https://servir.icimod.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/4105g_Banner_NLCMS%20for%20NepalEarth%20day%20celebration_ED_1.mp4 About the event In partnership with the Ministry of Forests and Environment (MoFE), Government of Nepal, USAID, and ICIMOD are jointly celebrating Earth Day 2022 on 22 April. Coincidently, 2022 is also the UN International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development, which presents a great opportunity to advance the mountain agenda globally. We will be marking the Earth Day 2022 celebrations with the launch of Nepal’s National Land Cover Monitoring System (NLCMS). The system was developed by the Forest Research and Training Centre (FRTC) with technical support from SERVIR-HKH, a joint initiative of USAID and ICIMOD. The NLCMS was built using latest technologies and employs cloud computing and artificial intelligence to generate consistent land cover data on an annual basis. It will be useful for national and international reporting on forest cover, REDD+, and measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) processes; in preparing a long-term strategy for achieving Nepal’s Nationally Determined Contribution targets; and as a foundational dataset for evidence-based planning and policy development. The development of the NLCMS marks one more milestone in the long-standing cooperation between MOFE and ICIMOD in several areas – climate change mitigation; forest management and conservation of biodiversity resources; air quality monitoring; and working together on various global platforms – UNFCCC, CBD, Mountain Partnership, and others – to promote the mountain agenda. Background Globally, Earth Day is celebrated on 22 April. The theme for 2022 is “Invest in Our Planet”, with three clear messages: now is the time for unstoppable courage to preserve and protect our health, families, and livelihoods; a green future is a prosperous future; and we need to act (boldly), innovate (broadly), and implement (equitably). The Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) is a climate hotspot. Even in a 1.5oC world, glaciers in the HKH are projected to lose one-third of their volume by 2100. The HKH, which is spread across Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan is the pulse of the planet. The HKH is a vital regional lifeline, supporting the lives and livelihoods of nearly two billion people – 240 million people living in the mountains, and 1.65 billion people living in the river valleys downstream – or one-fourth of humanity. Climate change poses grave and immediate threats to livelihoods, biodiversity, energy, food, and water security, and ultimately sustainability. At COP26, Nepal made a world-leading commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045 and become carbon negative thereafter. The commitment of the Government of Nepal (GoN) amplified the call of mountain states for more ambitious climate action globally and in the HKH. Climate action is a priority for green recovery and government, civil society, businesses, development actors and citizens need to come together to act and innovate for a prosperous future. National land cover monitoring system of Nepal The National Land Cover Monitoring System (NLCMS) has been developed to provide annual land cover maps by using consistent remote sensing datasets. This is an operational and flexible system to produce land cover maps from 2000 to 2019. Download Science application Dataset Agenda Tentative programme Venue: Kailash Hall, ICIMOD Time: 10:30–12:00 (NPT) Time Agenda 10:30–10:40 Session 1: Opening ICIMOD – for a greener, inclusive, and resilient HKH Pema Gyamtsho, Director General, ICIMOD (10 min) 10:40–10:55 Session 2: Knowledge sharing Chair– Biswo Nath Poudel, Vice-Chairman, National Planning Commission Partnerships for sustainable mountain development Basanta Shrestha, Director of Strategic Cooperation, ICIMOD (5 min) SERVIR services for improved climate resilience in the HKH Birendra Bajracharya, Chief of Party, SERVIR-HKH (10 min) 10:55–11:30 Session 3: Launch of Nepal’s land cover report (5 min) Development of Nepal’s National Land Cover Monitoring System Yam Pokhrel, Director General, Forest Research and Training Centre (10 min) Interaction (10 min) Remarks Pem Kandel, Secretary, Ministry of Forests and Environment (10 min) 11:30-12:00 Session 4: Concluding session Keynote address Mike Michener, Deputy Assistant Administrator, USAID (10 min) Remarks by the Chief Guest Ramsahay Prasad Yadav, Honourable Minister for Forests and Environment (10 min) Remarks from the Chair and closing Biswo Nath Poudel, Vice-Chairman, National Planning Commission (10 min)