mochwo2018 program abstract...

MoChWo 2018 | P a g e

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The 3rd International Conference on Mountains in the Changing World October 9-10, 2018

Radisson Hotel, Kathmandu, Nepal

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

October 09, 2018 || DAY ONE

08:00 ⎯ 08:45 Check -in

Inaugural Session [Room: Nepa Duku]

08:45 ⎯ 09:00 Welcome and Program Highlights [Room: Nepa Dhuku]

Dr. Prakash K Paudel, Convenor Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal

Chair Dr. Ram P. Chaudhary, Professor Emeritus Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

09:00 ⎯ 09:50 Keynote: Climate and global change in the Himalayas: An ecological perspective (OR -KN -1 -466-KEYNOTE)

Jagdish Krishnaswamy Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Royal enclave, Jakkur Post, Srirampura, Bangalore-560064, India

09:50 ⎯ 10:40 Keynote: A half century of conservation successes in Nepal: Past lessons and future possibilities (OR -KN -1 -467-KEYNOTE)

Joel T. Heinen Department of Earth and Environment, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA

10:40 ⎯ 11:00 Photo Session and Tea Break

Technical Sessions

11:00 ⎯ 12:30 Wildlife Conservation in the Face of Challenges (OR -AEC -1) [Room: Nepa]

Chair Dr. Krishna Pokharel, Scientist Center for Conservation Biology, Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal

Invited: Predator-prey interdependency within mammalian niche hotspots in response to climate change in Himalayan region of Nepal (OR -AEC -1 -459 -INVITED)

Menaka Panta Neupane1, Manish Basnet1, Prabhat Raj Dahal2, Hari Basnet1, Neeshant Modak1, Maheshwar Dhakal3, Laxman Poudyal4, Dhananjaya Lamichane3

1International Union for Conservation of Nature, Nepal; 2Kathmandu Living Lab; 3Ministry of Forests and Environment, Nepal; 4Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation, Nepal

Ecological assessment of Mai Pokhari wetland: A Ramsar site from eastern Nepal (OR -AEC -1 -406)

Pranil Pradhan1, Deep Narayan Shah2 1Golden Gate International College, Ram Mandir Marga, Kathmandu, Nepal; 2Central Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

Small mammals in Nepal: Spatial visualization and heat map analysis (OR -AEC -1 -460)

Hari Basnet1, Menaka Panta Neupane1, Prabhat Raj Dahal2, Neeshant Modak1, Maheshwar Dhakal3, Laxman Poudyal4, Dhananjaya Lamichane3 1International Union for Conservation of Nature, Nepal; 2Kathmandu Living Lab, Kathmandu, Nepal; 3Ministry of Forests and Environment, Nepal; 4Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation, Kathmandu, Nepal


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Understanding the dynamics in distribution of Chinese Pangolin under predicted climate change in Nepal (OR -AEC -1 -470) Birendra Kandel1, Sujan Khanal2, Menaka Panta Neupane3, Hari Basnet3, Nishant Modak3 1Parsa National Park, Parsa, Nepal; 2Institute of Forestry, Pokhara Campus, Pokhara, Nepal; 3International Union for Conservation of Nature, Kathmandu, Nepal

Beekeeping for poverty reduction and biodiversity conservation in Bangladesh (OR -AEC -1 -333)

Md Ruhul Amin

Department of Entomology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur, Bangladesh

11:00 ⎯ 12:30 Symposium: Citizen Science for a sustainable Mountain Future (OR -CSS -1) [Room: Dhuku]

Chair Dr. Deep Narayan Shah Himalayan Biodiversity and Climate Center (HimBioCliC), Kathmandu, Nepal

Invited: Engaging youth for integrated water resources management in Nepal (OR -CCS -1 -376-INVITED)

Anjana Shakya1, Madhav Rijal2, Bhawani Dongol1 1Program for aquatic natural resource improvement (Paani) project, USAID Nepal's water project, Kathmandu, Nepal; 2Mid Western University, Surkhet, Nepal

Extreme precipitation events and importance of community based rainfall measurement in Nepal (OR-CSS-1-465)

Binod Pokharel1, Jonathan Meyer1, Simon Wang1, Suresh Marahatta2, Basant Giri3 1Utah Climate Center, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA; 2Central Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal; 3Center for Analytical Sciences, Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal

Exploring the relations between groundwater level, rainfall, and land-use in the Kathmandu Valley (OR -CCS -1 -312)

