ICIMOD

ICIMOD participated as a strategic partner in the International Mountain Tourism Day 2026 theme event in Shennongjia, China, sharing knowledge and experience from the Hindu Kush Himalaya on sustainable and regenerative mountain tourism.

Through dialogue with partners, ICIMOD highlighted how mountain tourism can create opportunities for local communities, safeguard ecosystems and cultural heritage, and foster regional cooperation in the lead-up to the International Year of Sustainable and Resilient Tourism 2027 (IYSRT 2027).

Every winter smoke from crop residue fires blankets large parts of Nepal’s Terai region. Its impact is also felt across other parts of Nepal as the smoke travels across the plains and Himalayan foothills.

While farmers are blamed for “choosing” to set their crops on fire, systemic issues like mechanisation, labour shortages, non-existent residue markets continue to push - particularly smallholder farmers - into inefficient management of their crops residue.

A new blog explains why crop residue burning persists in Nepal and how a systems-level fix can create benefits not just for the country but for adjoining countries across the Indo-Gangetic Plain and Himalayan Foothills.

Read here: https://blog.icimod.org/air/crop-residue-burning-nepal/

This work is supported by ICIMOD’s Himalayan Resilience Enabling Action Programme (HI-REAP), funded by the UK government.

Ten nature-based products were launched in Bhutan, highlighting the growing role of entrepreneurs in biodiversity-based enterprises. These include products such as rhododendron mindfulness tea, cordyceps, herb-infused chocolate bars, and matsutake soup.

These nature-based initiatives not only promote sustainable livelihoods but also ensure that local communities benefit through Bhutan’s Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) mechanism, where communities supplying raw materials or traditional knowledge receive a fair share of the benefits.

This is an initiative of ICIMOD’s Himalayan Resilience Enabling Action Programme (HI-REAP) in partnership with the National Biodiversity Centre of Bhutan, funded by the UK Government.



Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office National Biodiversity Centre Bhutan

Are cities like Kathmandu solely responsible for the air their residents breathe? Not quite. Around 30% of the city’s pollution comes from sources beyond its borders.

This shows that local actions alone, whether behavioral or sectoral-specific, aren’t enough to solve a problem as complex as air pollution.

Ashish Tiwari, Air Lead at ICIMOD, highlights the need for an airshed approach, one that addresses pollution at regional and national levels for lasting impact. He also shares how ICIMOD is working with Nepal’s Department of Environment to develop a long-term roadmap for cleaner air.

Watch the full interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leHIM4feQr8