A two day long Sustainable Mountain Development Summit of the Indian Mountain Initiative (IMI) concluded on 22 May in Nainital (Uttarakhand) India. The summit covered issues related to hydropower, climate change adaptation, rural tourism and community forestry.

The summit was inaugurated by Mrs. Margaret Alva, Governor of Uttarakhand state in India. Mrs. Alva in her inaugural speech said that in coming years human kind will increasingly depend on mountain resources like water, biodiversity and recreation, while with growing population the they are becoming scarce posing problems to sustainable mountain development.

She raised the concerns related to community participation and institutional issues in hydropower development in mountainous regions and need of small and technically sound hydropower generation projects. She stressed upon the need of information sharing platform in South Asia and Himalayan region on various mountain and environment issues.

Mrs. Alva also highlighted the need of adoption of environment friendly travel policies by the governments for VVIPs in India and the implementation of energy efficient buildings in mountain regions.

Dr. Andreas Schild Director General of ICIMOD Nepal emphasized upon the need of Sustainable Mountain Development and taking mountain agenda forward during RIO+20. He informed that despite a number of global and regional meetings mountain agenda was not be given due importance by world leaders as it should have been. He lauded upon the need of generating robust scientific knowledge in Himalayan region which is at present deficit of knowledge.

He advocated that during RIO+20 there is the need to further define sustainable mountain development-SMD agenda by covering socio-economic development in considering poverty, looming livelihood opportunities and disrupted ecosystem functions in the region. Dr. Schild noted that as per experiences local level adaptation is happing and communities in Himalayan region are able to adapt, but, there is the need of learning and knowledge sharing mechanisms in place.

He said, given that we have mountain specific technologies available in some or other ways, there is the need of new knowledge & research and conducive government policies. He has also shown his concerns related to UNFCCs major documents those do not have mountain agenda in focus, affecting the RIO+20 meeting on SMD agenda. Dr. Schild mentioned that during RIO Summit in 1992 the mountain agenda was brought to the forefront by European delegation, and it is now the turn of developing countries of the Himalayan region to take agenda forward in RIO+20.

Mr. Manfred Haebig of GIZ India informed about various developmental projects supported by GIZ across India on various socio environmental issues including in Indian Himalayan region. He mentioned that GIZ is supporting various developing countries across the globe on various projects in climate change adaptation, environment, energy and sustainable economic development.

Dr. R. S Tolia Convener of IMI summit informed about the initiative and need of mainstreaming SMD agenda in to the planning of all 11 Indian mountain states. He said that the summit throws up new ideas, new initiatives and renewed reorientation of SMD in context to known ‘Himalayan Dilemma’.

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