Rajaram Prajapati1, Jeffrey C. Davids2,3, Nischal Devkota1, Anusha Pandey1 1SmartPhones4Water-Nepal, Lalitpur, Nepal; 2Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands; 3SmartPhones4Water-US, CA, USA

Groundwater quality assessment of Bhaktapur Municipality based on quality-indices and statistical-modeling (OR -CCS -1 -319)

Aalok Sharma Kafle1, Rajaram Prajapati2, Kushum KC3, Anusha Danegulu4 1Kathmandu Engineering College, Kathmandu, Nepal; 2Institute of Engineering, Pulchowk Campus, Lalitpur, Nepal; 3Manakamana Training and Skill Development Institute Pvt. Ltd., Kathamandu, Nepal; 4Khwopa College of Engineering, Bhaktapur, Nepal

Streams, sewage, and shallow groundwater: water quantity and quality interactions in the Kathmandu Valley (OR -CCS -1 -297)

Nischal Devkota1, Jeffrey Cook Davids2, Neelam Maharjan3, Torgen Soderlund2, Rajaram Prajapati1

1SmartPhones4Water-Nepal, Lalitpur, Nepal; 2SmartPhones4Water-USA, Chico, California, USA; 3Central Department of Geology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

11:00 ⎯ 12:30 Symposium: International Mountain Hack: Schools & Mountains for Sustainable Development (OR -MHS -1) [Room: Begnas]

12:30 ⎯ 13:30 Lunch Break

13:30 ⎯ 15:00 Wildlife conservation in the face of challenges (OR -AEC -2) [Room: Nepa]

Chair Dr. Menaka Panta Neupane International Union for Conservation of Nature, Kathmandu, Nepal

Status of Pangolin trade in Nepal (OR -AEC -2 -353)

Bishal Sharma, Prakash Chandra Aryal, Sandesh Neupane GoldenGate International College, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal


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Distribution, habitat utilization and threats to Chinese Pangolin (Manis Pentadactyla Linnaeus, 1758) in Eastern Chure, Nepal (OR -AEC -2 -279)

Nabin Bhandari1, Tej Bahadur Thapa2 1Central Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal; 2Central Department of Zoology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

Habitat analysis of the Chinese Pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) Suryabinayak Community forest, Bhaktapur, Nepal (OR -AEC -2 -329)

Kiran Gosai

Khwopa College, Tribhuvan University, Bhaktapur, Nepal

Habitat analysis of the Chinese Pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) at Manthali Community forest, Bhaktapur, Nepal (OR -AEC -2 -340)

Mahendra Prasad Uprety

Tribhuwan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

Perception, distribution & readiness to protect Pangolin in Rani Community forest, Makwanpur, Central Nepal (OR -AEC -2 -409)

Gauri Jayaswal, Kamal Raj Gosai Department of Environmental Science, Tri-Chandra Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

Role of women in biodiversity conservation: Lesson learnt from HIMAWANTI Nepal (OR -AEC -2 -456)

Anita Shrestha, Gopi Paudel

HIMAWANT, Nepal

Habitat use by snow leopard and perceived impacts of climate change (OR- AEC-2-470)

Binaya Adhikari Kathmandu Forestry College, Kathmandu, Nepal

13:30 ⎯ 15:00 Symposium: Citizen Science for a Sustainable Mountain Future (OR -CCS -2) [Room: Dhuku]

Chair Dr. Bhesh Raj Thapa SmartPhones for Water Nepal and International Water Management Institute (IWMI) – Nepal Office

Invited: Building Citizen science Asia: Community, partnerships & SDGs (OR -CCS -2 -415-INVITED)

Mendel Wong, Scott Edmunds

CitizenScience.Asia

Mapping the springs of the Kathmandu Valley: Can citizens accurately measure spring discharge? (OR -CCS -2 -316)

Anusha Pandey1,2, Jeffrey Colin Davids3,4

1NAMI College, Jorpati, Nepal; 2SmartPhones4Water, Nepal; 3Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands; 4SmartPhones4Water-USA, Chico, California, USA

Round Table Discussion

13.30 ⎯ 15:00 Symposium: International Mountain Hack: Schools & Mountains for Sustainable Development (OR -MHS -2) [Room: Begnas]

15:00 ⎯ 15:20 Tea Break

15:20 ⎯16:50 Plant Ecology and Conservation (OR - PEC -1) [Room: Nepa]

Chair Dr. Susma Giri, Scientist Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal

Floristic composition of eastern mid-hills of Nepal (OR -PEC -1 -453)

