China and Nepal agree to cooperate on mountain science

China has agreed to share scientific knowledge with Nepal on the effects ofclimateandenvironmentalchanges on the Tibetan plateau in order to spursustainable development.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) signed memorandums of understanding earlier this month (7 April) with Nepalese research institutions the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and Tribhuvan University.

The agreement is part of the Third Pole Environment (TPE) initiative, a research programme CAS set up in 2009 to study the Tibetan plateau. The area is often referred to as the ‘third pole' because it contains huge quantities of ice in the form of glaciers that feed major Asian rivers.

Glacial melt in Nepal has previously been a source of flooding: in 2008 a devastating flood hit northern India after a river breached flood defences, leading some tocall for better cross-border monitoring of conditions in the mountain regions where the rivers begin.

ICIMOD could now become an important player in environmental research spearheaded by TPE in the Himalayan region, says Dong Qi of the bureau of international cooperation at CAS. The agreement will also open the way forgovernment institutionsto cooperate on environmental research, he says.

Areas forcooperationoutlined in the memorandum include: monitoring air quality levels; studying high-altitude wetland and river systems to share information onwaterdischarge and strengthen flood forecasting; and researching climate change impacts, for example the effect ofpollutantssuch as elemental carbon on glacial melt and fresh water availability in the region.

"This agreement will help address issues closely related to sustainable development and allow cross-border collaborations on environment research so that all partners can contribute and benefit from the cooperation," Dong tellsSciDev.Net.

Details at

Media

Taxonomy

• Flood Management
• River Basin management
• Governance & Planning