Side Event

Facing the Challenges of Mountain Biodiversity Conservation and Management in Changing Climate across the Hindu Kush-Himalayan Region

Organizer
International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development

Date and Time
25 October 2010 16:30 - 18:0

Meeting
Tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 10)

During the side event, ICIMOD aims to invite a high level delegation from its eight regional member countries namely, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan of the Hindu Kush-Himalayan (HKH) region. A panel discussion by the high level delegation is envisaged. The purpose of the side event is: 1) to raise awareness among the international community about the HKH region’s vulnerability as a hotspot for biodiversity and climate and other environmental changes, how its mountain communities are being affected, and the consequences in terms of biodiversity, and ultimately for ecosystem services, food security, and people’s livelihoods in the mountains, downstream and beyond; 2) to give the countries in the HKH region a forum to share with the international community and among themselves the biodiversity-related policies and strategic measures that their national governments are pursuing to respond to these challenges; 3) to share the analysis of the implementation of mountain biodiversity and protected area programmes of work of the CBD by the HKH countries; and 4) to solicit suggestions for a regional initiative on research needs on climate change and biodiversity, in other words developing common understanding and links between the UNFCCC and CBD programme of work on mountains specially in the HKH region.