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Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research

Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research

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Project • CRRP2021-04MY-Paudel

Enhancing ecosystem-based adaptation to disaster risk reduction in the Himalayan river basin: Integrating traditional and local knowledge in disaster management plan in Nepal, India and Bangladesh

South Asian countries, Nepal, Bangladesh, and India share the same Himalayan ecosystem and represent one of the world’s most diverse regions in terms of language, culture, religion and geography. The floodplain riverscape of Koshi River Basin (KRB) — from source to sink (e.g., Nepal to Bangladesh via India) is one of the largest river basins of Gangas in the Himalayas encompassing the diverse communities where people have maintained strong links to ecosystem dynamics and developed knowledge, practices, and institutions to accommodate recurrent disturbances and natural ecosystems, yet is also among the most vulnerable area to disasters (e.g., landslides, floods, and sedimentation). It has been acknowledged that integration of ecosystem-based local knowledge strengthens those ecosystems and in doing so enhance community resilience to impacts of climate change and disasters. However, such practices are neither well documented nor integrated into mitigation strategies. The main aim of this project is to identify, explain and develop a ‘proof of concept’ about Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) to Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in the floodplain riverscape of the Koshi River Basin (KRB) in Nepal, India and Bangladesh. We will systematically document the state of traditional and local ecological knowledge (TLEK) to DRR, and evaluate the extent of resilience provided by TLEK using both empirical and theoretical frameworks.

Prakash K Paudel, Ph.D. Team leader, Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences, Kathmandu Nepal

Henry P. Huntington, Ph.D. Eagle River, AK 99577 USA

Project publications

Peer-reviewed publication • 2024

Integrating traditional and local knowledge into disaster risk reduction policies: Insights from Nepal, India and Bangladesh

Peer-reviewed publication • 2024

Mainstreaming ecosystem-based approaches into disaster risk reduction policies: A comparative study of Nepal, India, and Bangladesh

Peer-reviewed publication • 2024

Pathways of ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction: A global review of empirical evidence

CRRP2021-04MY-Paudel - Policy brief 8

Brief • 2024

Policy brief: Disasters in the Mountains of Nepal: The Impact of Poorly Planned Development Irrespective of Landforms

CRRP2021-04MY-Paudel - Policy brief 9

Brief • 2024

Policy brief: The Role of Cultural Beliefs, Myths, and Faith Needs to Be Acknowledged in Strengthening Community Response to Disaster Risk Reduction

CRRP2021-04MY-Paudel - Policy brief 7

Brief • 2023

Policy brief: Local practices to mitigate salinity problem in coastal Bangladesh: Lesson from the ground reality

CRRP2021-04MY-Paudel - Policy brief 6

Brief • 2023

Policy brief: Indigenous knowledge and weather forecasting: A weapon to predict extreme weather events

CRRP2021-04MY-Paudel - Policy brief 5

Brief • 2023

Policy brief: Traditional knowledge of planting vegetation on verges and slopes for slope stabilization needs to be promoted in the local development program

Brief • 2023

Policy brief: Local crop varieties strengthen community resilience to disasters: a policy brief for Nepal, India and Bangladesh

Brief • 2023

Policy brief: Reinvigorating neglected land: a policy brief for harnessing economic opportunities in river floodplains

Brief • 2023

Policy brief: Disaster-proofing our communities: The urgent need for local governments to prioritize development based on risk assessment

Brief • 2023

Policy brief: Strengthening traditional institutions for community-based disaster risk reduction

Peer-reviewed publication • 2023

Ecosystem restoration reduces community vulnerability to waterinduced disasters: Need to rethink Chure conservation in Nepal