Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples Policies and Practices in Nepal

CLIMATE CHANGE AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES POLICIES AND PRACTICES IN NEPAL CLIMATE CHANGE AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES 1 2 CLIMATE CHANGE AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES CLIMATE CHANGE AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES POLICIES AND PRACTICES IN NEPAL Editors Krishna B. Bhattachan, PhD Pasang Sherpa, PhD Pasang Dolma Sherpa Language Editor Eric Saczuk, PhD Publisher NEFIN CIPRED CLIMATE CHANGE AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES 3 Published by Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN) Climate Change Partnership Program Chandol, Kathmandu, Nepal Email: info@nefi nclimatechange.org Website: www.nefi nclimatechange.org Centre for Indigenous Peoples’ Research and Development (CIPRED) Sundarbasti, Budhanilkhantha Municipality, Kathmandu, Nepal Website: www.cipred.org ©NEFIN and CIPRED, 2016 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Cover photos: Pasang Sherpa ISBN: 978-9937-001922 4 CLIMATE CHANGE AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES CONTENTS Introduction 7 Krishna B. Bhattachan, Pasang Sherpa, Pasang Dolma Sherpa Traditional Knowledge, Cultural Practice, Customary Laws Indigenous Peoples’ Customary Laws and Practices in Natural Resource Management: A Case Study of Ngisyang Valley, Manang 25 Pasang Sherpa Climate Change Concerns: Traditional Knowledge, Cultural Practices and Education In Nepal 48 Pasang Dolma Sherpa Climate Change Policies, Safeguard Measure and Global Negotiations Climate Change Policies and Programmes 69 Naya Sharma Paudel Safeguard Measures in Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Initiatives of Nepal 87 Tunga Bhadra Rai & Dil Raj Khanal Climate Change—Negotiations and Solutions 105 Ugan Manandhar Coping Strategies, Mitigation and Adaptation Coping with Floods and Global Warming: The case of Rolwaling valley 123 Ruedi Baumgartner Forest Conservation and Managements: An Option for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation 149 Roshani Dangi and Resham B. Dangi Climate Change Induced Livelihood Vulnerability Situation in Upper Tamakoshi River Basin, Nepal 170 Prem Sagar Chapagain, Pawan K. Ghimire and Deepak K.C Women’s Roles in Addressing the Issues of Climate Change Diversity in Situation and Role of Indigenous Women in Addressing Climate Change in Nepal 193 Yasso Kanti Bhattachan CLIMATE CHANGE AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES 5 Further References: Declarations and Negotiations on Climate Change in Relation to Indigenous Peoples 207 International indigenous peoples’ dialogue with states on the united nations framework convention on climate change (UNFCCC) negotiations 209 Asia indigenous peoples’ declaration on the 21st session of the UNFCCC- conference of parties (COP21) 213 International indigenous peoples’ forum on climate change (IIPFCC) 217 Outcome document of the high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly known as the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples 221 Indigenous Peoples International Declaration on Self-Determination and Sustainable Development 19 June, 2012, Rio De Janeiro 230 Declaration of the Indigenous Peoples of the World to the UNFCCC COP 17 International Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on Climate Change 234 Guidance and safeguards for policy approaches and positive incentives on issues relating to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries; and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries 239 The Anchorage Declaration 241 About the Editors and Contributors 246 6 CLIMATE CHANGE AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES INTRODUCTION CLIMATE CHANGE AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES 7 8 CLIMATE CHANGE AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES Introduction Krishna B. Bhattachan, PhD, Pasang Sherpa, PhD, Pasang Dolma Sherpa Background The problem of climate change is a relatively new pressing global concern. Efforts for mitigation and adaptation from its effects are drawing attention of all. Although indigenous peoples are not responsible for the causes of climate change, they are the ones who are at the forefront of its adverse impacts, especially in their sustainable management of natural resources and livelihood. The international research fi ndings have already revealed that the remaining forests in the world are found in the territories and lands of indigenous peoples because of their customary practices and indigenous knowledge. Scientists have now come up with their strong recommendations that until and unless we protect indigenous peoples’ knowledge and customary practices for sustainable management of forest and biodiversity, addressing the impacts of climate change is not possible. There is a need for a