Working Towards Improving Resilience and
Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change in the
Hindu-Kush-Himalayan Region.
Workshop Agenda
Hotel Himalaya
Kathmandu, Nepal
Sunday 19th – Tuesday 21st October 2014
Working Towards Improving Resilience and Adaptive Capacity to Climate
Change in the Hindu-Kush-Himalayan Region.
Introduction
This collaborative research project aims to develop an integrated climate change adaptation
toolkit that can be used by key decision makers as a guide for national planning and local
capacity building. The project methodology will use participatory approaches to identify the
risks, vulnerabilities and opportunities arising from climate change impacts on small
upstream communities in Nepal and India and downstream communities in Bangladesh.
A key objective is the development of a transferrable climate change adaptation toolkit,
which is based on a set of scientific and evidence based methodologies or tools to guide
local planners and policy makers during the adaptive response planning process.
Workshop aims and objectives
This workshop will focus on the development of the climate change adaptation toolkit for
the Bhoti Koshi basin in Nepal. The toolkit will incorporate bio-physical, socio-economic, and
cultural data collected from the Bhote Koshi basin for the purpose of enhancing the
relevance of the toolkit for peri-urban and rural areas. The workshop objectives will align
with the Local Adaptation Plans for Action (LAPA) and National Adaptation Programme of
Action (NAPA), which are Nepal’s existing climate change adaptation policy documents to
help vulnerable communities adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change.
Since the overarching strategy of this project is to develop a source (highland mountains) to
sink (lowland plains) approach to managing climate change risks, this workshop will also
explore opportunities for transferring the toolkit to other countries in the region. For this
reason work will also begin on the development of a Road Map for the up-take of the toolkit
by communities in India and Bangladesh.
Collaborative Partners
This project is a joint collaboration between the Australian National University Climate
Change Institute (ANUCCI); the Monsoon Asia Integrated Regional Study (MAIRS), Institute of
Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Central Department of Geography
Tribhuvan University; Monash Sustainability Institute (MSI), Monash University; Nepal
Academy of Science and Technology (NAST); International Centre for Integrated Mountain
Development (ICIMOD); Centre for Global Change (CGC), Bangladesh; Department of
Geography, Kumaun University, India; ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability - South
Asia Secretariat, New Delhi, China Dialogue and the Government of Nepal.
Photos: Katherine Morton and Lance Heath
Workshop Agenda
Sunday 19th October 2014
5:00pm-6:00pm
Steering Committee Meeting
Chair: Prakash Tiwari, Department of Geography, Kumaun
University
5:00m-:5:10pm
Welcome, Introductions & Apologies
5:10pm- 5:30pm
Overview of workshop program and logistics (Lance Heath)
5:30pm-5:45pm
Outline of Australian Aid PSLP Funding Requirements & Reporting
(Lance Heath)
5:45pm-6:00pm
Other Business (Steering Committee)
6:00pm-9:00pm
Steering Committee Dinner (Hotel) (All participants welcome)
Monday 20th October 2014
9:00am – 9:30am
Tea and coffee upon arrival
9:30am-10:00am
Session 1: Welcome & Introductions
Chair: Prem Chapagain, Central Department of Geography, Tribhuvan
University
9:30am-9:45am
Welcome: Padma Chandra Poudel, Head Central Department of
Geography, Tribhuvan University
9:45am-9:50am
Workshop Objectives, Lance Heath, Australian National University
9:50am-10:00 am
Group Photo
10:00am -10:30am
Tea and Coffee Break
10:30am-12:30pm
Session 2: Research Analysis & Training
Chair: Prakash Tiwari
Department of Geography, Kumaun University
10:30am-10:45am
Project overview & progress to date
Lance Heath, Climate Change Institute, Australian National
University
Climate Analysis
10:45am-11:00am
Climate Analysis (1)
Past Climate in Panchkhal
Prem Chapagain, Central Department of Geography, Tribhuvan
University
11:00am – 11:15 am
Climate Analysis (2)
Climate Change Projections and Drought Index for Panchkhal, Nepal
Xiaodan Guan, Lanzhou University
11:15am-11:30am
Climate Surfaces
Tingbao Xu, Fenner School of Environment & Society,
Australian National University
Hydrological Analysis
11:30am-11:45pm
Hydrology
Narendra Khanal, International Centre for Integrated Mountain
Development
11:45pm -12:30pm
Discussion on next steps
12:30pm – 1:30pm
Lunch
Monday 20th October 2014
1:30pm –3:00pm
Session 2: Research Analysis & Training (Cont)
Chair: Lance Heath, Australian National University
Socio-Economic Analysis
1:30pm- 1:45pm
Perceptions & Participatory Workshops
All participants
1:45pm-2:00 pm
Community level systemic modelling of climate change adaptation.