Mohan Sangroula1, Mohan Siwakoti2, Chitra Bahadur Baniya2


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1Damak Multiple Campus Damak, Jhapa, Nepal; 2 Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

Regeneration and dynamics of Himalayan Fir at a central Himalayan treeline ecotone (OR -PEC -1 -269)

Niels Schwab1, Ryszard J. Kaczka2, Aleksandra Lewandowska-Duzy1, Jürgen Böhner1, Ram P. Chaudhary3, Thomas Scholten4, Udo Schickhoff1

1Physical Geography, Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability (CEN), University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany; 2Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland; 3Centre for Applied Science and Technology (ReCAST), Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal; 4Department of Geosciences, Chair of Soil Science and Geomorphology, University of Tübingen, Germany

Identification of high priority sites for Rhododendron conservation in China (OR -PEC -1 -290)

Nawal Shrestha

Peking University, Beijing, China

Green algae as potential sorbent for trace elements (OR-PEC-1-350)

Yaman Kumar Sahu1, Khageshwar Singh Patel1, Erick Kibet Towett2 1Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur, India; 2World Agroforestry Centre, Nairobi, Kenya

Vascular plant colonization pattern along the spatio-temporal gradient around the Gangapurna Glacier foreland, Manang, central Nepal (OR -PEC -1 -398)

Ilina Bajracharya, Chitra Bahadur Baniya Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

Altitudinal vascular species richness pattern in west Nepal (OR -PEC -1 -451)

Babu Ram Nepal1,2, John Skartveit3, Chitra Bahadur Baniya1

1Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Nepal; 2Butwal Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Nepal; 3University College, NLA, Bergen, Norway

Carbon emissions trading and clean development mechanism: Overview and expectations for Nepal (OR -PEC -1 -322)

Kushum KC1, Aalok Sharma Kafle2

1Manakamana Training and Skill Development Institute Pvt. Ltd.; 2 Kathmandu Engineering College, Kalimati, Kathmandu

15:20 ⎯16:50 Mountain Livelihood and Sustainability (OR -SAM -1) [Room: Dhuku]

Chair Dr. Kedar Rijal, Professor Central Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

Invited: Risk management and assessment on the environmental projects (OR -MLS -1 -469-INVITED)

Tom Wielickii

California State University, Fresno, CA, USA

Comparative efficacy of Trichoderma viridae, Pseudomonas fluorescens and mixture of bio fertilizers against club root of Broccoli caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae (OR -MLS -1 -262)

Sarkal Jyakhwo

HICAST, Nepal

Analysis of watersheds in Gandaki Province, Nepal using QGIS (OR -MLS -1 -330)

Ram Chandra Paudel, Keshav Basnet

Infrastructure Engineering and Management Program, Pashchimanchal Campus, Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University, Kaski, Nepal

A participatory research experience on crop establishment in the char lands of northern Bangladesh (OR -MLS -1 -367)

Abdul Karim

Department of Agronomy, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur, Bangaladesh


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Nutritional composition of biomass

Pravin Kumar Sahu1, Suryakant Chakradhari1, Yaman Kumar Sahu1, Khageshwar Singh Patel1, Erick Kibet Towett2 (OR -MLS -1 -351) 1School of Studies in Environmental Science/Chemistry, Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur, CG, India; 2World Agroforestry Centre, Nairobi, Kenya


16:50 ⎯ 17:00 Tea/coffee break

October 10, 2018 || DAY TWO

8:30 ⎯ 10:00 Symposium: Biological Invasion in the Changing World (OR -BIC -1) [Room: Nepa]

Chair Dr. Suresh Ghimire, Professor Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kritipur, Kathmandu, Nepal

Invited: Biological invasion in Nepal: Agendas for research and management (OR -BIC -1 -468)

Bharat Babu Shrestha

Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kritipur, Kathmandu, Nepal

Determinants of coverage of invasive Chromolaena odorata in Sal forest of Chure (OR -BIC -1 -424)

LN Sharma, M Watson, B Adhikari, B Karna, E Poudel, BB Shrestha Forest Action Nepal, Kathmandu, Npal

Inventory of invasive alien plant species in Godavari Landscape, Nepal (OR -BIC -2 -448)

Srijana Joshi1, Anil Shrestha2, Neha Bisht3, Sunil Thapa1 1International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development; 2Department of Plant Science,

California State University, Fresno, CA, USA; 3National University of Singapore, Singapore

Contribution of native and naturalized plant species to the biomass production in grasslands of Siwalik region, Nepal (OR -BIC -1 -428)

