ICIMOD to host regional hub of prestigious global network in bid to increase scientific knowledge and policy responses to at-risk mountain biodiversity
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Kathmandu/ Bern, 1 September 2025 - The
Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) has become the third regional hub for the
Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment (GMBA) global research network,
reflecting both the region’s immense biological richness and precarity. The
GMBA Hindu Kush Himalaya hub, which will be hosted by the International
Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, will set out to develop
assessments on the status, trends, and knowledge gaps on the zone’s
biodiversity and enhance regional research capacity at a critical moment
for mountain ecosystems. It will also examine drivers of change and evaluate the flow of Nature’s Contributions to People (NCP). “It’s
an honour and a great responsibility for ICIMOD to become the latest
regional hub in the important GMBA network,” said Izabella Koziell,
Deputy Director General, ICIMOD, at a ceremony to mark the hub’s
opening. “Mountain ecosystems in our region and around the world are on
the brink of collapse – so this platform and the visibility and
additional capacity that this collaboration brings could not be more
important or timely.” Speaking
on the agreement, Markus Fischer, Co-Chair of GMBA, states: “ICIMOD’s
excellent expertise in employing knowledge for sustainable development
in the HKH region perfectly complements GMBA’s strengths in global
mountain biodiversity research. We are very much looking forward to this
synergistic collaboration, to the benefit of biodiversity and people.” Under
this agreement, ICIMOD will initiate the HKH Biodiversity Assessment in
2025 and lead its implementation and coordination across the region.
The HKH Biodiversity Assessment seeks to enhance understanding of
mountain biodiversity in the region through systematic knowledge
mapping, analysis of publicly available datasets, and expert
consultations. The
agreement is the latest in a sustained focus on biodiversity within
ICIMOD, including this year’s appointment of Sarala Khaling, a leading
conservation expert to head the organisation’s Resilient Landscape and
Economies group, the promotion of Sunita Chaudhary to the role of
Biodiversity Lead, and the hosting of the first-ever IPBES Lead Authors
workshop in Asia in February 2024. GMBA
serves as a platform for scientists and stakeholders to connect and
share knowledge about mountain ecosystems and species. Initiated by the
Swiss Academy of Sciences in 2000, the GMBA has evolved into a global
research network under Future Earth since 2016. It is managed by an
international Scientific Steering Committee and supported by various
funding bodies, including the Swiss Academy of Natural Sciences. |
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