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Newsletter

Volume 5, July 2001

Volume 5,#4-5 July-December 2001

Volume 6,#1 January-April 2002

Volume 6,#2 May-August 2002

Volume 2060/01 Nepali Newsletter (.zip format)

Brochures

IUCN Nepal in Action (.pdf, 1.27 MB)

IUCN Nepal celebrates World Wetlands Day 2004

Environmental enthusiasts in Nepal joined hands with IUCN Nepal in commemorating the World Wetlands Day (WWD) under the theme "From Mountains to the Sea - Wetlands at Work for Us."

As in the past, IUCN Nepal has used World Wetlands Day 2004 to sound the alarm over the Himalayan Kingdom's disappearing wetlands, which include four Ramsar sites, and attract over 20 thousands migratory birds from across the world.

The wetlands day celebrations 2004 included national level interaction and sensitization programmes, media briefings, exhibitions, and a series of awareness raising programmes both in print and electronic media. This is the third consecutive year in which IUCN Nepal has successfully mobilised media with over 24 news items (hard, features and anchors), and broadcast more than 20 outreach documentaries and discussions networking through the national, regional and local television and FM radio grid systems.

Briefing the media representatives, Dr. Mahesh Banskota, Country Representative of IUCN Nepal said, "This year we want to send out a reminder for WWD. Wetlands are an essential part of our lives. They (wetlands) work for us everyday from the mountains to the plains and it's a responsibility of each one of us to consider how we might help in the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands."

IUCN Nepal at the Int'l Mountain Museum

IUCN Nepal supported an exhibition gallery in the International Mountain Museum (IMM) at Pokhara, Nepal.

The museum has been constructed by Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) with an objective to providing information on domestic and international mountain heroes and mountain life and livelihoods.

During the official opening ceremony held on February 5, 2004, Prime Minister of Nepal Surya Bahadur Thapa inspected the IUCN Gallery. Of the most notable exhibited items include crazy corner, children's interactive quiz corner, Himalayan NTFP and agro-biodiversity model, mountain birds and butterflies pictorial and descriptive information, and mountain protected areas and socio-cultural dimension.

IUCN Nepal's contribution to IMM is expected to provide ample opportunity to visitors with examples based on a broad reflection and perfectly documented mountain experiences, anecdotes and success factors that value effective knowledge management at the museum.

Regional Workshop on Access and Benefit Sharing: Relevance of Traditional Knowledge and International Property Rights

KATHMANDU, April 22 – Privatisation of knowledge, resources and information has come here to stay. What was all for ‘public good’ has become ‘private property'. Increasing globalization, market forces besides changes in lifestyles have caused us dearly in social, economic and environmental terms. Do we know who owns what? How to access and use resources sustainably? How to remove inequality from the society for national development? Can the Asia region ‘raise its voice’ at international levels on finding lasting solutions that will secure rural livelihoods? These were some of the questions that were discussed and answers attempted at the 3-day “Asia Regional Consultation Workshop on “Access and Benefit Sharing: Relevance of Traditional Knowledge and Intellectual Property Rights for an International Regime” held in Lalitpur, Kathmandu, between 19-21 April, 2004.  

Organised by IUCN Nepal Country office and the IUCN Asia Regional Biodiversity Programme, and attended by senior policy makers and practitioners from 9 countries in Asia, this consultation workshop has provided the guiding framework for the development of ‘International Regime on Access and Benefit Sharing” that was mandated by the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) held in Johannesburg during 2002.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Shankar Sharma, Vice Chairman of the National Planning Commission, emphasized the need for linking issues of access to protecting local livelihoods. He said, “Nepal has ample opportunities to utilize its biodiversity for the socio-economic development, improving the living standard of the people through benefit sharing mechanisms”. Further, referring to the increasing focus of the country on achieving the elements of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) for Nepal, Dr. Sharma mentioned the need to inventory the biological resources we have in the country and to provide adequate protection to the resources from unauthorised use and improper transfers.  

Mr. Chandi Prasad Shrestha, Secretary of the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, outlined the national as well as local initiatives undertaken by the government in documenting traditional knowledge, conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity and linking issues of IPRs for national development.  “We cannot be complacent about this fact and being signatories to CBD we have a national responsibility to respond to the decision”, he said and stressed the need for finalizing the draft “Access and Benefit Sharing” Bill and the Policy. 

 “Even today Nepal can boast of several traditional practices and technologies that need promotion as well as wide use. Nepal’s agro-biodiversity has provided the basis for several improvements both within and outside the region. The need for protection of traditional knowledge and practices of local communities can be ensured through the Access and Benefit Sharing Bill and Policy”, said Mr. Poorna Prasad Manandhar, Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. 

Citing the beginnings of linkages between Environment and Development to the 1972 Stockholm Summit to the evolution of thinking and commitments at the WSSD in 2002, Dr. Balakrishna Pisupati, Head of IUCN Asia Regional Biodiversity Programme mentioned the need for national action and regional cooperation to achieve lasting sustainable development. “This consultation provides an opportunity for designing regional cooperation mechanisms besides providing support for technology transfer options, common policy development and implementation” said Dr. Balakrishna. 

The consultation was organized in 4 sessions – global scenario on the issues, country experiences, linkage options between ABS, IPRs and TK, group discussions and regional cooperation options. The outcomes of the consultation will be submitted to the Secretariat to the CBD in the form of a document called, “International Regime on ABS: From Kathmandu to Brazil”.

IUCN Nepal celebrates Biodiversity Day

KATHMANDU, Nepal (May 22) - Building on the success of the previous years, IUCN Nepal joined hands with His Majesty’s Government of Nepal, Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, in celebrating the 2004 International Day for Biological Diversity by highlighting the importance of biodiversity in addressing the issues such as food, water and health.

On the occasion, IUCN Nepal launched a comprehensive book on Nepal’s Register of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, which includes a total of 187 species of plants found in Nepal. A special bulletin and a biodiversity supplement were also published in the leading daily newspaper.

Besides supporting the Ministry in organizing the national level programmes, IUCN Nepal also participated in the three-day biodiversity fair through aimed at heightening public awareness by providing useful insights into IUCN’s work in biodiversity conservation issues in Nepal.

"International Biological Diversity Day is an opportunity for all the stakeholders to build public awareness of the value of biodiversity and its essential role in poverty alleviation and achievement of sustainable development," said Dr. Mahesh Banskota, Country Representative of IUCN Nepal.

Nepal has become a party to all important environmental conventions, including the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), World Heritage Convention, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the Ramsar Convention.