Press Release

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Kathmandu has partnered with NASA and USAID to leverage space technology to monitor air quality and empower decision-makers.

Kathmandu, 15 May 2023: Forest fires across Nepal dramatically rose by 76.5% between January and April 2023 – when compared with incidents reported over the entirety of the previous year.

Kathmandu, 22 April: The Forest Research and Training Centre (FRTC) is pleased to announce the launch of Nepal’s National Land Cover Monitoring System (NLCMS) to mark Earth Day. The system uses cloud computing and artificial intelligence to generate consistent data on how much of a region is covered by forests, wetlands, agriculture, and other land and water types, on an annual basis.

The Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region is no stranger to water- and weather-induced hazards. Every year, these disasters result in loss of lives, livelihoods, and damage to infrastructure throughout HKH countries.

Droughts do not harm immediately. Their impact on lives and productive assets is gradual, which is perhaps why they do not garner a lot of attention. However, while their onset is slow and creeping, the aftermath is long-term and crippling. Droughts are detrimental to agricultural production and impact food security. Their social and economic costs are dire. Droughts affect the lives and livelihoods of vulnerable communities the most.

The Ministry of Agricultural Development, Nepal (MoAD), with the support of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), has launched a new online Food Security Information System to map and visualize patterns of food security, poverty and malnutrition in Nepal.