Thematic Session on Regional Science Collaboration for Integrated Transboundary River Basin Management

Regional science collaboration on integrated transboundary river basin management: The case of Koshi River basin

Joint Thematic Session at the 33rd International Geographical Congress

Background

The Koshi River basin is a transboundary basin shared by China, India, and Nepal. The river originates on the high altitude Tibetan Plateau and passes through eastern Nepal and northern Bihar in India before joining the Ganges. The basin plays a key role in the irrigation of downstream areas and has enormous potential for hydropower development. However, increasing population, urbanisation, encroachment, and climate change have added pressures to the basin’s water resources and the sustainable livelihoods of local communities.

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development’s (ICIMOD) Koshi Basin Programme, with support from the Australian Government’s Departmen t of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) through its Sustainable Development Investment Portfolio (SDIP), is p artnering with key national and international partners to create a regionally coordinated knowledge managem ent network of water resources in the basin. This network will improve the well-being of local communitie s and support sustainable use of ecosystem goods and services.

In recent years, a considerable level of evidenced-based knowledge, interactive tools, and important findings have been produced as a result of active collaboration between the programme and its partners. These partners include the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IGSNRR – CAS); the Institute of Mountain Hazard and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IMHE – CAS); the Bihar State Disaster Management Authority; National Institute of Disaster Management of India; Green Governance Nepal; WWF Nepal; and the Yunnan Institute of Environmental Sciences in China.

The thematic session will highlight the Koshi River basin programme as a successful regional science collaboration to present knowledge, tools, and findings on integrated transboundary river basin management in the Himalayan region. Theme-based presentations from the programme’s scientific partners will be featured during the session followed by open and interactive discussions to advise better ways to enhance the effectiveness of science-policy interactions through active participation of key stakeholders, take stock of science outcomes, and generate desirable impacts.

Expected outcomes and results

• Wider recognition of the success stories and best practices of regional science collaboration in the Koshi River basin
• Consolidation of research approach and methods, challenges and potential, target beneficiaries and key stakeholders for continued knowledge and capacity building on transboundary river basin management
• A way forward on enhancing the conversion of generated knowledge into policy and application, and promoting regional learning cooperation for effective policy support in the region and beyond

The event welcomes all interested participants at the 33rd International Geographical Congress to be held in Beijing, China on 21-25 August 2016. For those who would like to submit their abstract to this session for an oral or poster presentation, you are kindly requested to follow the instructions here for submission: http://www.igc2016.org/dct/page/70047.

For further information contact:

Dr Shahriar Wahid
Coordinator, Koshi Basin Programme
International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development

Dr Yili Zhang
Professor and Head of Department
Department of Land Science and Biogeography
Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research
Chinese Academy of Sciences
www.igsnrr.ac.cn