Dr Arju Rana Deuba
Kathmandu: It gives me great pleasure to deliver my best wishes to NTNC on its successful completion of 41 years of work in the area of conserving Nepal’s rich natural and cultural heritage and valuable biological diversity. I also would like to warmly congratulate the Patron’s Conservation Award winners and wish them many more successes.
On this occasion, on behalf of my Parliamentary Committee let me share some thoughts on contemporary environment and development challenges and perhaps their solutions.
Nepal has over 22,000 species of flora and fauna about 1.3% of global biodiversity. Nepal’s diversity richness in flowering plant species is ranked 27th in the world and 10th in Asia. This makes all of us truly blessed and proud of our natural wealth.
However, Nepal’s natural ecosystems and biodiversity are facing serious threats due to poorly planned and executed development work unsustainable human activities which is future exacerbated by climate change and global warming. Nepal is facing loss and degradation of natural ecosystems such as pristine forests, grasslands, and wetlands due to the expansion of settlements, unplanned infrastructure development, illegal and unsustainable extraction of ecosystem goods and services; invasion by alien species; illegal and unsustainable fishing and pollution of water bodies.
In recent years, climate change has become a major threat to our biodiversity wealth. Nepal is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts. A recent study by Asian Development Bank estimates that Nepal is likely to lose 2.2% of its GDP due to climate change by 2050. Our forest biodiversity, hydro energy, agriculture, water resources and health sectors are most at risk due to climate change.
Rising temperature and extreme rainfall events are weakening nature’s ability to rejuvenate and to provide protection and ecosystem services to our people. Climate change is one of the key causes of biodiversity loss.
In order to respond to these challenges, the first required enabling environment is political will across the political spectrum of Nepal. We must prioritize the green sector inclusive of forestry, land, water and air. Nepal has to invest in research, both our own and learning from others. We also need to prioritize clean technologies for sustainable development.
I strongly feel that our rich biodiversity and natural ecosystems can be harnessed to fight the negative impacts of climate change. Biodiversity and ecosystem services such as well conserved rivers, forests and wetlands can help us to adapt to not only mitigate climate change but also to create sustainable livelihood. A well protected and conserved nature therefore can play a crucial role in our effort to reduce the devastating impacts of climate change on our poor and vulnerable people especially, women and indigenous communities and make our infrastructure sustainable.
Working with nature, rather than against it, can bring multiple benefits including achieving successful climate change adaptation, mitigation, poverty alleviation and disaster risk reduction – in fact achieving the SDGs.
Nature conservation and degraded ecosystem restoration is a major, cost-efficient ally in our fight against climate change. While executing our development projects we may have to lose some forest area that has to be compensated by massive reforestation. Afforestation in degraded lands will generate new forest areas and increase our biodiversity by many folds. This is not unachievable as many other nations have achieved these goals.
At the crux of achieving this is not only national but also global political will and investments required to protect nature.
I wish NTNC continued success in their nature conservation efforts, I would also like to urge them to double their work in nature conservation and ecosystem restoration. NTNC’s work contributes significantly to Nepal’s global commitments to the resolution of climate change.
In closing, let me call upon the Government to take an integrated, inclusive and coordinated approach to nature conservation and development. Nature based solutions can support Nepal’s efforts to reduce the negative effects of climate change. Well planned and implemented afforestation, forest management and nature conservation activities can create jobs, boost local economies and contribute to climate resilient development while protecting our rich biodiversity.
Dr Arju Rana Deuba is the Member of Parliament and Chair for Agriculture, Cooperatives and Natural Resources Committee of the House of Representatives. She was addressing the NTNC’s Annual Meeting at Lalitpur on October 20, 2023.
