The world has been experiencing a dramatic surge in the price of many staple foods since 2005. The prices of cereals and oil have almost doubled in just one year. Soaring food prices and market instability have led to a threat to food security. This is particularly true for the population of the Hindu Kush-Himalayan (HKH) region.
This study investigates the impact of climate change on glaciers and glacial lakes in two major glacial hotspots in the Himalayas: the Dudh Koshi sub-basin in the Khumbu-Everest region in Nepal, and the Pho Chu sub-basin in Bhutan. The focus was on changes in the number and size of glacial lakes forming behind exposed end moraines as glaciers retreat, and the resulting potential threat of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs). The report aims to demonstrate methodological aspects of monitoring and potential GLOF hazard assessment using a case study approach.
Historically, there was contiguous forest all across the terai region of Nepal and tigers were distributed in high densities. The situation changed during early 1960s because the tiger habitat in the terai was drastically reduced as a result of human resettlement program. The destruction of habitat and fragmentation lead to the sharp decline in tiger population.
WWF sees the impacts of climate change on glaciers and its subsequent impact on freshwater as a major issue, not just in the national context but also at a regional, transboundary level. The WWF offices in Nepal, India and China are taking the initiative to develop a regional collaboration to tackle climate change impacts in the glacial ecosystem and address adaptation
This paper is based on three case studies, each belonging to one of the three types of institutional structures: self-initiated, NGO-promoted, and government sponsored JFM. The basic objectives of three instutitional structures have been strengthening ecological security and meeting the subsistence biomass needs of the local people.