wider dissemination of customary laws and practices and their role in sustainable land, forest and natural resource management for the direct benefi t of indigenous leaders, policy makers, academics, and researchers. Also, there is need to create awareness about the importance of adaptation and mitigation of climate change in order to formulate climate change-related policies and programs accordingly and effectively. Global climate change "Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, and since the 1950s, many of the observed changes are unprecedented over decades to millennia. The atmosphere and ocean have become warmer, the amounts of snow and ice have diminished, sea level has risen and the concentrations of greenhouse gases have increased" (IPCC, 2013). This is the present scenario of the CLIMATE CHANGE AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES 9 impact of climate change, and it has been the focus of the world to address it before it further invites natural calamities due to climate change. Today the concerns of climate change have been a global agenda because of the possible global natural disaster and misbalance in the environment and human existence. This has been one of the reasons why The First World Climate Conference (1979) identifi ed climate change as an urgent world problem and issued a declaration calling on governments to anticipate and guard against potential climate hazards. Since then, A World Climate Program was set up, followed by World Metrological Organizations (WMO), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the International Council of Scientifi c Union (ICSU) and several intergovernmental conferences on climate change. In 1988, WMO and UNEP established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to assess the magnitude and timing of changes, estimate their impacts and present strategies for how to respond to the impact of climate change. In 1990, IPCC published the First Assessment Report on the state of the global climate, which has been basis for negotiations under the United Nations General Assembly on a Climate Change convention beginning in the late 1990s (UNFCCC, 2006). To bring a sustainable solution for the impact of climate change, the United Nation General Assembly launched negotiations on an international climate change convention in 1990, thus the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was adopted and opened for signature in 1992 and entered into force in 1994. For the fi rst time in 1995, the Conference of the Parties (COP) 1 of UNFCCC was held in Berlin, Germany with the Berlin Mandate. Since 1995, the COP has been held annually. The most recent COP 19 was held in Warsaw, Poland in 2013. The IPCC (2007) report presents evidence drawn from all continents that shows increasing regional climate change. Global warming is causing changes that will likely increase exponentially if no signifi cant shifts in policy take place. During COP 13 in Bali, Indonesia held in 2007, the issues and concerns of indigenous peoples was brought to the table for the fi rst time when the agreement for mitigating impacts of climate change through Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) was concluded. Since then, the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC) has been more active in following the negotiations of UNFCC to ensure and recognize the role and contribution 10 CLIMATE CHANGE AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES of indigenous peoples for sustainable forest management and biodiversity. However, the outcome of the negotiations has been criticized for not taking seriously the issues of climate change and its possible devastation on the lives of indigenous peoples especially for developing countries like Nepal. Initiatives of Nepal in addressing the issues of climate change Nepal has experienced an average maximum annual temperature increase of 0.06 degrees centigrade, which is higher in comparison to the global average temperature (0.02 degrees centigrade). This rate of increase is higher in the mountains than in other regions of Nepal because of the snow cover, where the impact of the rising temperature is higher. Despite having only 0.4 percent of the total global population and being responsible for only 0.025 percent of the total GHG emissions in the world (GoN, 2011), Nepal has been affected disproportionately, especially due to the increasing atmospheric temperature. Nepal became a party to the UNFCCC in 1992 and came into force in December 2005. Nepal has been selected to chair the 48 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) Coordination Group for two years starting in 2013. As chair of LDCs, Nepal has been advocating and lobbying on behalf of developing countries during the negotiations on climate change (Climate Change Network Nepal, 2011). In the process of negotiation and implementation of

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