Context
The Kailash landscape is a transboundary high mountain region in the Himalayas between China, India and Nepal. Its centre is Mount Kailash (6,638 metres), which is revered as a holy place by Buddhists and Hindus and attracts large numbers of pilgrims and tourists.
The vital ecosystems and diversity of species of the Kailash landscape are threatened by climate change and overuse. As the source region of major Asian rivers and the habitat of numerous endemic and endangered species, the Kailash region needs a transboundary conservation approach if it is to continue providing important ecosystem services for the region. As part of the Transboundary Landscapes regional programme of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) with a total of seven regions in the Himalayan range, the Kailash initiative plays a pioneering role.
Objective
Conservation and sustainable use of the resources in the Kailash region by local communities is assured. Basic conditions have been created for transboundary conservation of biodiversity in selected ecosystems.
Approach
The initiative collects internationally relevant environmental and climate data in the Himalaya region. Experience and long-term observations by local communities are supplemented by scientific and automated methods in the service of scientific knowledge and policy advice.
The joint plan of operations lays down the main biodiversity conservation measures for each country. Local government institutions and non-governmental organisations implement these measures in pilot areas with participation by the local people in the Kailash region, e.g. to conserve forest areas and wetlands. Efforts are being made to harmonise joint environmental monitoring in the pilot areas. In addition, the three partner countries are stepping up their financial or human resources for implementing local measures in the Kailash region.
Results achieved so far
The project gives the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and its national partner organisations the opportunity to accumulate experience with a new, politically sensitive, transboundary cooperation approach. At present it is difficult to assess the challenges that will arise and the skills necessary to overcome them. The actors involved will undoubtedly be able to improve and extend their expertise and human resources in the course of the project.
By using the project’s services, ICIMOD and its partners will create a basis for biodiversity conservation in selected ecosystems in the Kailash region. Improved proactive skills are a basic requirement for the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Jointly planned and steered measures, transboundary coordination and better data availability make for more effective and more sustainable activities. It is to be hoped that in the long term, this will result in a lasting improvement in the combination of conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.
The region’s population depends on intact ecosystems and the use of fruits, herbs, mushrooms, medicinal plants and firewood, and also on ecosystem services, especially water conservation and soil protection. The planned activities are intended to help improve the population’s living conditions.
An approach that combines transboundary conservation of biological and cultural diversity with sustainable development and measures for adapting to climate change is needed in the entire Himalayan region. Potential thus exists for continuing to develop the project concept as the basis of a transferable model for the entire region.