Shillong, January 30: The Government of Meghalaya on Friday inaugurated a two-day international conference titled “Scaling Nature-based Solutions for Himalayan Resilience” in Shillong, bringing together a diverse group of policymakers, practitioners, researchers, development partners, private sector representatives, youth, and community leaders from across the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) and the broader Hindu Kush Himalaya.
Jointly organised by the Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA) and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), the conference aims to promote Nature-based Solutions (NbS) as a key strategy for strengthening climate resilience and advancing sustainable development across fragile mountain ecosystems.
The Indian Himalayan Region is considered one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable areas, increasingly exposed to erratic rainfall, extreme weather events, ecosystem degradation, biodiversity loss, floods, and landslides. These threats pose significant risks to water security, food systems, livelihoods, and human settlements, highlighting the need for integrated, landscape-level approaches that support both ecological health and community well-being.
Nature-based Solutions are gaining global recognition as effective tools to address climate change, conserve biodiversity, and foster sustainable development. Across the Himalayan belt, interventions such as springshed management, watershed restoration, agroforestry, and community-led conservation have already demonstrated measurable results. However, experts note that many initiatives remain fragmented and project-driven, often lacking strong policy integration and financing support.
The conference seeks to address these gaps by focusing on design principles and enabling conditions for NbS, including governance frameworks, institutional capacity, financing mechanisms, technological support, and strategic partnerships.
Meghalaya’s integrated institutional model for natural resource and landscape management led by MBDA is being showcased as a scalable example of NbS implementation. Flagship programmes such as the MegARISE project highlight coordinated efforts in afforestation, soil and water conservation, springshed revival, agroforestry, Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES), sustainable livelihoods, participatory finance, and GIS-based planning.
At the regional level, ICIMOD is contributing its expertise in science-based and inclusive NbS approaches through initiatives like the Himalayan Resilience Enabling Action Programme (HI-REAP).
Speaking at the inaugural session, Chief Secretary Dr. Shakil P. Ahammed underscored the importance of community-driven conservation in Meghalaya, noting that environmental stewardship in the state is deeply rooted in traditional practices and local governance systems.
He observed that Meghalaya remains among India’s greenest states, with a majority of its forests managed by communities, including sacred groves and community-protected fish sanctuaries that sustain both biodiversity and livelihoods.
Highlighting indigenous innovation, Dr. Ahammed referenced the state’s living root bridges—bioengineered structures formed by weaving tree roots across streams—as enduring symbols of intergenerational ecological responsibility. He stressed that conservation strategies must prioritise safeguarding resources for future generations.
Despite receiving high rainfall, the state faces seasonal water stress due to its terrain and runoff patterns, resulting in substantial downstream water outflow, he said. Climate vulnerability assessments further indicate rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and district-level risks.
In response, Meghalaya has rolled out integrated policies covering water resource management, electric mobility, organic farming, and forest protection. The Chief Secretary also cited achievements such as large-scale mapping of streams and springs, revival of critical springsheds, expansion of ecosystem protection measures, strengthening of community cooperatives, and livelihood support through community-based natural resource management programmes backed by national and international partners.
During the inaugural programme, Meghalaya signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nepal to enhance cooperation and knowledge exchange on Nature-based Solutions and mountain resilience.
The event also features stalls under the PRIME (Promotion and Incubation of Market-driven Enterprises) initiative, showcasing local enterprises and community-based products linked to sustainable livelihoods.
The conference programme includes high-level policy dialogues, technical sessions, community knowledge exchanges, youth engagements, and focused discussions on NbS financing and technology. It follows a three-tier outcome framework: developing actionable NbS pathways for Meghalaya, generating policy and finance recommendations for scaling NbS across the Indian Himalayan Region, and strengthening regional collaboration on mountain-focused resilience strategies.
By convening stakeholders from across policy, science, finance, and grassroots communities, organisers hope the conference will help build a shared, action-oriented agenda to expand Nature-based Solutions and enhance long-term resilience throughout the Himalayan landscape.
