The Changing Himalayas
Table 6: Nobody knows best: Policy matrix to cope with Himalayan uncertainty
Scientific uncertainty Adaptation Mitigation Public engagement
State Regional cooperation, Inter-sectoral collaboration, Commitment to Transparency in
support long-term support for poverty international treaties, information and support
research, engage in alleviation and environmental developing good policies for public debates
research processes conservation
Market Partnership in research, New technology, support for Self-regulating and Green certification,
new hardware and community development and reducing greenhouse gas support for civil society
software for monitoring local education emissions
Civil society Participatory vulnerability Community preparedness, Social auditing, green Access to information,
analysis, linking local facilitating local learning and watch, and monitoring awareness campaigns,
to global, facilitating adaptation social inclusion, inter-
knowledge learning cultural dialogue
Local Local indicators and Improved land/resource Renewable energy, Representation in
community monitoring, local management, preparedness alternative livelihoods, and dialogues and decision-
knowledge, innovations, for surprises migration making
and practices
ICIMOD’s Impact assessment, Capacity building, support Facilitating the clean Regional dialogue,
role knowledge synthesis, for mountain policies, pilot development mechanism debate in international
regional database, demonstration, optimising (CDM) and carbon market forums, channelling
forecasting, monitoring land-use patterns and place, designing payments funding support
livelihoods in mountain for environmental services
‘niches’
17