The Himalayan
April 17, 2014
The three regional member countries of International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) – Bhutan, India and Nepal – have agreed on an initiative for a new transboundary landscape.
Under this initiative, an area of about 16,000 square kilometers covering parts of eastern Nepal, Sikkim and northern parts of West Bengal in India, and western Bhutan will become part of the Kangchenjunga Landscape, one of the seven transboundary areas identified by ICIMOD in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region.
The agreement was struck during a consultation held in Thimpu, Bhutan from April 16-18.
Based on the concept and timeframe decided at the first experts’ consultation held in August 2012 in Gangtok, Sikkim, the three countries prepared feasibility assessment reports, which were shared at the meeting.
“The participatory and consultative process followed during the preparation of Feasibility Assessment reports by the member countries are encouraging steps towards transboundary cooperation,” said Eklabya Sharma, Director of Programme Operations at ICIMOD.
The consultation was organized by the Department of Forest and Park Services (DoFPS), Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, Royal Government of Bhutan and ICIMOD with support from German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)/Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Austrian Development Agency (ADA).
