Back to news
14 Feb 2016 | News

The ‘Third Pole’: A Monitoring And Assessment Programme To Sustain The Hindu Kush Himalayan Region as a Global Asset

1 min Read

70% Complete

From 26-28 January 2016, the first writers’ workshop for the coordinating lead authors of the Hindu Kush Himalayan Monitoring and Assessment Programme (HIMAP) took place in Kathmandu, Nepal. HIMAP is a comprehensive assessment of the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region that aims to assist in addressing threats, act on opportunities, and scale up cutting edge approaches.

HIMAP frames the challenge as follows: “Outside of the North and South Poles, the HKH region contains the largest area of permanent ice cover in the world, which is why it is sometimes referred to as the ‘Third Pole’ of the earth. Its terrain encompasses the source of 10 major river systems, 4 global biodiversity spots, 330 important bird areas, and hundreds of mountain peaks over 6,000masl. The region provides water, ecosystem services, food, energy, and livelihood to 210 million people directly. An additional 1.3 billion people living downstream benefit from its resources indirectly and more than 3 billion people rely on energy produced in the basin catchment area of the Himalayan river systems. The region is also home to some of the most diverse cultures, languages, religions, and traditional knowledge systems in the world. For these reasons, the HKH region is clearly a major global asset, critical to the planet as a whole.”

READ MORE

20 Dec 2015 News
Building Capacity for Implementing Community Forestry in Afghanistan

  From 14–18 December 2015, a team of Afghani officials participated in a study visit to Nepal to learn about community-based ...

25 Dec 2015 News
‘Serdhak – The Golden Hill’ Receives ICIMOD Mountain Film Award 2015

  On 14 December 2015, ‘Serdhak – The Golden Hill’, a Chapproma production, received the ICIMOD Mountain Film Award 2015. The ...

25 May 2015 News
ICIMOD provides relief to earthquake-affected local staff

In the aftermath of the Great Earthquake of 25 April that ripped through north-central Nepal, ICIMOD put together ...

29 Jun 2022 News
Joining hands for stronger disaster preparedness and response in Dolakha, Nepal

Discussions during a consultation meeting among Upper Koshi Basin stakeholders focused around understanding different types of hazards; exploring various measures ...

8 Apr 2016 News
Strengthening Flood Risk Management in Bihar

The Expert Consultation Workshop on Improving Flood Risk Management in Bihar was organised by the Water Resources Department (WRD) of Bihar 18-19 ...

17 Sep 2015 News
Environmental media training for NEPA officials and media representatives

ICIMOD and the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) of Afghanistan organised a week-long Communication and Media Training on Environment from 24 to ...

14 Jun 2016 Water and air
Spring Management in Darchula

At daybreak, the villagers, mostly women and children, come out carrying containers of different shapes and sizes. They walk to ...

16 Dec 2013 News
White paper launched on COP 19 sidelines

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) supported the launch of the Association of International Research ...