At a time when the trend towards warmer weather is increasing in Nepal’s highly vulnerable mountain regions causing glaciers to melt at a faster pace together with a shift in rainfall patterns, communities are at a higher risk of disaster. The Government of Nepal launched a US$42 million climate adaptation project to support sustainable livelihoods and food security for the vulnerable rural communities in the eastern part of the country.
The project, launched jointly by the Government of Nepal, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Environment Facility Least Developed Countries Fund, aims to introduce and scale-up integrated watershed management practices and climate-smart agriculture in Dudhkoshi, Molung, Likhu, and Sunkoshi Canyon within the lower Sunkoshi basin – four major watersheds that cover 782,68 square kilometers. Led by the Department of Forests and Soil Conservation, the project will directly benefit 121,606 people and takes into account:
- Agricultural production in the target watersheds of Nepal has been falling drastically over recent years resulting in an increase in seasonal and permanent migration.
- According to the World Bank (2017), over 80% of Nepal’s population live in rural areas.
- Approximately 66.5% of the national population of Nepal is engaged in agriculture.
- A heavy reliance on agriculture – largely subsistence and rain-fed farming – is a significant aspect of vulnerability in terms of climate change.
- As per the UNDP Human Development Report, over a third of the country live in ‘multidimensional poverty’ with 25% of the population living below the national poverty line.
- Floods and landslides have caused 8,196 deaths in Nepal between 1971 and 2013 with an average of 195 deaths per year.
Stating that people and the planet are intertwined and the health of watersheds is crucial to the resilience of communities, Secretary of the Ministry of Forests and Environment of Nepal, Dr. Bishwa Nath Oli, said, “This project will unite stakeholders at all levels – from the national government and local government to sectors to communities – to restore them, thereby helping secure lives and livelihoods into the future.”
Commenting that the impacts of climate change add significant challenges to development, the UNDP’s Resident Representative in Nepal, Ayshanie Medagangoda Labe, said, “This project is the continuation of what UNDP has been doing in Nepal to mainstream climate change adaptation and managing climate risks for a number of years through support for adaptation planning; reducing flood and glacial lake outburst risk and strengthening governance of climate finance.”
“As Nepal is preparing for the enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), we are pleased to take a step ahead and continue our partnership and support for an integrated watershed management approach,” Labe added. She also expressed hope that it would reinforce climate resilience and the livelihoods of the men and women living in the vicinity of the four vulnerable watersheds of Sunkoshi river basin.
Reflecting that, through this climate adaptation project, Nepal will improve its communities’ livelihoods and food security and help it to sustainably manage its vital ecosystems, Gustavo Fonseca, Global Environment Facility (GEF) Director of Programs, said, “It is a good example of the multiple benefits climate adaptation support can provide.”
The project aims to support the ambitions that Nepal has set out in the 15th five-year plan, the Climate Policy (2019), NDCs under the Paris agreement, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A grant of US$7 million from the Global Environment Facility and US$0.9 million from UNDP join a national investment of US$35 million in co-financing from federal and local government.
The project aims to complete an analysis of how the complicated challenges of climate change and the effects of COVID-19 will impact its implementation and will also support local government to make any adjustments required. By focusing on enhanced watershed management, the project is expected to strengthen hydro-meteorological monitoring, while also investing in community involvement in land and resource management.
