Chapter 2 – Description of Target Landscape Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation Initiative Feasibility Assessment Report 1 Kang Rinpoche གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ – Gangrénboqí Feng 冈仁波齐峰 – Kaila´sa Parvata s}nfz kj{t Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation Initiative Feasibility Assessment Report Editors Robert Zomer Krishna Prasad Oli International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Kathmandu, Nepal, July 2011 Published by International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development GPO Box 3226, Kathmandu, Nepal Copyright © 2011 International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) All rights reserved. Published 2011 ISBN 978 92 9115 209 4 (printed) 978 92 9115 211 7 (electronic) LCCN 2011-312010 Photos: p 6, Sally Walkerman; p 38, Govinda Basnet; all others, Robert Zomer Printed and bound in Nepal by Sewa Printing Press, Kathmandu, Nepal Production team Isabella Bassignana-Khadka (Consultant editor) Susan Sellars-Shrestha (Consultant editor) Andrea Perlis (Senior editor) A Beatrice Murray (Senior editor) Dharma R Maharjan (Layout and design) Asha Kaji Thaku (Editorial assistant) Note This publication may be reproduced 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 is made. ICIMOD 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 ICIMOD. The views and interpretations in this publication are those of the author(s). They are not attributable to ICIMOD and do not imply the expression of any opinion concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries, or the endorsement of any product. This publication is available in electronic form at www.icimod.org/publications Citation: Zomer, R; Oli, KP (eds) (2011) Kailash sacred landscape conservation initiative – Feasibility assessment report. Kathmandu: ICIMOD Contents Foreword v Contributors vi Acknowledgements vii Acronyms and Abbreviations viii Executive Summary ix 1 Introduction 1 Background 1 Methodology and Approach 3 2 Description of Target Landscape 7 Delineation of Target Landscape 7 Overview and Description of the KSL Target Area 7 Physical and Biological Characteristics of the KSL 12 Land Use and Land Cover 18 Biological Diversity 26 Wildlife Habitat Management and Conservation Areas 31 3 Resource Status, Environmental Degradation, and Cultural Integrity 39 Background 39 Major Degradation Trends in Land, Water and Human Environment 39 Biodiversity Loss and Threatened Flora and Fauna 45 4 Community Perceptions 51 Biodiversity and Environment 51 Cultural Values and Resource Management 52 Livelihood Options 53 Policies and Plans 54 5 Identification of Priorities and Gap Assessment 55 Biodiversity and Environment 55 Sustainable Livelihoods 60 Cross-Cutting Issues 61 Transboundary Cooperation 62 6 Policy and Enabling Environment 65 Background 65 International and Regional Obligations 66 National Policies and Legal Instruments 71 Traditional Institutions and Customary Laws 80 Policy Constraints and Conflicts 81 Policy Needs, Gaps, and Priorities 83 Enhancing Regional Cooperation 88 References 91 iii Tables 1. Basic attributes of the transboundary KSL 9 2. Basic attributes of KSL-China, KSL-India, and KSL-Nepal 9 3. Major mountain peaks in the KSL 12 4. Classification of the KSL by elevation zone 13 5. Forest management regimes in the KSL 20 6. Crops grown in KSL-India 21 7. Agrobiodiversity in Humla District in KSL-Nepal 22 8. Ecologically and/or culturally significant lakes in the KSL 24 9. Glacial coverage in the KSL 24 10. Demographic patterns in the KSL 25 11. Endemic plant species of the KSL 28 12. Faunal diversity of the KSL 29 13. Protected areas in or adjacent to the KSL 35 14. Threatened, rare, and endangered, and vulnerable plant species of the KSL 46 15. Globally and regionally threatened fauna of the KSL 47 16. Overlapping legal provisions governing natural resources in Nepal 83 Figures 1. Map of the KSL 8 2. Classification of the KSL by elevation zone 13 3. Ecoregions of the KSL 15 4. Land cover map of the KSL 19 5. Major glaciers in the KSL 25 6. Number of tourists visiting Mount Kailash in TAR-China 37 iv Foreword The Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation Initiative (KSLCI) is the first cooperation of its kind among China, India, and Nepal, and seeks to conserve and sustainably manage a highly unique and special landscape through the application of transboundary ecosystem management approaches. It was conceived and is being implemented in collaboration with partner institutions in all three countries and with the support of ICIMOD and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). This region, like much of the rest of the Hindu Kush-Himalayas, faces