The Hindu Kush Himalaya Assessment: Mountains, Climate Change, Sustainability and People

This open access volume is the first comprehensive assessment of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region. It comprises important scientific research on the social, economic, and environmental pillars of sustainable mountain development and will serve as a basis for evidence-based decision-making to safeguard the environment and advance people’s well-being. The compiled content is based on the collective knowledge of over 300 leading researchers, experts and policymakers, brought together by the Hindu Kush Himalayan Monitoring and Assessment Programme (HIMAP) under the coordination of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). This assessment was conducted between 2013 and 2017 as the first of a series of monitoring and assessment reports, under the guidance of the HIMAP Steering Committee: Eklabya Sharma (ICIMOD), Atiq Raman (Bangladesh), Yuba Raj Khatiwada (Nepal), Linxiu Zhang (China), Surendra Pratap Singh (India), Tandong Yao (China) and David Molden (ICIMOD and Chair of the HIMAP SC). This First HKH Assessment Report consists of 16 chapters, which comprehensively assess the current state of knowledge of the HKH region, increase the understanding of various drivers of change and their impacts, address critical data gaps and develop a set of evidence-based and actionable policy solutions and recommendations. These are linked to nine mountain priorities for the mountains and people of the HKH consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals. This book is a must-read for policy makers, academics and students interested in this important region and an essentially important resource for contributors to global assessments such as the IPCC reports.

Foreword -- Preface -- Index -- Chapter 1 Introduction: Setting the Scene -- WG1 DRIVERS OF CHANGE AND INTEGRATED FUTURE SCENARIOS -- Chapter 2 Drivers of Change to Mountain Sustainability -- Chapter 3 Climate Change in the Hindu Kush Himalaya -- Chapter 4 Exploring Futures of the Hindu Kush Himalaya: Scenarios and Pathways -- WG2 SUSTAINABLE RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN THE HKH -- Chapter 5 Sustaining HKH Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services -- Chapter 6 Meeting Energy Needs in the HKH -- Chapter 7 Status and Change of the HKH Cryosphere -- Chapter 8 Water Security: Availability, Use, and Governance -- Chapter 9 Food and Nutrition Security in the HKH -- Chapter 10 Air Pollution in the HKH -- WG3 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE HKH -- Chapter 11 Disaster Risk Reduction and Increasing Resilience -- Chapter 12 Poverty and Vulnerability in Mountain Livelihoods -- Chapter 13 Adaptations to Climate Change -- Chapter 14 Gender and Inclusive Development -- Chapter 15 Migration in the HKH: Governance, Drivers, and Consequences -- Chapter 156 Environmental Governance in the HKH -- Bibliography.