Deviram Bhattarai, Bharat Babu Shrestha

Central department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

Diversity of naturalized plants species across land-use types in Kailali district, west Nepal (OR -BIC -1 -445)

Ganesh Datt Joshi, Mohan Siwakoti, Bharat Babu Shrestha Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

8:30 ⎯ 10:00 Symposium: Challenges of food safety monitoring in least developed countries

(OR -CFS -1) [Room: Dhuku]

Chair Dr. Bhanu Bhakta Neupane, Professor Central Department of Chemistry, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

Invited: Food quality system and the current status and role of laboratory in food quality control in Nepal (OR-CFS-1-690-INVITED)

Lekhanath Kandel

Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology, Kathmandu, Nepal

Determination of nutritional value of different rock salt samples obtained in Nepalese market (OR-CFS-1-381)

Saraswati Pandeya, Bhanu Bhakta Neupane Central Department of Chemistry, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal


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Study on the effect of cooking and storage conditions in the loss of iodine from iodized salt samples (OR-CFS-1-397)

Megh Raj Yonjan1, Bhanu Bhakta Neupane2,3

1Amrit Campus, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal; 2Central Department of Chemistry, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal; 3Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal

Optimization of pesticide PADs (OR-CFS-1-365)

Pravin Pokhrel, Basant Giri Center for Analytical Sciences, Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal

Smartphone based microscopic assay for detecting (oo)cyst of Giardia and Cryptosporidium (OR-CFS-1-384)

Rojina Duwal1, Sajeev Wagle1, Bhanu Neupane2, Basant Giri1

1Center for Analytical Sciences, Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal; 2Central Department of Chemistry, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal


10:00 ⎯ 10:20 Tea/coffee

10:20 ⎯ 11:50 Symposium: Biological Invasion in the Changing World (OR -BIC -2)

[Room: Nepa]

Chair Dr. Suresh Ghimire, Professor Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

Plant functional traits of an invasive weed Ageratina adenophora (Asteraceae) along elevation gradients in Chitwan-Annapurna Landscape, Nepal (OR -BIC -2 -434)

Anju Sharma Poudel, Bharat Babu Shrestha, Pramod Kumar Jha

Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

Variation in plant functional traits of an invasive weed Parthenium hysterophorus along elevation gradients in central Nepal (OR -BIC -2 -437)

Seerjana Maharjan1,2, Bharat Babu Shrestha1, Anjana Devkota1, Pramod Kumar Jha1

1Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur; 2Ministry of Forests and Environment, Singhadurbar, Kathmandu, Nepal

Diversity of naturalized species across land use types in Nawalparasi, central Nepal (OR -BIC -2 -439)

Rashmi Paudel, Mohan Siwakoti, Bharat Babu Shrestha


Diversity of invasive alien plant species across land use types in Makwanpur district, central Nepal (OR -BIC -2 -440)

Bhawani Nyaupane, Bharat Babu Shrestha, Mohan Siwakoti


Assessing a low-technology intervention to control Mikania micrantha in the community forests of Chitwan, Nepal (OR -BIC -2 -443)

Rija Manandhar1, Michele Clark2, Sharon J. Hall2, Scott Yabiku3, Sean Murphy4, Dirgha Jibi Ghimire1 1Institute for Social and Environmental Research-Nepal (ISERN); 2School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University; 3Department of Sociology and Criminology, Pennsylvania State University; 4CAB International Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI)

Responses of Triticum aestivum, Brassica campestries and some weeds to the compost of invasive species Ageratina adenophora and Parthenium hysterophorus (OR -BIC -2 -452)

Baby Babita Das “Mallik”1, Bipana Devi Acharya2, Mohammad Saqib3, M.K.Chettri2


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1Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Npal; 2Department of Botany, Amrit Campus, Kathmandu, Kathmandu; 3Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Adamawa State University Mubi, Adamawa, Nigeria

10:20 ⎯ 11:50 Symposium: Challenges of food safety monitoring in least developed countries (OR -CFS -2) [Room: Dhuku]

Chair Dr. Bhanu Bhakta Neupane, Professor Central Department of Chemistry, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

Panel discussion


11:50 ⎯ 12:20 Poster Session

Chair Dr. Keshab Basnet, Professor Western Regional Campus, Institute of Engineering, Kaski, Nepal

12:20 ⎯ 13:20 Lunch

13:20 ⎯ 14:50 Mountain Hydrology and Meteorology (OR -MHM -1) [Room: Nepa]

Chair Dr. Dibas Shrestha, Professor Central Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

