The Department of Science and Technology (DST) of Government of India is organizing a 2 days stakeholders workshop at Palampur in Himachal Pradesh during 6-7 Oct 2012 on National Mission for Sustaining Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE), one of the eight missions of Government of India’s National Action Plan for Climate Change (NAPCC).  The purpose of the workshop is to bring all the stakeholders on a single platform to discuss and debate the possible strategies, actions and plans which can help achieving the mission’s objectives.

The nodal agency DST thinks that the NMSHE being a national mission has a challenge to evolve a coordinated approach with the participation of all the stakeholders from the Himalayan States of India, therefore, requiring a unique implementation strategy. This is a mission where the aim is not only to achieve time targeted goals but also to put in place specific strategies and plans to achieve sustenance of Himalayan ecosystem on a long term basis. Creation of Knowledge Networks and Human & Institutional Capacity Building are the key areas which need to be given priority.

The expected outcomes of the workshop are:

1. Enrolment of stakeholder institutions/ organizations into the mission
2. Identification of knowledge gaps which need to be addressed through human & institutional capacity building in climate change related aspects.
3. Identification of possible knowledge networks and R&D Projects under NMSHE
4. Identify roles of state governments/ central ministries and others in the mission

Background:

The Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change (PMCCC) launched a National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) in June 2008 which comprises of eight major national missions. The “National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE)” is one among those. The Department of Science & Technology, Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India has been entrusted with the responsibility of coordinating and implementing this mission. The mission aims to understand the complex processes affecting the Himalayan ecosystem and evolve suitable management and policy measures for sustaining and safeguarding the Himalayan ecosystem. It also aims at developing, in a time bound manner, a sustainable national capacity to continuously assess the health status of the Himalayan ecosystem and assist Himalayan States in implementing actions selected for sustainable development. The fragility of Himalaya calls for dedicated and coordinated efforts from all stakeholders that include state and central governments, non–government organizations, academic institutions, civil society organizations, etc.

The mission attempts to address some important issues concerning:

1. a) Himalayan glaciers and the associated hydrological consequences
2. b) Biodiversity conservation and protection
3. c) Wildlife conservation and protection
4. d) Traditional knowledge societies and their livelihood, and
5. e) Planning for sustaining of the Himalayan Ecosystem

The Objectives of NMSHE are:

1. Networking of knowledge institutions engaged in research on Himalayan Ecosystem and to generate a coherent database for its sustainable development
2. Building Human and Institutional capacities in climate change related aspects
3. To assist the IHR States with informed actions required for the sustenance of the region.
4. To assess the socio-economic and ecological consequences of global environmental changes and design appropriate strategies for growth in the economy of the region
5. To study traditional knowledge systems for community participation in adaptation, mitigation and coping mechanisms
6. To detect and decouple natural and anthropogenic global environmental changes and project future trends on potential impacts
7. To evaluate policy alternatives for regional development plans
8. To create awareness amongst stakeholders in the region
9. To develop regional cooperation to generate a strong knowledge and database for policy interventions

About DST

The Climate Change Programme (CCP) of DST is coordinating two national missions on climate change namely the National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change and the National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem. The CCP is planning to implement NMSHE by involving all possible stakeholders. The workshop is a step in this direction.

Source: IHBT/CCPD