The representatives of this three countries met at the First Regional Workshop on the Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation Initiative held last week in Almora, Uttarakhand. The three day workshop was organised by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and hosted by the GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development (GBPIHED), supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation Initiative (KSLCI) focuses on developing a transboundary regional cooperation framework for conservation and sustainable development. The preparatory phase of 18 months started in August 2009 following consultations with governments and partners in China, India and Nepal. This Initiative is the first pilot for implementation of ICIMOD's 'Trans-Himalayan Transects Programme' which encompasses seven landscapes and four transects in the Hindu Kush-Himalayas, and aims to focus and increase the effectiveness of research and development activities.

Development of the Regional Cooperation Framework for the Kailash Landscape is being facilitated by ICIMOD with support from UNEP. The Landscape, which includes the southwestern portions of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, and adjacent Himalayan regions in India and Nepal, is among the most culturally and ecologically diverse and fragile areas in the world, and has sacred significance for hundreds of millions of people in Asia, and around the globe The framework is expected to focus on transboundary biodiversity, and environmental and cultural conservation; scientific and technical cooperation; information exchange and sharing; and regional guidelines and policy mechanisms. The framework is being prepared based on the principles of participatory management, equity, sustainability, partnerships, ecosystem approach, lessons-learned approach, and transboundary cooperation.

This first regional workshop had 35 participants representing 18 institutions and including senior government officials led by Joint Secretaries from the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, and the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, Government of Nepal, and senior officials from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, PR China. Representatives of the lead partners - the Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development, India, and the Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Nepal - reported the progress of the feasibility assessment studies and the review of the policy and enabling environment. The feasibility assessment included delineation of the target landscape by each of the countries following common agreed criteria, and the workshop finalised the landscape area. Other topics in the feasibility included country-wise descriptions of the landscape, status of resources, culture and heritage sites, tourism/pilgrimage status and potentials, environmental degradation and cultural integrity, identification of priority areas, community perception on biodiversity, cultural values and best-suited livelihood options, enabling environment assessment through policy review and finally the identification of gap areas. All three countries will finalise their reports after these discussions. ICIMOD will prepare a regional landscape map, and synthesise the feasibility report, policy and enabling environment report, conservation strategy, and environmental monitoring plan, all of which will feed into the regional cooperation framework.

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, ICIMOD, is a regional knowledge development and learning centre serving the eight regional member countries of the Hindu Kush-Himalayas - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan - and based in Kathmandu, Nepal. Globalisation and climate change have an increasing influence on the stability of fragile mountain ecosystems and the livelihoods of mountain people. ICIMOD aims to assist mountain people to understand these changes, adapt to them, and make the most of new opportunities, while addressing upstream-downstream issues. We support regional transboundary programmes through partnership with regional partner institutions, facilitate the exchange of experience, and serve as a regional knowledge hub. We strengthen networking among regional and global centres of excellence. Overall, we are working to develop an economically and environmentally sound mountain ecosystem to improve the living standards of mountain populations and to sustain vital ecosystem services for the billions of people living downstream - now, and for the future.