Nepal Participatory Action Network

Decentralized approaches to natural resource governance can promote conservation while reducing poverty in the Global South. However, the local benefits under decentralized governance are often unequal, reflecting extant social inequalities. There is a lack of rigorous evidence from national-scale studies showing how decentralization programmes affect inequality compared with what is observed in decentralization’s absence, and extant theory leads to competing hypotheses about such effects. We use data from a large-scale forestry-sector decentralization programme in Nepal during 2001–2011 to test general theories regarding the effects of such initiatives on inequality. We analyse census micro-data from two nationwide censuses, which we merge with administrative data on the implementation of decentralization and analyse through a two-way fixed-effects estimation approach. We find evidence suggesting that Nepal’s programme delivers significant poverty-alleviating benefits to the dominant ethnic and caste groups and comparatively smaller benefits to members of marginalized minority groups, resulting in apparent local increases in rural inequality associated with the programme. Thus, even relatively progressive programmes, such as Nepal’s, may lead to potential trade-offs between poverty alleviation, environmental conservation and inequality outcomes. Improved compliance with equity provisions may help to equalize effects, as could more substantial targeted benefits. Decentralized natural resource governance is thought to aid conservation and reduce poverty, but its heterogeneous local effects are under-explored. A study in Nepal shows that forest governance decentralization reduces poverty but the benefits are greater for dominant ethnic and caste groups compared with minority ones.

More frequent extreme rainfall events in a changing climate increase the risk of flash flooding. However, the flood hazard modelling required to reduce disaster risk in urban environments is often limited by the availability of data required for model calibration and validation. Here, we use a historical flood event captured by 5 m resolution satellite imagery to inform future flood hazard assessments in the West Bank, Palestine. Flooding in January 2013 affected over 12,500 people and large areas of agricultural land. Vegetation loss and damage were captured using a normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), which was used as a reference flood extent. The physics-based HEC-RAS flood model best reproduced this NDVI-derived inundation extent (F1 score = 0.76), although the FastFlood model was able to produce a similar inundation pattern (F1 score = 0.74) over 300 times faster. Simulated flood depths from both models were similar. Climate analysis revealed that the January 2013 rainfall corresponded to a historical return period of between 1 in 5 and 1 in 10 years. In comparison, a 1 in 100-year rainfall event (RX1day (maximum 1-day precipitation) of 148 mm) based on historical data (1985–2014) could increase by almost 40% (to 205 mm) in the mid-future (2041–2060), which could cause 23% (4 km 2 ) greater inundation compared to the 2013 event. Although the patterns of future precipitation in the region are uncertain, our flood hazard maps can support urban planning and infrastructure development to manage storm water runoff.

Abstract Knowledge on the spatial distribution of plant species richness and its associated factors is crucial for addressing several ecological problems. Climate factors have long been used to explain species richness patterns across space and time. In this study, we investigated how water and energy variables shape species richness patterns on the alpine Tibetan plateau. An empirical study involving 800 plots of size 1 m2 on 80 different sites was conducted across two transects, covering the arid and semi‐arid alpine region of the western part of the Tibetan plateau to explore plant species composition and richness in relation to climatic factors at a regional scale. We performed detrended correspondence analysis and generalized linear models to explore the effect of energy and water variables on species composition and species richness, respectively. We used a generalized linear mixed model to investigate the interactive effect of energy variables and water variables on species richness. We found that both energy variables and water variables significantly influenced species richness and composition on the alpine Tibetan plateau and supported the water–energy dynamics (WED) hypothesis. Specificall, plant species richness increased with greater liquid water availability. However, it exhibited a unimodal relationship with potential evapotranspiration. Our results also showed that precipitation played a more substantial role in the model than potential evapotranspiration, but their interaction strengthened the model. In conclusion, this study highlights the dominant role of precipitation in explaining species composition and richness patterns on the alpine Tibetan plateau and suggests conducting research on additional environmental factors affecting water availability in this region.

SummaryThis perspective critically examines the challenges and opportunities of implementing people-centered multi-hazard early warning systems (MHEWS) in the Global South. Despite global initiatives, such as the Early Warnings for All initiative, operational realities lag behind. By exploring the needs of the most vulnerable and how core concepts of multi-hazard thinking (e.g., hazard interrelationships and vulnerability dynamics) integrate into different pillars and cross-cutting components of an MHEWS, the perspective highlights a mismatch between current ambitions and realities on the ground. Drawing on extensive experience from Practical Action, we identify opportunities to move toward MHEWS through outlining potential entry points in research, policy, and practice. We emphasize a need for localized, inclusive strategies that genuinely address the needs of the most vulnerable populations and fully encompass the meaning of multi-hazards, including hazard interrelationships, the dynamics of risk components, and the complexity of multi-hazard impacts.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) poses significant global health challenges, including in Nepal, where the increasing need for hemodialysis are influencing patient's daily life. This study aimed to explore lived experiences of CKD patients undergoing hemodialysis. A qualitative, phenomenological research design was employed. In-depth interviews were conducted with 13 hemodialysis patients at Bir Hospital from December, 2023 to January, 2024. Analysis followed Colaizzi's method, ensuring data quality through established credibility and transferability measures. Four major themes emerged: (i) Journey to receive hemodialysis (ii) Financial Constraints (iii) Psychosocial support (iv) Seeking for special health services. Patients perceived hemodialysis as a hope for existence but faced financial troubles and inadequate special and psychosocial support. The lived experiences of the patients reflected both hope and challenges highlighting the need for improved health services and counseling in hemodialysis wards, along with enhanced governance in the healthcare system.