River analysis using HEC-RAS (A case study in Seti River at Ramghat, Pokhara, Nepal) (OR-MHM-1-294)

Deepak Acharya, Keshav Basnet

Infrastructure Engineering and Management, Paschimanchal Campus, Pokhara, Nepal

Spatial analysis and statistical modelling of snow cover dynamics in the central Himalayas, Nepal (OR -MHM -1 -295)

Johannes Weidinger1, Lars Gerlitz2, Benjamin Bechtel1, Jügen Böhner2

1Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability University of Hamburg - Insitute of Geography; 2German Research Centre for Geosciences

Estimation of surface runoff using NRCS-CN for rapid response catchment in Pokhara, Nepal (OR -MHM -1 -298)

Manoj Neupane1, Keshav Basnet2

1Infrastructure Engineering and Management Program, Pashchimanchal Campus; 2Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

Monitoring spatial changes in Gara Glacier in Tirungkhad Basin in Himachal Pradesh (India) between 1965 and 2016 (OR-MHM-1-283)

Sandip Tanu Mandal, Milap Chand Sharma Centre for the Study of Regional Development Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India

Delineation of sustainable groundwater potential zones with multivariate analysis using integrated GIS and remote sensing approach (OR -MHM -1 -300)

Aalok Sharma Kafle1, Kushum KC2

1Kathmandu Engineering College, Kathmandu, Nepal; 2Manakamana Training and Skill Development Institute Pvt. Ltd., Kathmandu, Nepal

Groundwater quality assessment along Bagmati river corridor (OR -MHM -1 -317)

Neelam Maharjan

Tribhuwan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

A study of risk perception of people using streets occupied with unreinforced brick masonry buildings under shoring and their risk assessment (OR -MHM -1 -318)

Bishesh Dhakal

Khwopa College of Engineering, Bhaktapur, Nepal


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13:20 ⎯ 14:50 Disaster, Adaptation and Resilience (OR -DAR -1) [Room: Dhuku]

Chair Dr. Rashila Deshar, Professor Central Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

Invited: Remote sensing applications to geological mapping and disaster monitoring (OR -DAR -1 -338-INVITED)

Yasushi Yamaguchi

Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan

Jomda flood: Possible factors for the increased natural disasters in Tibet (OR -DAR -1 -267)

Tempa Gyaltsen Zamlha

Tibet Policy Institute, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India

The response of downstream flood control process to upstream interventions: Experiences from Bakra River Basin, Nepal (OR -DAR -1 -354)

Saroj Karki1, Suchana Acharya1, Ashok Gautam2 1Department of Irrigation, Nepal; 2Department of Water Induced Disaster Management, Nepal

Low strength masonry debris as a construction material: A concept of green reconstruction (OR -DAR -1 -261)

Naresh Nidal, Gokarna Bahadur Motra Institute of Engineering (IOE), Pulchowk Campus, Tribhuvan University, Lalitpur, Nepal


15:00 ⎯ 16:30 Symposium: Air Pollution and Monitoring (OR -EPM -1) [Room: Nepa]

Chair Dr. Rejina Maskey, Professor Central Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

Simultaneous measurements of mixing layer height and aerosol optical properties in the urbanized mountain valley of Chiang Mai (OR -EPM -1 -442)

Raman Solanki1, Ronald Macatangay1,2, Vanisa Surapipith1, Thiranan Sonkaew3, Serm Janjai4, Sumaman Buntoung4, Sherin Hassan Bran1, Vichawan Sakulsupich1

1Atmospheric Research Unit, National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand, Chiang Mai, Thailand; 2Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology, University of the Philippines; 3Astronomy and Atmospheric Research Unit, Faculty of Science, Lampang Rajabhat University, Lampang, Thailand; 4Department of Physics, Silpakorn University, Nakhon Pathom,Thailand

Combating air pollution in Nepal: Challenges, lessons learned and way forward (OR –EPM -1 -445)

Hemu Kafle1, Basant Giri2, Prakash Sharma1

1Cener of Water and Atmospheric Research, Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal; 2Cener for Analytical Sciences, Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal

Features of organo chlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in urban environment of Nepal: spatial variation, sources, temporal trends, air-soil exchange and long range transport potential

Balram Pokhrel1, Ping Gong2,3, Xiaoping Wang2,3,4, Chuanfei Wang2,3, Shaopeng Gao2, Tandong Yao2,3

1Kathmandu University, Department of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Dhulikhel, Nepal; 2Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; 3CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Beijing, China; 4University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