Terrence Chan, Monash Sustainability Institute, Monash University
2:00pm-2:15pm
Bayesian Network analysis & lessons learnt
Jason Jingshi Li, Artificial Intelligence Group, Australian National
University
2:15pm-3:00pm
Discussion, breakout groups and next steps
3:00 pm – 3:30pm
Tea and Coffee Break
3:30pm-4:30pm
Session 3: Toolkit Development
Chair: Lance Heath, Australian National University
3:30pm-3:45pm
3:45pm-4:30pm
4:30pm-5:30pm
Vulnerability and risk assessment (Panchkhal region)
Discussion led by: Prem Chapagain, Tribhuvan University & Lance
Heath, Australian National University
Discussion and next steps
Led by: Sunandan Tiwari, ICLEI - Local Governments for
Sustainability - South Asia Secretariat
Session 4: Developing & Strengthening Regional Collaboration
Chair: Jianzhong Yan, Southwest University
4:30pm-4:45pm
4:45pm-5:00pm
An overview of the ICIMOD Koshi Basin Study
Mandira Shrestha, International Centre for Integrated Mountain
Development
Update on “Developing Regional Collaboration in River Basin
Management”, Paul McShane, Monash Sustainability Institute,
Monash University
5:00pm-5:15pm
Developing a Knowledge Management Framework for the Koshi,
Jeremy Aarons, Monash Sustainability Institute, Monash University
5:15pm-5:30pm
Discussion
6:00pm-9:00pm
Drinks & Workshop Reception (Venue TBA)
Tuesday 21st October 2013
9:30am-12:30am
Session 5: Road Map: APN Project Planning Session (India)
Chair: Nasreen Khan, Australian National University
9:30am-9:45am
9:45am -10:00am
Outline of APN Project Proposal & Requirements
Lance Heath, Australian National University
Characterization of the Ramgad Basin, India.
Discussion led by: Prakash Tiwari Department of Geography,
Kumaun University
10:00am-10:30am
Tea and Coffee Break
10:30 am-10:45am
Climate Change Projections for Nainital Region, India
Xiaodan Guan, Lanzhou University
10:45am-12:30pm
Interactive discussion
12:30pm – 1:30pm
Lunch
1:30pm-3:00pm
Session 6: Road Map: Bangladesh
Chair: Lance Heath, Australian National University
1:30 pm – 1:45pm
Downstream activities,
Ahsan Ahmed, Centre for Global Change
1:45 pm-2:00pm
Application and Implementation of the Climate Change
Adaptation Toolkit in Bangladesh, Nasreen Khan, Fenner School
of Environment & Society, Australian National University
2:00pm-3:00pm
Interactive discussion
3:00pm-3:30am
Tea and Coffee Break
3:30pm 4:45pm
Session 7: Future Directions & Activities
Chair: Paul McShane, Monash University
3:30 pm -3:45pm
Proposal to establish a Himalayan Studies Centre
Lance Heath, Australian National University
3:45pm -4:00pm
Labor Migration and Resilience to drought: A comparative study
between Dadu River, and Koshi River,
Jianzhong Yan, College of Resources and Environment
Southwest University.
4:00pm-4:15pm
Global Resilience Partnership: Discussion led by Paul McShane
and Lance Heath
4:15 pm – 4:45pm
Interactive discussion
4:45pm-5:00pm
Wrap up
6:00pm-9:00pm
Dinner (Hotel)