APP
\nPESHAWAR
\nThe international experts have warned that the fast changing climate was posing threat to Hindu Kush Himalaya and called for coordinated action to save the 800-kilometer long mountainous range that stretches through Afghanistan, from its centre to Northern Pakistan and into Tajikistan.
\nThey were speaking at an international session titled \u2018The HKH call to action \u2013 maintaining the \u2018pulse of the planet\u2019 at the \u2018GLF Biodiversity Digital Conference: One World \u2013 One Health\u2019 organized by the Global Landscapes Forum in Kathmandu, Nepal and hosted by International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), said a press release issued here.
\nThe experts included Dr Mehjabeen Abidi-Habib, Ecologist and Writer from Pakistan; Dr Sarala Khaling, Regional Director, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment, Eastern Himalaya Programme, India; Dr Fu Yao, Kunming Institute of Botany, China; Sonam Tashi Lama, Red Panda Network, Nepal; and, Jamyang Dolkar, Sherubtse College, Royal University of Bhutan.
\nThey said Hindu Kush Himalaya is referred to as the \u2018pulse of the planet\u2019 since changes to its cryosphere and biodiversity are a barometer of climate and environmental change across the world. It is a key global asset, sustaining the lives and livelihoods of nearly 2 billion people.
\nThe session aimed to highlight the links between biodiversity, landscapes, culture, and health in a post-COVID \u2018new normal\u2019. One of the objectives was also to draw attention to the environmental, socio-cultural, and economic value of the HKH region and the challenges presented by climate and other changes.
\nThe conference hosted six plenaries, 23 sessions, and over 200 speakers this year, to discuss global challenges related to biodiversity, ecosystem restoration, and public health.
\nSpeaking at the session, Dr Pema Gyamtsho, Director General, ICIMOD, highlighted the uniqueness of the HKH, particularly its rich bio-cultural diversity and the associated traditional and indigenous knowledge systems that continue to be practiced.
\nDr Gyamtsho informed that ICIMOD is committed to improving the well-being of communities in the HKH through three strategic areas of impact: Reducing poverty, enhancing resilience by reducing physical and social vulnerabilities, and enhancing ecosystem services.
\nDr Gyamtsho also touched upon the complex challenges facing the HKH especially population growth, unsustainable development, migration and climate change, with COVID-19 further compounding these challenges.
\nIn his keynote presentation, Dr Eklabya Sharma, Deputy Director General, ICIMOD emphasized on greater regional cooperation, recognizing and prioritizing the uniqueness of HKH mountain people, taking concerted action to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees, accelerated actions towards realizing the SDGs, enhancing ecosystem resilience, and facilitating greater data and information sharing.
\nA panel of speakers from Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan addressed critical questions related to biodiversity conservation and sustainable development in the HKH. They highlighted the need for water conservation, reversing land degradation, ecosystem restoration involving local communities \u2013 particularly the youth, documenting traditional knowledge systems, and strengthening scientific capacity in the HKH.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
APP PESHAWAR The international experts have warned that the fast changing climate was posing threat to Hindu Kush Himalaya and called for coordinated action to save the 800-kilometer long mountainous range that stretches through Afghanistan, from its centre to Northern Pakistan and into Tajikistan. They were speaking at an international session titled \u2018The HKH call […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-154442","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-top-news"],"yoast_head":"\n