 439 peer-reviewed journal articles related to ecosystem services in the HKH. A bibliometric analysis was carried...

The Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region extends across eight countries, from Afghanistan in the west to Myanmar in the east, crossing Pakistan, India, China, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. The region is well known for its high mountains and has the largest ice reserves outside the polar regions. It is the source of water for 10 major Asian river syste...

Reducing Green House Gases (GHG) emission from agriculture fields and adapting to climate change will depend on organic production systems for: i) the overall emission reductions possibly using organic production methods; ii) the increased ability of organic production systems to sequester carbon; and iii) the demonstrated ability of organic produc...

The Kangchenjunga Landscape, an important repository of biodiversity, faces several challenges owing to various drivers of change. Human‒wildlife conflict (HWC) is one of such issue that transcends social, economic, environmental, as well as national and international borders among the three participating countries – Bhutan, India, and Nepal – maki...

This is a flyer of a programme

Scientists have repeatedly argued that transformative, multiscale global scenarios are needed as tools in the quest to halt the decline of biodiversity and achieve sustainability goals. As a first step towards achieving this, the researchers who participated in the scenarios and models expert group of the Intergovernmental Science‐Policy Platform o...

REPORT OF THE WORK OF THE EXPERT GROUP ON MAINTAINING THE ABILITY OF BIODIVERSITY TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE WATER CYCLE The tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, in decision X/28 paragraph 39, recognized the good synergies between the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Ramsar Convention...

Elevational gradients are linked with different abiotic and biotic factors, which in turn influence the distribution of plant diversity. In the present study we explored the relative importance of different environmental factors in shaping species diversity and composition of vascular plant species along an elevational gradient in the Chamelia Vall...

Khangchendzonga landscape (KL), with the third highest mountain peak (8586 m asl) of the world, spread over 25,000 km2 and extended across three neighboring nations namely Bhutan, India and Nepal. This eastern part of the Himalaya Biodiversity Hotspot harbors rich biodiversity and culture (Mittermeir et al., 2011, Gurung et al., 2019). The local co...

सिस्नु (Girardinia diversifolia) सुत कात्तने र धागो बनाउन विधि को नेपाली संस्करण

The people and mountain environments of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) have not been isolated from the impacts of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The social, economic and environmental impacts have been harsh and have exacerbated old risks and vulnerabilities and highlighted new ones. The long-term consequences will be profound unless w...

In December 2019, professionals working with ICIMOD’s five Transboundary Landscapes initiatives – currently being implemented across the Hindu Kush Karakoram Pamir, Kailash, Kangchenjunga, and Far-Eastern Himalayan landscapes – came together to share information and lessons learned over the years, and devise ways to tackle challenges common across...

Scientists have repeatedly argued that transformative, multiscale global scenarios are needed as tools in the quest to halt the decline of biodiversity and achieve sustainability goals. As a first step towards achieving this, the Expert Group on Scenarios and Models of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Serv...

During the past few decades, our understanding of the potential risks from climate change to mountain ecosystem has increased. The Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH) is characterised by diverse climate due to diversity in geology, monsoon influence and ecosystems. Though paucity in studies, it was observed that the HKH ecosystems witnessed changes in clima...

This is a proceedings based on a regional dialogue where the issues, challenges and opportunities for Large Cardamom were discussed among the policy makers, government agencies, private sectors, scientists and communities and the result presented.

Yak herding plays a critical role in livelihood development in highland areas, which is not acknowledged in current policies. Transboundary cooperation can help encourage technological innovation and counter the genetic degradation arising from restricted movement of yak between countries. Supporting and connecting local yak networks to each other,...

Human population growth leads to expanded human settlements, increasing chances of human–wildlife interactions.

The Khangchendzonga Landscape (KL) shared by Bhutan, India, and Nepal is a unique transnational ecotourism destination with rich natural and cultural diversity. ƒƒ Within landscapes, limited economic opportunities and poor connectivity due to inaccessibility present multiple issues and challenges. Among them are high unemployment and poverty, espec...

Proceeding of a workshop

Ecosystem services, a globalizing discourse referring to benefits humans gain from ecosystems, has been rapidly mainstreamed into scientific and political thinking of environmental management. However, non-material benefits, also known as cultural services, have been rather subsumed within the dominant ecosystem services discourse. This paper explo...

The Kangchenjunga Landscape (KL) in the Eastern Himalayas is a transboundary complex shared by Bhutan, India, and Nepal. It forms a part of the 'Himalayan Biodiversity Hotspot' and is one of the biologically richest landscapes in the Eastern Himalayas. In this paper, we use secondary information to review and consolidate the knowledge on the flora...

Sharing of experiences at the South and Central Asia Man and Biosphere (SACAM) Network Meeting

The Hindu Kush Himalayan region is an important biodiversity repository with more than 488 protected areas covering 39% of the region’s geographical coverage. However, a majority of them are small and isolated and are not large enough to address conservation challenges. About 20% of the protected areas are transboundary in nature, having contiguous...

The initiatives taken by G. B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment and Sustainable Development, Sikkim Regional Centre (GBPNIHESD-SRC) under Khangchendzonga Landscape Conservation and Development Initiative (KLCDI), India programme with the support from Mutanchi Lom Aal Shezum (MLAS), a local organization of Dzongu for the documentatio...