It is recognised that the ecosystems that provide benefits to people and the beneficiaries of these services are not always located in the same region. Modelling approaches that map and quantify service-specific sources (ecosystem capacity to provide a service), sinks (biophysical or anthropogenic features that deplete or alter service flows), beneficiaries (user locations and level of demand), and spatial flows can only provide a more complete understanding of ecosystem services to support decision making at different scales. There is a need for a framework that can provide spatially explicit assessments and quantification of ecosystem services in the Hindu Kush Himalayas, which will improve the accuracy of ES valuation and expand the value of ES assessments to decision makers. ARIES is the first modelling tool that explicitly accounts for this spatial disconnect. While most ecosystem services mapping tools and projects have simply mapped the potential provision of ecosystem services in the past, ARIES maps actual provision, use, and flows of services by accounting for flow paths and rival use or ‘sink’ regions that deplete or transform the carrier of a service as it moves across the landscape. Building stakeholder capacity and partners working on ecosystem services in HKH region is crucial while quantifying the ecosystem services in HKH region. At ICIMOD, the Transboundary Landscapes (TBL) Regional Program and Geospatial Solutions theme currently utilises the ARIES modelling platform to assess the sacredness potential of the Kailash landscape based on the data on cultural sites from India, China, and Nepal, which could prove to be an important input while nominating the landscape as an UNESCO world heritage site. Under SERVIR-HKH programme, the platform is planned to be extended to develop models for other sites of Nepal and Bangladesh that could help in understanding the current source-sink-beneficiaries scenario in ecosystem services in those sites. Workshop Agenda Date / Day/ Time Topic Method Responsible Person 8 November Day 1 Session I: Introduction 9.00 – 9.15 Registration of the participants Ujala Rajbhandari & Sunayana Basnet 9.15 – 9.20 Welcome to Participants Welcome Vishwas Chitale 9.20 – 9.45 Introduction of Participants Self intro All participants 9.45 – 10.00 Opening Remarks Overview of the event David Molden, Birendra Bajracharya, Mir Matin, Ferdinando Villa 10.00 -10.15 Overview of the workshop; Introduction of the session objectives; expected outcomes Expected output Rajan Kotru 10.15 – 11.15 Introduction to ES and PTB framework Presentation & discussion Ferdinando Villa 11.15 – 11.30 Tea Break 11.30 – 12.15 3 ARIES case studies Presentation Stefano Balbi, Javier Martínez 12.15 – 12.45 Data, tools and assessment of ES in HKH region: Current status Presentation Vishwas Chitale 12.45 – 13.30 Lunch Break Session II: Thematic work 1: Cultural ES 13.30 – 13.45 Intro on the thematic work 1 Presentation Stefano Balbi 13.45 – 15.00 Demo on cultural ES + round of feedbacks Demo + Plenary discussion Demo: ARIES Team Facilitators: Vishwas Chitale, Janita Gurung 15.00 – 15.45 Ex 1.1: Cognitive mapping of PTB framework for Cultural ES Participatory exercise Facilitators: ARIES Team 15.45 – 16.00 MCA in ARIES Presentation Ferdinando Villa 16.00 – 16.30 Ex 1.2: Eliciting criteria and weights for ranking cultural values Participatory exercise Facilitators: ARIES Team 16.30 – 16.55 Cultural values and Tourism Plenary discussion Facilitators: Stefano Balbi, Vishwas Chitale 9 November Day 2 Session III: Knowledge: Data and models 9.00 – 9.15 Overview of Day 2: Taking forward inputs from Day 1 Janita Gurung 9.15 – 10.15 A sneak peek on the technology: ARIES Teaser Presentation Ferdinando Villa 10.15 – 11.00 Modelling ES on the network Presentation Ferdinando Villa 11.00 – 11.15 Tea Break 11.15 – 12.45 Ecosystem services assessments by partners; work done so far, or progress and plans; data availability Short presentations 1 person from each HKH country (8 presentations) Facilitators: Srijana (W. Himalaya), Bandana (E. Himalaya) 12.45 – 13.30 Lunch break Session IV: Thematic work 3: Forest ES 13.30 – 13.45 Introduction to the thematic work Presentation Javier Martínez 13.45 – 14.45 Demo on Biodiversity and Carbon Stocks + round of feedbacks Demo + Plenary discussion Demo: ARIES Team Facilitators: Kabir Uddin; Srijana 14.45 – 15.00 Scenarios in ARIES Presentation Ferdinando Villa 15.00 – 16.00 Ex 2.1: Cognitive mapping of PTB framework for forest-based ES Participatory exercise ARIES Team 16.00 – 16.55 The role of ICIMOD to improve current data and models Plenary discussion Facilitator: Bandana Shakya, Vishwas Chitale 10 November Day 3 Session V: Mainstreaming ES assessment and upscaling to HKH region 9.00 – 9.15 Overview of Day 3: Taking forward inputs from Day 2 Srijana Joshi Rijal 9.15 – 10.00 Recap on ARIES and Integrated Modelling: The cyber-infrastructure Presentation Stefano Balbi, Ferdinando Villa 10.00 – 10.20 Multiscale linkages in Ecosystem services in HKH; current status, challenges & opportunities Presentation Vishwas Chitale 10.20 – 10.45 Mainstreaming assessment of Ecosystem services Presentation MSR Murthy 10.45 – 11.00 Tea break 11.00 – 11.30 Ex 3.1: Eliciting criteria and weights for ES assessment tools Participatory exercise ARIES Team 11.30 – 11.45 Intro on the thematic work Presentation Javier Martínez 11.45 – 12.45 Demo on runoff and vulnerability + round of feedbacks Demo + Plenary discussion Demo: ARIES Team Facilitators: Janita Gurung, Swapnil Chaudhari 12.45 – 13.30 Lunch break Session VI: Thematic work 3: Water ES 13.30 – 14.30 Ex 3.2: Cognitive mapping of PTB framework for Water-based ES Participatory exercise ARIES Team 14.30 – 15.30 Upscaling current pilot studies on ES assessment to HKH region Panel Discussion Eklabya Sharma, Prof. Wu Ning, Rucha Ghate, Prof. Murthy, Prof. Ram Chaudhary 15.30 – 15.45 Teaser of the book: ‘Multiscale Perspectives of Ecosystem Services and Livelihood Linkages’ Teaser Same as panel discussion 15.45 – 16.45 Reflections on the workshop and the way forward: community, collaborations, software Plenary discussion Facilitators: Ferdinando Villa, Mir Matin, Bandana Shakya 16.45 – 16.55 Vote of thanks Vishwas Chitale Objectives The workshop aims to provide hands-on training on the ARIES (Artificial Intelligence for Ecosystem Services) modelling platform. Specific objectives are: to build capacity on using ARIES platform for assessment of ecosystem services; to receive inputs on assessments of ecosystem services that are currently being performed using ARIES platform; and, to discuss the strategies for mainstreaming the framework for assessment and valuation of ecosystem services. The target groups for the workshop are professionals involved in assessment and management of ecosystem services in the HKH region. The tentative agenda for the workshop is attached Expected Participants Professionals in-house as well as from partner organisations to participate, learn, and implement the ARIES platform in assessment and quantification of ecosystem services