About the workshop

We are organising a three-day workshop that will help us develop a draft strategy to monitor permafrost in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region and define ICIMOD’s role in the process. This workshop will also contribute to developing a framework for regional cooperation to monitor permafrost changes and its consequences in High Mountain Asia.

Furthermore, the workshop will define a working group focused on generating and imparting the permafrost know-how for the HKH and conceptualise an integrated approach for comprehensive monitoring of permafrost in the region. The workshop is being organised as a follow-up to the permafrost forum held online in September 2021.

Objectives

• Share existing knowledge related to permafrost in the HKH and benefit from knowledge on permafrost related issues beyond the region
• Discuss approaches and methods for permafrost monitoring in the HKH and how different institutions can contribute to the monitoring
• Discuss key knowledge gaps in permafrost monitoring
• Formulate a strategy for monitoring permafrost and study the effects of permafrost change that will feed into the MTAP-V Action Area on Cryosphere
• Build communication between ICIMOD and interested institutions to collaborate on future permafrost monitoring and analysis and form a working group
• Discuss policy landscape corresponding to climate change impacts and adaptation linked to permafrost change

Expected outputs and outcomes

• Formulation of permafrost activity in the Cryosphere Action Area under MTAP-V and other relevant action areas such as river basins and natural hazards
• Formation of the permafrost working group for the HKH to communicate and collaborate on permafrost work
• Defined objectives and an action plan for the permafrost working group
• Identified key knowledge gaps, and strategy, approaches, and methods for future permafrost monitoring in the HKH discussed during the workshop