many challenges, not the least of which are global warming, globalisation, and environmental degradation. The Kailash region is considered sacred to five major religions and to a large number of people in Asia and throughout the world. As such, its charismatic role as an example of the urgent need to preserve both the cultural global heritage and global biodiversity cannot be overestimated. The initiative directly addresses the challenges laid out in the Convention on Biological Diversity, and promotes the goals and approach described in the Convention’s Programme of Work on Mountain Biodiversity. The preparatory phase of the initiative developed the basis for implementation of a long-term strategy, and for a participatory and transboundary approach for sustainable development and conservation in the Kailash region. It is envisioned that this will lead to enhanced regional cooperation among China, India, and Nepal for the implementation of ecosystem management approaches in the Kailash Landscape. As a basis for moving forward with implementation, lead partners in each of the three countries have completed comprehensive country feasibility assessments. These have been synthesised into this Feasibility Assessment Report, which constitutes the basic needs and feasibility assessment for the entire target area and also includes the policy and enabling environment analysis. This regional-level report represents the efforts of many scientists and colleagues in each of the three countries, who have spent many days conducting field visits and research to assemble the formidable quantity of information and analysis which is needed to describe the Landscape. It is the core component leading up to the development of a conservation strategy and associated comprehensive environmental monitoring strategic plan for the landscape. Our thanks and gratitude are extended to all the national partners and other stakeholders who contributed to this consultative process and who are helping to build the regional networks that will be the basis for regional cooperation. National ownership and community-based conservation initiatives are the foundation for the sustainability of the Kailash Initiative, and this document is a first example of this regional cooperation. As the Initiative progresses, building the implementation frameworks, regional networks, and community-based structures to apply ecosystem management and landscape conservation approaches, this participatory process of shared responsibility and differentiated approaches will evolve. With the completion of this feasibility assessment we have moved a big step closer towards providing an example of transboundary ecosystem management approaches that can be replicated throughout the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region. Andreas Schild Director General, ICIMOD v Contributors ICIMOD Core Team: RJ Zomer, KP Oli, E Sharma Contributors: N Chettri, U Sharma, B Shakya, S Chaudhary, S Jaiswal, J Gurung, B Bajracharya, K Uddin UNEP T Kasten, E Migongo-Bake (Nairobi), S Sinha (Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific) KSL-China Core Team Shi Peili, Zhou Caiping -- Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research (IGSNRR) Yang Yongping -- Kunming Institute of Botany (KIB) Tian Lide – Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research (ITPR) Luorong Zhandui, Zong Gang, Fan Yibing -- China Tibetology Research Center (CTRC) KSL-India Core Team LMS Palni, RS Rawal -- GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development (GBPIHED) GS Rawat -- Wildlife Institute of India (WII) N Verma -- Uttarakhand Forest Department (UKFD) M Chandran – Uttarakhand Forest Department (UKFD) Contributors K Kumar, DS Rawat, S Sharma, SCR Vishvakarma, GCS Negi, ID Bhatt, AK Sahani, K Chandra Sekar, R Joshi, S Airi -- GBPIHED BS Adhikari, GS Bhardwaj, S Sathyakumar, VK Melkani, VP Uniyal -- WII KSL-Nepal Core Team RP Chaudhary, KK Shrestha, PK Jha -- Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University KP Bhatta -- Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation Initiative (KSLCI) consultant Contributors AN Das, S Rimal -- Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation (MoFSC), Nepal M Acharya, R Maharjan, RN Sah, SM Shrestha – Department of Forest, Government of Nepal BK Uprety – Ministry of Environment, Government of Nepal G Basnet – Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation Initiative (KSLCI) consultant T Basnet, SK Ghimire, M Siwakoti, M Acharya, KC Paudel, P Bhattarai, RK Gautam, M Limbu -- Tribhuvan University N Belbase – Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation Initiative (KSLCI) consultant S Bhatta – Department of National Parks and Wildlife