“Scaling Nature-based Solutions for Himalayan Resilience”
REGIONAL: Shillong is set to host an international conference titled “Scaling Nature-based Solutions for Himalayan Resilience” on January 30-31, 2026. Organised by the Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA) and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), the event will bring together a diverse group of stakeholders, including policymakers, practitioners, academics, development partners, private sector representatives, youth and community leaders, all focused on addressing the pressing challenges faced by the Indian Himalayan Region and the broader Hindu Kush Himalaya.
The region is highly vulnerable to climate change, experiencing increased risks from erratic rainfall, extreme weather events, ecosystem degradation, biodiversity loss, floods and landslides. These issues directly threaten water security, food systems, livelihoods, and human settlements, highlighting the urgent need for integrated, landscape-level responses that enhance ecological integrity and human well-being. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) have emerged as a recognised framework for tackling climate change, conserving biodiversity and promoting sustainable development.
With principles rooted in ecological design, NbS emphasizes collaboration with nature to yield multiple benefits, such as improving climate resilience, ensuring livelihood security and restoring ecosystems. Various NbS strategies, including springshed management, watershed and landscape restoration, agroforestry and community-based conservation, are already being applied across the Himalayan region.
Despite these initiatives, many remain fragmented or confined to project-based efforts, lacking strong connections to policy, financing systems and cross-sectoral planning. The conference aims to bridge this gap by addressing NbS design principles and the necessary enabling conditions for scaling, such as governance, finance, technology and partnerships.
Initiatives like the MegARISE project illustrate how NbS can be effectively implemented at scale via coordinated interventions, including afforestation, soil and water conservation, springshed revival, agroforestry systems, Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES), sustainable livelihoods, participatory finance and GIS-based natural resource management systems.
ICIMOD brings vital experience in promoting NbS across the Hindu Kush Himalaya, leveraging science-driven, inclusive, partnership-focused methodologies. Programs such as the Himalayan Resilience Enabling Action Programme (HI-REAP) have fostered regional collaboration, knowledge sharing and investment strategies to enhance the scaling of NbS.
During the two-day conference, participants will engage in high-level policy dialogues, technical sessions, community perspectives, youth involvement and discussions on financing and technology related to NbS. The event will be structured around a three-tiered outcome framework aimed at developing actionable NbS pathways for Meghalaya, offering policy and finance-oriented recommendations for scaling NbS throughout the Indian Himalayan Region, and enhancing regional cooperation on mountain-specific NbS.
By bringing together stakeholders from various sectors, the conference aspires to promote a shared, action-driven agenda for scaling Nature-based Solutions, thereby building long-term resilience within Himalayan ecosystems.