MoFSC And ICIMOD Work To Implement A Regional Framework For Cooperation On Important Trans Boundary
Recognizing the global and regional significance of trans boundary landscapes, the Government of Nepal through its Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation has been working closely with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and partner institutions from Bhutan, China, India, and Nepal to facilitate the development of a regional cooperation framework for developing Transboundary Landscape Conservation and Development Initiatives. Cooperation across borders for the management of landscapes will help preserve the Hindu Kush Himalayan region’s unique biological diversity, valuable ecosystem goods and services, and value-based cultural and natural heritage while enhancing livelihood opportunities of the local communities of the most revered and sacred transboundary landscapes in the world, namely Kailash and Kangchenjunga.
In this context and for future cooperation in other landscapes, the Secretary of the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation (MoFSC), Dr. Krishna Chandra Paudel, and the Director General of ICIMOD, Dr. David Molden, signed a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in an official function held today at Hotel Himalaya. Prior to the ceremony, MoFSC held the 2nd National Coordination Committee Meeting for Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation and Development Initiative, in which several key decisions were taken for the implementation of the programme on ground.
This MoU sets forth areas and modalities of cooperation based on the understanding reached and broad areas identified for focusing the collaboration by both parties. The implementation of this MoU will be effected through agreements with key Nepalese institutions that share the common vision of long-term conservation initiatives based on regional transboundary cooperation and ecosystem management approaches. The Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation and Development Initiative is the pioneer programme supported by UK Aid and the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through German International Cooperation (GIZ). This initiative will go a long way in forging transnational cooperation between China, India, and Nepal by proactively engaging them in ensuring the sustained management of ecosystem services and protecting the welfare of millions of people living both upstream and downstream.
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