South Asia Environment Outlook 2009
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South Asia Environment Outlook 2009 UNEP SAARC United Nations Environment Programme South Asia Environment Outlook 2009 UNEP United Nations Environment Programme Copyright © United Nations Environment Programme 2009 South Asia Environment Outlook : ISBN : 978-92-807-2954-2 , Job Number : DEW/1107/BA Disclaimers The content and views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the contributory experts, organizations. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and Development Alternatives (DA) neither do they imply any endorsement. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNEP, SAARC and DA concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or city or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers and boundaries. The mention of a commercial company or product in this publication does not imply the endorsement of UNEP, SAARC and DA. © Maps, photos and illustrations as specified. Citation United Nations Environment Programme and Development Alternatives (2008) South Asia Environment Outlook 2009: UNEP, SAARC and DA. Reproduction This publication may be reproduction in whole or in part and in any form for educational or non-profit purposes without special permission from the copyright holder, provided acknowledgement of the source in made. UNEP, SAARC and DA would appreciate receiving a copy of any publication that uses this publication as a source. No use of this publication may be made for resale or for any other commercial purpose whatsoever without prior permission in writing from UNEP, SAARC and DA. Applications for such permission, with a statement of purpose and intent of the reproduction, should be addressed to UNEP. The use of information from this publication concerning proprietary products for publicity or advertising is not permitted. Cover photographs: from top Atif Gulzar, Philip Niewold, Unlisted Images Inc Produced by: UNEP United Nations Environment Programme United Nations Environment Programme P.O. Box 30552, Nairobi 00100 Kenya Tel: (+254) 20 7621234. Fax: (+254) 20 7623927 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.unep.org Graphic and Layout: Motilal B. Soni Printed on 100% recycled papers with vegetable ink. UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME The Mission of the United Nations Environment Programme is to provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and people to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. SOUTH ASIAN ASSOCIATION FOR REGIONAL COOPERATION The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) provides a platform for the peoples of South Asia to work together in a spirit of friendship, trust and understanding. It UNEP promotes aims to accelerate the process of economic and social development in Member States. environmentally sound practices globally and in its own activities. This magazine is DEVELOPMENT ALTERNATIVES printed on 100% recycled paper, using Development Alternatives is a social enterprise dedicated to sustainable national development. Its mission is to create vegetable-based inks and other eco-friendly sustainable livelihoods on a large scale. Its strategy is to practices. Out distribution policy aims to innovate and deliver market based technologies and reduced UNEP’s carbon footprint. institutions that improve the lives of common people and the health of their environment. ii South Asia Environment Outlook, 2009 Foreword UNEP United Nations Environment Programme Among the ways that the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) fulfils its mandate to keep the state of the global environment under review is through the Global Environment Outlook (GEO) process. The GEO process provides scientifically credible and timely information for environmental policy development and management through global, regional, sub-regional, national and city-level assessment processes. The process is participatory and consultative, and features capacity building at its core, in line with the Bali Strategic Plan for Technology Support and Capacity Building, an agreed intergovernmental framework to strengthen capacity in developing countries and countries with economies in transition on a wide range of environmental issues. In collaboration with South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the South Asia Environment Outlook 2009 (SAEO-2009) is the result of a consultative process with governments and other partners from the nations of South Asia, sub-regional intergovernmental agencies and experts. This report provides an overview of the state of the natural environment in South Asia, including emerging trends, taking into account socio-economic factors. South Asia occupies about 5 per cent of the world’s land mass, but is home to about 20 per cent of the world’s population. This is expected to rise to about 25 per cent by 2025. Three-quarters of South Asia’s population lives in rural areas, with one-third living in extreme poverty (on less than a dollar a day). Their well-being is further compromised by indoor air pollution, which is a severe health hazard. The report concludes that South Asia is very vulnerable to climate change. Impacts of climate change have been observed in the form of glacier retreat in the Himalayan region, where the approximately 15,000 glaciers will likely shrink from the present total area of 500,000 km² to 100,000 km² by 2035. These glaciers form a unique reservoir, which supports perennial rivers such as the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra, which, in turn, are the lifeline of millions of people in South Asian countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan). This will exacerbate the challenges of poverty reduction and improving access to safe drinking water, two of the Millennium Development Goals. The SAEO-2009 report also highlights opportunities for action. These include focusing on a range of response options and instruments to address these challenges and emphasizing the need for increasing responsibilities and greater cooperative efforts by all stakeholders. Increased awareness of ecosystem services and new market-based management systems are recommended as important mechanisms to mainstream environment into social and economic development processes in the sub-region. I hope the report will provide a sound basis for policy making as SAARC and its member countries respond to the challenges of sustainable development in the 21st century. Achim Steiner United Nations Under-Secretary General and Executive Director United Nations Environment Programme iii iv South Asia Environment Outlook, 2009 Foreword SOUTH ASIAN ASSOCIATION FOR REGIONAL COOPERATION SECRETARIAT I am pleased to note that the South Asia Environment Outlook (SAEO) 2009 is being published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) with technical assistance from Development Alternatives, New Delhi. As a collaborative endeavour of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and UNEP, this publication provides a very useful account of the state of the environment in South Asia, the challenges faced as well as the various initiatives being pursued to protect, preserve and manage the diverse and fragile ecosystems of the region. Preservation and protection of the environment remains a high priority on the agenda of cooperation being pursued by the Member States of SAARC. The imperative of environmental conservation and management has been recognized and underscored by the Leaders of SAARC at successive Summits. Indeed, the directives issued by successive SAARC Summits provide continued impetus for strengthening and intensifying regional cooperation in this vital field. Today, in addition to the endeavours being pursued at the national level by the governments of Member States, there are a number of initiatives taken by SAARC at the regional level. The 1997 SAARC Plan of Action on Environment and the 2008 Dhaka Declaration and Action Plan on Climate Change are some of the most significant initiatives taken to strengthen regional cooperation in a comprehensive manner in the environment field. Furthermore, the Ministerial Meetings on Environment and the Technical Committee on Environment and Forestry periodically review progress and guide and steer collaborative endeavours at the regional level. The establishment of a number of Regional Centers such as the SAARC Meteorological Research Centre in Bangladesh, the SAARC Coastal Zone Management Centre in the Maldives, the SAARC Disaster Management Centre in India and the SAARC Forestry Centre in Bhutan constitute a framework of SAARC Institutions which address diverse aspects of environment. These initiatives and mechanisms demonstrate the high priority attached to environmental conservation and sustainable development by the Member States of SAARC. SAARC formalized its collaboration with UNEP with the signing of a MoU in June 2007. SAEO 2009 encapsulates our engagement with UNEP and we are confident that SAARC-UNEP cooperation will continue to grow in the coming years. SAEO 2009 provides important insights on the challenges that South Asia faces and will serve as a useful document to gauge and measure progress being achieved in our concerted endeavours to pursue sustainable development for the well-being of present and future generations in South Asia. I wish to commend UNEP for bringing