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Dr. David Molden, now in his second term as Director General of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), has played a key role in raising ICIMOD’s standing as one of the most trusted learning and knowledge sharing organizations on issues of climate change, adaptation, resilience building and information systems, among others, in the region. Hailing from a background in water resource management and sustainable mountain development, and with considerable experience leading development and research work across Asia and Africa, Dr. Molden talks to Development Advocate about the challenges and opportunities inherent in working with mountain ecosystems and peoples, how the work fits into the framework of the targets set out by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and what is needed to speed up progress to that end.
What are some of the most pressing development challenges in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region?
The biggest challenge in the region has to do with change in all dimensions: social, ecological and geopolitical. While on the one hand, we’re dealing with phenomena like globalization and outmigration, on the other, there are the effects of climate change and related issues to contend with. In Paris, we are talking about a 1.5°C average global rise in temperature, but that doesn’t take into account elevation-dependent warming: 1.5°C could translate to 1.8°C in the mountains, and if average temperatures rise 2 °C, it could mean 2.5°C or even 3°C or more at higher elevations. The track the world is on now will result in a world warmer than 2°C, which is too hot for the mountains. And the consequences of that, in terms of a shifting ecosystem, melting of glaciers, and rise of pests and illnesses never before seen in these parts, among a host of other potential problems, is cause for great concern.
Adding to that is the high degree of poverty in communities living in the mountains, which far exceeds poverty rates in the plains in most HKH countries. The livelihoods of these people are highly dependent on the health of their ecosystems, but while the HKH is a tremendous repository of resources, the biodiversity and habitats within are slowly being lost. Keeping such ecosystems that serve so many communities in the region intact is another key challenge.
The mountains here are also a water tower of sorts for Asia—there are 10 major river systems that originate in the HKH region. Despite the seeming abundance of water, however, people still have difficulties accessing it.
You’ve mentioned elevation-based warming. Are there any instances of modeling that has been done by ICIMOD or others to understand how this phenomenon could affect the mountains?
Yes, we have done some modeling, particularly to look at the impact of warming on water resources. ICIMOD has uncovered new knowledge on the number and extent of glaciers, and their changes in the last 30 years; information on glacial lakes and potential glacial lake outburst floods; and more detailed data on individual glaciers for example in the Langtang Area. The modeling work done by ICIMOD and partners, based on these and other data has projected the degree of glacier melt into the future, and the impact on water resources in the area. The modeling points strongly to increasing variation in river flows and increases in flood and drought hazards.
What is the significance of your work for not just people living in these high-altitude ecological areas but for those living downstream from them?
What happens in the mountains has an effect downstream. Degradation of ecosystems and eco-services upstream will invariably impact lives and livelihoods downstream. Water resources are a good way to represent this dynamic to people—go to Delhi or Beijing or Islamabad and people are very concerned about what is happening to water. Energy and hydropower comprise another related area of concern to the downstream, and the demand for energy is rapidly increasing. Floods and air pollution are also among the more widely-discussed upstream-downstream issues.
You’ve said in the past that the narrative about this region should change from one of vulnerability to that of opportunity. How can this happen?
It’s true that we face a formidable set of challenges. But on the other side of the equation, we must acknowledge that change can also bring opportunity. We have some very creative and resilient people in the mountains, who have been incredible at adapting to very harsh environments, and vibrant youth whose skills and resourcefulness are yet to be fully tapped into. There is work to be done in gender empowerment, allowing more women to make decisions about the use of natural resources, for instance. Outmigration brings remittances—could these be invested in mountain development? Could young people be encouraged to start enterprises? We need to look into all these areas.
The mountains are a substantial energy base for the whole region, but the question is how that potential should be sustainably utilized. Ecotourism, for example, offers significant benefits to local people, especially in a more connected world like today where information can be shared easily—but we must be careful that we don’t erode the very cultures and spaces that are being promoted. And with urbanization and changing diets, there is more demand for grains like sorghum and millet—as well as for other high-value niche mountain products—to be sold to cities.
The other big opportunity is in the partnerships between people and countries that are working together to address these problems, sharing knowledge and resources. We need to continue telling the stories of the mountains to the rest of the world if we want to bring more attention and funds to the region.
ICIMOD takes a trans-boundary approach, working across different countries in the region. How difficult is it to work like this with multiple jurisdictions?
I have been fortunate to meet people from all different countries in the HKH region, who love to meet and talk to each other about science and climate and other issues. Yet, South Asia is still one of the least connected regions in the world. This doesn’t really make sense, considering the potential that exists for working together to address shared challenges. I think there is certainly the will to work together, but a lot of trust-building needs to happen still. The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) should really pick up, for one, and more work needs to be done on trans-boundary cooperation on different fronts, including power, energy trade, water and biodiversity.
That isn’t to say there aren’t areas where people are already working across boundaries—our experience at ICIMOD is that there is a degree of cooperation in a number of fields - one of these is in the science related to climate change, another has to do with floods and disasters. Knowledge, science and adaptation are excellent entryways to establishing trust, and Nepal is a wonderful place from which to foster cross-boundary collaboration. Think about how, after the 2015 earthquake, people came together to help those in need. But there’s a long way to go.
How do the SDGs relate to what ICIMOD is doing?
The SDGs comprise an important framework that gives relevance to the work that we do. At ICIMOD, we are finishing up the Himalayan Monitoring Assessment Programme, an IPCC-like report, which has brought together more than 300 professionals and policymakers to answer important questions about sustainable mountain development. The team has developed a list of priorities for the region using the SDGs as a basis: end poverty in the mountains; build resilient, equitable and inclusive communities; achieve gender equity; establish sustainable production systems to ensure nutrition security for mountain people; address women’s changing role in agriculture; and ensure year-round security of access to water.
There is a mountain-specific agenda within the SDGs, created of the particular context and needs of the region—including the fragile environment, difficulties in access, and the unique ways in which communities manage resources.
We have about 12 years remaining to achieve these goals. Would you say you’re satisfied with the level of progress made in the HKH region?
Twelve years is not very long, and I do think progress has been very slow. We have to double down and accelerate efforts to reach the goals. I’m sure climatic events like extreme heat or floods will send us some wake-up calls, but we can’t wait for that to happen. We need to keep pushing and we need to act together as one people rather than as individual countries. This is very important.
