Initiating work on strategic environmental assessment (SEA) in Nepal

In May 2011, Barry Dalal-Clayton undertook a scoping visit, to work with the School of Environmental Science and Management (SchEMS) – an affiliate of Pokhara University and the newly-formed Asian Centre for Environmental Management and Sustainable Development (AEMS) (www.aemsregional.org). The focus was to assess interest in Nepal to adopt and pilot the use of on strategic environmental assessment (SEA) and to facilitate an SEA awareness-raising workshop. This led to the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) inviting IIED to help it plan for an SEA of the Annapurna Conservation Area (ACA) – more details below.

An awareness-raising and planning workshop for staff of the NTNC and Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) was subsequently organized in Pokhara on 17-19 October 2011, attended by some 30 participants. The workshop had two key focuses: a generic introduction to the nature, role and modalities of SEA; and to scope out an approach to undertaking an SEA of the ACA. ACAP is a project of the NTNC and has been operating for 25 years under a mandate from government to NTNC to manage the ACA. The mandate expires in 2012. The SEA will assess the environmental, social and economic impacts of ACAP in an integrated ways to help identify ACAP activities which are beneficial and should continue, those which might need to change or redesigned, gaps requiring attention, and new issues and challenges such as climate change. The SEA will contribute to developing a strategy for a new phase of ACAP.

Participants in SEA workshop at offices of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project, Pokhara, 17-19 October 2011

Participation certificates

However, agreement has been reached with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, that the planned SEA work in the ACA will be a component of a wider SEA which will aim to inform the development of a new policy for protected area management. Thus the SEA component focusing on the ACA will be undertaken as a pilot to develop an SEA approach tailored to Nepali needs, and to build capacity and awareness. As such there will be a significant training component. Subsequent components will focus on other protected areas in the Himalayas: Sagamartha National Park (managed by government), and Kanchenjunga Conservation Area (now managed by a community organization); and a comparative component in the terai region (Chitwan National Park – also managed by government). The SEA will also look at protected area management issues at a national scale. A concept note for this work is being developed to assist in raising the required funding. NTNC, AEMS and IIED hope to undertake this work in 2012-2013.

Environmental mainstreaming in Nepal

The scoping visit in May also identified strong potential to address broader issues of environmental mainstreaming. As a result, IIED collaborated with the University of Pokhara and AEMS to initiate a Learning and Leadership Group process. A national Steering Committee was established, chaired by the Ministry of Local Development. Other members include the National Planning Commission, Ministry of Environment, UNDP/UNEP Poverty-Environment Initiative (PEI-Nepal), University of Pokhara, AEMS and IIED. The Steering Committee invited 15 eminent environmental experts and champions to form the core of an Environmental Mainstreaming Learning and Leadership Group (ELLG), and started planning for a national retreat workshop on EM for the ELLG.

In preparation for the workshop, the University of Pokhara and AEMS (under the leadership of Professor Ram Khadka) developed a background paper on past experience in EM in Nepal, and, in parallel, are undertaking a detailed assessment of Nepal’s experience and practice in environmental mainstreaming, using the draft EM diagnostic developed by IIED.

The retreat workshop was held in Pokhara on 20-22 October 2011. Participants included 15 core members of the ELLG and number of observers. The event was facilitated by Barry Dalal-Clayton. The workshop discussed current and past efforts to mainstream environment in planning and decision-making in Nepal. A number of case studies were presented, supplemented by round-table sharing of other experience. Participants analysed the drivers of EM in Nepal, identified a range of opportunities and challenges, and reached consensus on a range of recommendations. This is now being brought together in formal workshop proceedings and a more popular public report is being prepared and will be launched in due course (in English and Nepali).

Participants in EM retreat workshop, Pokhara, 20-22 October 2011

Mapping mainstreaming efforts in Nepal

Regional conference

AEMS, IIED and the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) – based in Bangladesh, are planning to host a regional conference in March-April 2012 focusing on environmental mainstreaming for a green economy.