EbA South participated in the “Regional Experts’ Symposium on Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) in the Hindu Kush Himalaya” on December 17-19, 2019 in Chengdu city, Sichuan province of China. The symposium was organised by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The symposium brought together EbA experts and professionals to discuss the effectiveness of EbA in the context of climate change, and also to explore key EbA interventions in the mountain regions of the Hindu Kush Himalaya around the four following themes: “EbA theories, principles, and practices”; “EbA solutions and technologies”; “Governance, gender, and social inclusion in the EbA process”; and “Policies and institutions for EbA”. There were nearly 60 participants from the ICIMOD member countries (i.e. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan), as well as international agencies such as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and UNEP-International Ecosystem Management Partnership (UNEP-IEMP).
At the event, Prof. Zhang Linxiu, Director of UNEP-IEMP and EbA South Senior Advisor, delivered an opening speech and chaired one session. Ms Tatirose Vijitpan, EbA South Project Co-manager, gave presentation titled “Ecosystem-based Adaptation through South-South Cooperation: EbA South”, highlighting the EbA South project activities in Nepal, as part of the Hindu Kush Himalaya region, as well as the South-South Cooperation dimension of the project. EbA South publications were also distributed. Both the presentation and publications were well-received. Possible collaboration was further discussed with individual institutions.
