Himalayan Glaciers & Rivers Project and Climate witness project

The Eastern Himalayas, also known as the water towers of Asia, have the largest concentrations of glaciers outside the polar region. Himalayan Glaciers & Rivers Project and Climate witness project - Assessment of perception of local community towards adverse impact of climate change in Eastern Himalayan region by WWF in Nepal has been documenting the threats posed by retreating glaciers in order to understand the potential environmental crisis. This information is then used for planning effective management and contingency plans with community participation.

The project aims to bring realities of climate change impacts to the public, policy makers and the enthusiasts. The national focus areas for this project are Sagarmatha National Park (SNP) and Kangchenjunga Conservation Area (KCA).

The project has been following a four-module approach. Module-1 studied the effect of climate change on five glaciers in the Nepal and Indian Himalayas to develop a model to predict the behaviour of these glaciers under future climate scenarios. The five glaciers/glacial regions being Shorong Himal, Khumbu Region, Langtang Region, Dhaulagiri Region and Kangchenjunga Region. A summary report was published under this project - on glaciers, glacier retreat, and subsequent impacts in Nepal, India and China. The other modules of the project deal with Freshwater Vulnerability Assessment (FVA), development, facilitation and implementation of a Community Driven Management Response (CDMR) strategy and dissemination of the project learnings among the key stakeholders and in national and international fora.

Project INDEPTH (International DEep Profiling of Tibet and the Himalaya)

Project INDEPTH, had pioneered the use of deep seismic reflection profiling for geophysical and geological studies designed to develop a better understanding of the geological structures and tectonic movements of the Himalaya-Tibet region.

During Phase I of the project (summer of 1992) carried out in the summer of 1992, INDEPTH was successful in identifying and tracing the principal fault (Main Himalaya Thrust, or MHT) and detecting the deepest Moho yet imaged by CMP-type seismic profiling. Phase II (1994 and 1995) involved an expanded program of active and passive seismic surveys as well as new geological field mapping and magneto-telluric sounding that revealed "bright spots" suggestive of active magma accumulation and extensive presence of fluids in the upper middle crust. Phase III was intended to provide essential information on the structure of the lithosphere beneath the Tibetan Plateau, quantify the magnitude of lithospheric shortening at depth, the extent of melting and its role in shortening and uplift.

Deep seismic reflection data collected during the project across the southern Lhasa terrain of the Tibetan plateau provided new details regarding crustal deformation during plateau evolution. Deep seismic reflection profiles south of the Indus-Tsangpo Suture Zone (ITSZ) revealed major crustal structures beneath the Tethyan Himalaya associated with the tectonic collision.

HKKH Partnership Project

The HKKH Partnership Project is a regional initiative spread across three countries (Nepal, Pakistan, Tibet autonomous region of China) for systemic planning and management of socio-ecosystems in the Hindu Kush-Karakoram-Himalaya region (HKKH). The project implemented by IUCN (in partnership with ICIMOD, Ev-K2-CNR and CESVI) is functional at regional, national and grassroots level with special focus on three protected areas: Sagarmatha National Park (Nepal), Central Karakoram National Park (Pakistan) and Qomolongma Nature Preserve in Tibet.

The project aims to devise a modular Decision Support Toolbox (DST) for ecosystem management, with software and participatory modules, based on systemic approach. Participatory 3D modeling in the Sagarmatha National Park was carried out under the project to build local capacity for sustainable ecosystem management in 2007. The 3D model will be used by the local stakeholders for planning, monitoring and conflict resolution.

The project assists the local stakeholders in application of the new tools in the local level pilot plots, exchange of data, knowledge and experiences across the region and the development of a management-oriented research framework. Preliminary baseline studies have been carried out on wildlife, glaciology, biodiversity, forestry and livelihoods. A database has been developed with the research literatures, working papers, maps, data related to 3D models, posters, satellite images and spatial datasets. GIS databases will also be developed to be included in the applications of the DST for the three national parks.

SHARE - Asia Project

SHARE-Asia (Stations for High Altitude Research in India) is an initiative by the Ev-K2-CNR Committee to create a monitoring network along the Himalaya-Karakorum range for studying meteorological and climatic parameters, atmospheric chemistry, glaciology, high altitude limnology and paleo-limnology, as well as for precise determination of the Earth surface coordinates.

The rewarding experience of the Pyramid Laboratory-Observatory, at the base of Mount Everest (5,050 m) led to realization of the importance of such monitoring results and requirement of a network. The network will be developed in three phases. In the first step a network of 10 high altitude stations (between 2500-5000 m) equipped with advanced and automatic system for the management and transmission of data will be set up between Pakistan and Bhutan. In the second stage, research staff will carry out of sampling and each station will be provided with a laboratory for chemical analysis. The third stage will include systematic research study in limnology, glaciology, and geology, local analysis and territorial investigations in close collaboration with local scientific institutions.

These monitoring stations are already part of several important international projects such as: CEOP (Coordinated Enhanced Observed Period), ABC Project (Atmospheric Brown Clouds) and will be part of other international programs, such as: GAW (Global Atmospheric Watch), IGAC (The International Global Atmospheric Chemistry Project), GLIMS (Global Land Ice Measurement from Space) and ASTER (Advanced Space-borne Thermal Emission and reflection Radiometer).