Mountain forests in the Himalayas play a critical role in providing ecosystem services (ESS). These ecosystems are facing increasing pressures from climate change and unsustainable management practices, resulting in hazardous processes including forest fires, landslides, and floods. In the Western Himalayas, in particular, there is a lack of comprehensive understanding of the dynamics and drivers of forest degradation and ESS loss, along with the interactions between social and ecological systems.

Emphasising a transboundary, systems-oriented perspective, the project together with the consortium partners, University of Göttingen (Germany), United Nations University – Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Nepal Forest Fire Management Chapter (NFMC) and Forest Action Nepal (FAN) aims to engage stakeholders at various scales. Being relevant for mountain forest areas in the Western Himalayas, the project tests and carries out its multidisciplinary work in the transboundary Mahakali/Sharda River basin between Nepal and India. The project’s transdisciplinary approach, with strong engagement from all partners and from stakeholders across scales, will support long-term sustainable forest and fire management beyond the project’s lifetime.

Project Objectives

To contribute to the sustainable management of mountain forests in the Western Himalayas in the context of climate and land use change through evidence-based decision-making with local stakeholders and the informing of policy making at provincial and national scale.

Project Activities

– Capacity development and training of foresters in the public administration at sub-national scale, local stakeholders and community members as well as the supervision of MSc and PhD students.

– Generation of modular guideline for practitioners addressing improved forest and forest fire management.

– Empowering members of CFUG with particular attention to women and marginalised groups at the community level.

– Provide training for integration of sustainable forest management, DRR and adaptive interventions along with tools for effective forest fire management.

Payments for environmental services in protected areas: scoping study of Shivapuri-Nagarjun National Park, Nepal

Review on forest-based enterprise related policies and practices

Advancing rights and forging solidarities among community conserved areas in Nepal