Panel discussion

15:00 ⎯ 16:30 Sustainable Agriculture of Mountain (OR -SAM -2) [Room: Dhuku]

Chair Dr. Bharat Babu Shrestha, Professor Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal


9

Chemical characteristics of seed coats (OR -SAM -2 -346)

Suryakant Chakradhari1, Pravin Kumar Sahu1, Khageshwar Singh Patel1, Erick Kibet Towett2 1Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur Chhattisgarh; 2World Agroforestry Centre, Nairobi, Kenya

Nutritional composition of biomass (OR -SAM -2 -351) Pravin Kumar Sahu1, Suryakant Chakradhari1, Yaman Kumar Sahu1, Khageshwar Singh Patel1, Erick Kibet Towett2 1Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur, CG, India; 2World Agroforestry Centre, Nairobi, Kenya

Influence of integrated use of urea with cow dung, poultry manure and urban wastes in a rice-rice cropping pattern (OR -SAM -2 -361)

Md. Mamun UR Rashid1, A.R.M. Solaiman2

1Agriculture Training Institue, shemoltoli, Gazipur, Bangladesh; 2Department of Soil Science, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur, Bangladesh

Effect of different sources of nitrogen on growth and yield of Okra [Abelmoscus esculentus (L.) Moench] in Dhading, Nepal (OR -SAM -2 -371)

Ritikshya Poudel

Agriculture and Forestry University, Chitwan, Nepal

Application of GIS in agricultural sector of Nepal (OR -SLM -2 -418)

Suraj Shah

Khwopa College of Engineering, Tribhuvan University, Bhaktapur, Nepal

15:00 ⎯ 16:30 Symposium: Management of Plant Diversity for Food and Nutrition (PO -PEC -1) [Room: Begnas]

Chair Dr. Chitra Bahadur Baniya, Professor Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

Plant community, ecology and CSR functional strategy of Linaria tonzigii Lona, a steno-endemic species of the Italian pre-Alps (PO -PEC -1 -276)

Annamaria Giorgi1,2, Luca Giupponi1

1Centre of Applied Studies for the Sustainable Management and Protection of Mountain Areas (Ge.S.Di.Mont.), University of Milan, via Morino 8, 25048 Edolo (BS), Italy; 2Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences-Production, Landscape, Agroen, Italy

Study and valorisation of an ancient maize from Northern Italy rich in phlobaphenes (PO -SAM -1 -277)

Annamaria Giorgi1,2, Roberto Salvatore Pilu3, Luca Giupponi1

1Centre of Applied Studies for the Sustainable Management and Protection of Mountain Areas (Ge.S.Di.Mont.), University of Milan, via Morino 8, 25048 Edolo (BS), Italy; 2Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences-Production; 3Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences-Production, Landscape, Agroenergy, University of Milan, via Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy

Phlobaphenes in maize kernel modify pericarp thickness and fumonisins accumulation (PO -SAM -1 -419)

Roberto Pilu1,2, Michela Landoni3, Giulia Borlini4, Elena Cassani4, Luca Giupponi5, Anna Giorgi5

1University of Milan - Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences: Production, Landscape, Agroenergy; 2Centre for Applied Studies in the Sustainable Management and Protection of the Moun; 3Department of Biosciences, University of Milano, via Celoria, Milano, Italy; 4 Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences - Production, Landscape, Agroenergy, University of Milano, Via Celoria , Milano, Italy; 5Centre for Applied Studies in the Sustainable Management and Protection of the Mountain Environment Ge.S.Di.Mont., Universita` degli Studi di Milano, Via Morino, Edolo

Genetics and cultural aspects regarding the world wide white maize cultivation (PO -SAM -1 -422)

Roberto Pilu1,2, Elia Cammarata3, Margherita Brambilla3, Federica Galizia3, Gloria Brunoldi3, Camilla Comaschi3, Giulia Borlini3, Filippo Tarenghi3, Elena Cassani3, Michela landoni4, Luca Giupponi5, Annamaria Giorgi5


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1University of Milan - Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences: Production, Landscape, Agroenergy; 2Centre for Applied Studies in the Sustainable Management and Protection of the Mountain Environment Ge.S.Di.Mont., Univers; 3Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences - Production, Landscape, Agroenergy, University of Milano, Via Celoria, Milano, Italy; 4Department of Biosciences, University of Milano, via Celoria, Milano, Italy; 5Centre for Applied Studies in the Sustainable Management and Protection of the Mountain Environment Ge.S.Di.Mont., Universita` degli Studi di Milano, Via Morino, Edolo, BS, Italy