Lipid-lowering is an important intervention to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality after ST-Elevation myocardial infarction. This study aimed to assess the proportion of such patients achieving guideline-directed therapeutic low-density lipoprotein cholesterol targets while on lower-range high-intensity statin treatment. This is a cross-sectional study conducted in Shahid Gangalal National Heart Centre, a tertiary cardiac center in Kathmandu, Nepal, from November 2021 to July 2022among admitted acute ST-Elevation myocardial infarction patients who were prescribed a lower range of high-intensity statin therapy, Atorvastatin 40mg and Rosuvastatin 20 mg. Clinical characteristics were collected, including lipid parameters at baseline during admission and three months after the treatment. The proportion attaining the guideline-recommended levels was calculated and compared between each statin group. A total of 240 patients were included in this study. The target low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level of less than 1.4mmol/L was noted only in 16.3% and the target reduction by ≥50% from baseline only in 7.1%. Just 3.3 % achieved a target of <1.4 mmol/L and ≥50% reduction from baseline. However, 40.8% of the participants in our study met the 2012 European Society of Cardiologyguidelines' target achievement of less than 1.8 mmol/L. The overall proportion of patients attaining recommended low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels after recent ST-Elevation myocardial infarctionwas low when patients were prescribed with a lower range of high-intensity statin, reflecting the need for rigorous follow up including monitoring of lipid levels and intensification of statin dose and type as recommended by international guidelines.

Topographic data is a fundamental input to flood hazard models and controls the quality of the outputs. However, open-access global digital elevation models (DEMs) are dated and limited to 30 m resolution, which hinders modelling efforts in urban or topographically complex environments. We used the flood prone and expanding city of Kathmandu, Nepal, to evaluate the impact of topographic data source and resolution on flood model outputs. All DEMs evaluated featured spatially correlated topographic sinks with depths exceeding 20 m that required hydrological conditioning before being used in flood modelling. Incomplete hydrological conditioning appeared related to the overestimation of flood extent and therefore limited agreement when comparing a global 90 m resolution flood hazard model with a bespoke city-scale model at 10 m resolution (F1 score = 0.40). Instead, we found that the height above nearest drainage (HAND) metric was better able to replicate the higher resolution flood map as an indicator of flood susceptibility requiring only topographic information as an input. We also found that the computationally efficient FastFlood model was able to match the inundation extent (F1 score = 0.79) and flood depths (mean absolute error and root mean square error of 0.46 and 0.76 m respectively) of a published 10 m physics-based flood hazard model whilst requiring 212 times less computation time. Our analysis demonstrated that mapping city-scale flood inundation required hydrologically conditioned high-resolution topographic data but not physically complex flood models, highlighting the need for greater availability of high quality open access topographic data.

Nepal is going through a major socio-economic transition in rural areas and hence in forest management practices, leading to changes in and evolution of new forest-people relationships. Community forests are experiencing an ecological transition resulting a new pattern of growth, regeneration and diversity in forest composition. The ecological transition of forest corresponds to the shifting local collective actions in community forestry which are emerging from the new socio-economic dynamics in rural areas such as income-diversification, declining subsistence utilization of forest resources and outmigration of the rural population. However, these changes are highly differentiated and variable. The hilly areas are experiencing remarkable forest cover changes than in the lowlands of Terai. In this paper, we examine the evolving intersection between new forest transition and community collective action in Nepal. We draw our analysis on the comparative case study of four villages from three different ecological regions. Our findings show that the forest transition is not static, but a dynamic process shaped by diverse local and external factors. Further, declining utilization of forests for subsistence uses has led to a new dynamic in community collective action which has played a central role in driving forest transition. Community participation in forest management is also declining. Hence, we call for reconceptualizing local collective action in this changed context which can help revise forest policies and reimagine forest institutions that can better respond to the socio-economic changes of the mountain landscape and revitalize local collective actions.

Availability and applications of open-source data for disaster risk reductions are increasing. Flood hazards are a constant threat to local communities and infrastructures (e.g., built-up environment and agricultural areas) in Nepal. Due to its negative consequences on societies and economic aspects, it is critical to monitor and map those risks. This study presents the open access earth observation (EO) data, geospatial products, and different analytical models available for flood risk assessment (FRA) and monitoring in Nepal. The status of flood risk knowledge and open-source data was reviewed through a systematic literature review. Multispectral optical data are widely used, but use of microwave data is extremely low. With the recent developments in this field, especially optical and microwave data, the monitoring, mapping, and modeling of flood hazards and risk have been more rapid and precise and are published in several scientific articles. This study shows that the choice of appropriate measurements and data for a flood risk assessment and management involves an understanding of the flood risk mechanism, flood plain dynamics, and primary parameter that should be addressed in order to minimize the risk. At the catchments, floodplains, and basin level, a variety of open data sources and models may be used under different socioeconomic and environmental limitations. If combined and analyzed further, multi-source data from different models and platforms could produce a new result to better understand the risks and mitigation measures related to various disasters. The finding of this study helps to select and apply appropriate data and models for flood risk assessment and management in the countries like Nepal where the proprietary data and models are not easily accessible.