Cultivating biodiversity in the Italian Alps: who are the farmers and what challenges do they face? (PO -SLM -1 -450)

Sarah Whitaker1,2, Annamaria Giorgi1,3

1Centre of Applied Studies for the Sustainable Management and Protection of Mountain Areas (Ge.S.Di.Mont.), University of Milan, via Morino, Edolo (BS), Italy 2Emory University, Dowman Drive, Atlanta, Ga.; 3Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences-Production, Landscape, Agro, Italy

Panel discussion

16:30 ⎯ 16:50 Tea Break

16:50 ⎯ 17:30 Closing session [Room: Nepa Dhuku]

Poster Session, Location: Open Air Hall

Date: 10, October, 2018, Time: 11:50 ⎯ 12:20

Chair Dr. Keshav Basnet, Professor Western Regional Campus, Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University, Kaski, Nepal

Seed germination ecology of Ageratum houstonianum: A major invasive weed in Nepal (PO -BIC -1 -449)

Anju Lamsal1, Mohan Prasad Devkota1, Deepa Singh Shrestha1, Srijana Joshi1, Anil Shrestha2

1Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal; 2California State Universities, Fresno, CA, USA

Contribution, service quality and sustainability of homestay tourism in Annapurna Conservation Area (A case study from Lwang village of Kaski district) (PO -BIC -1-363)

Sudipti Parajuli, Bikash Adhikari, Shree Kanta Khatiwada

Institute of Forestry, Pokhara, Nepal

Wildlife research in Nepal (PO -AEC -1 -421)

Shishila Baniya, Prakash K. Paudel Center for Conservation Biology, Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal

Invasive land snail Achatina fulica and its impact in Ghorahi, Dang, Nepal (PO -BIC -1 -436)

Shobha Rawat¹, Prem Bahadur Budha² and Bharat Babu Shrestha¹ ¹Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kritipur, Kathmandu; ²Central

Department of Zoology, Tribhuvan University, Kritipur, Kathmandu

Resilience to natural hazards in the face of uncertainty: Introducing an alternative approach (PO -DAR -1 -423)

Eva Louise Posch1, Karl-Michael Höferl1, Rainer Bell1, Robert Steiger2

1University of Innsbruck, Institute of Geography; 2University of Innsbruck, Institute of Public Finance

Blue intensity shows more stable dendroclimatic signal than tree-ring width at a Himalayan treeline (PO -CCD -1 -270)

Niels Schwab1, Karolina Janecka2, Ryszard J. Kaczka3, Jürgen Böhner1, Ram P. Chaudhary4, Thomas Scholten5, Udo Schickhoff1


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1Physical Geography, Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability (CEN), University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany; 2Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology, University of Greifswald; 3Germany, Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland; 4Centre for Applied Science and Technology (ReCAST), Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal; 5Department of Geosciences, Chair of Soil Science and Geomorphology, University of Tübingen, Germany

The brink of extinction: Quantifying the stories of stone spouts in the Kathmandu Valley (PO -CCS -1 -307)

Saroj Maka1, Pratik Shrestha2, Anusha Pandey2,3, Jeffrey C. Davids4,5 1Department of Civil Engineering, Kathmandu, Nepal; 2NAMI College, Jorpati, Nepal; 3S4W-Nepal, Lalitpur, Nepal; 4Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands; 5SmartPhones4Water-USA, Chico, California, USA

Patterns of rainfall in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal: A citizen science based approach (PO -CCS -1 -308)

Amber Bahadur Thapa1, Nischal Devkota1, Jeffrey Cook Davids1,2,3

1S4W-Nepal, Lalitpur, Nepal; 2Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands; 3SmartPhones4Water-USA, Chico, California, USA

Perception vs. reality: A story of motivating citizen scientists in the Kathmandu Valley (PO -CCS -1 -310)

Anurag Gyawali1, Eliyah Moktan1, Anusha Pandey1, Jeffrey Colin Davids2,3

1SmartPhones4Water-Nepal (S4W-Nepal), Thasikhel, Lalitpur; 2Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands; 3SmartPhones4Water-USA, Chico, California, USA

Developing ground truth data to enhance land use classification: A case study of the Kathmandu Valley (PO -CCS -1 -311)

Surabhi Upadhyay1,2, Anusha Pandey1, Jeffrey C. Davids3,4 1Naya Aayam Multi-disciplinary Institute; 2Jorpati SmartPhones4Water, Lalitpur, Nepal; 3Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands; 4SmartPhones4Water-USA, Chico, California, USA

Citizen science in hydrology: A case study of Kathmandu Valley, Nepal (PO -CCS -1 -301)

Rocky Talchabhadel1,2, Rajaram Prajapati3, Nischal Devkota3, Jeffrey C. Davids4,5 , Anil Aryal6, Manisha Maharjan7, Amber Bahadur Thapa3

1Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, Government of Nepal, Nepal; 2Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, Japan; 3Smartphones for Water Nepal (S4W-Nepal), Nepal;

4Delft University of Technology, Netherland; 5Smartphones for Water USA (S4W-USA), USA; 6Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Yamanashi, Japan; 7Department of Environmental Engineering, Kyoto University, Japan

Post-monsoon stream, aquifer and spout interactions in the Kathmandu Valley (PO -CCS -1 -425)

Nick Overkamp1, Kate Happee1, Rick van Bentem1, Niek Moesker1, Jeffrey C. Davids1,2

1Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands; 2SmartPhones4Water-USA, Chico, California, USA

Regeneration of Ban Oak (Quercus leucotrichophora A. Camus) in different oak associations (PO -PEC -1 -265)

Anuradha Thakur

Chandigarh University, India



1Centre of Applied Studies for the Sustainable Management and Protection of Mountain Areas (Ge.S.Di.Mont.), University of Milan, via Morino 8, 25048 Edolo (BS), Italy; 2Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences-Production, Landscape, Agroen, Italy


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1Centre of Applied Studies for the Sustainable Management and Protection of Mountain Areas (Ge.S.Di.Mont.), University of Milan, via Morino, Edolo (BS), Italy; 2Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences-Production; 3Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences-Production, Landscape, Agroenergy, University of Milan, via Celoria, Milan, Italy

Screening of arsenic resistant Bacillus species for possible bioremediation and plant growth promotion (PO -SAM -1 -364)

Ashish Nepal, Rashmi Roka Magar, Pratibha Rauniyar, Sushmita Dura, Pramod Poudel, Santosh Khanal, Om Prakash Panta, Bishnu Marasini Tribhuwan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

Status and economics of cabbage production in Chhathar-Jorpati Rural Municipality, Dhankuta, Nepal (PO -SAM -1 -375)

Sachin Gahatraj

Agriculture and Forestry University, Chitwan, Nepal

Exploring Bacillus spp. for inhibiting the growth of toxigenic Aspergillus flavus (PO -SAM -1 -391)

Priyanka Thakur, Pratima Khanal, Salina Dhakal, Sushmita Dura

National College, Tribhuwan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

Soil development and soil microbial colonization pattern along the Gangapurna glacier foreland, Manang, Nepal (PO -SAM -1 -401)

Mamita Shakya

Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Nepal


Roberto Pilu1,2, Michela Landoni3, Giulia Borlini4, Elena Cassani4, Luca Giupponi5, Annamaria Giorgi5

1University of Milan - Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences: Production, Landscape, Agroenergy; 2Centre for Applied Studies in the Sustainable Management and Protection of the Moun; 3Department of Biosciences, University of Milano, via Celoria, Milano, Italy; 4Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences - Production, Landscape, Agroenergy, University of Milano, Via Celoria, Milano, Italy; 5Centre for Applied Studies in the Sustainable Management and Protection of the Mountain Environment Ge.S.Di.Mont., Universita` degli Studi di Milano, Via Morino, Edolo, Italy


Roberto Pilu1,2, Elia Cammarata3, Margherita Brambilla3, Federica Galizia3, Gloria Brunoldi3, Camilla Comaschi3, Giulia Borlini3, Filippo Tarenghi3, Elena Cassani3, Michela landoni4, Luca Giupponi5, Anna Giorgi5




1Centre of Applied Studies for the Sustainable Management and Protection of Mountain Areas (Ge.S.Di.Mont.), University of Milan, via Morino, Edolo (BS), Italy 2Emory University, Dowman Drive, Atlanta, Ga.; 3Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences-Production, Landscape, Agro

Colorimetric detection of alkaline phosphatase in milk using paper-based analytical stripe (PO-CFS-1-359)


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Smriti Shrestha, Basant Giri

Center for Analytical Sciences, Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal

Practice of pesticide utilization at farmer level: Can we control its haphazard use in Nepal? (PO-SAM-1-402)

Dikshit Poudel1,2, Shilpa Adhikari1, Pramod Kumar Rijal2 1Agriculture and Forestry University, Chitwan, Nepal; 2Prime Minister Agriculture Modernization Project, Nepal


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ORGANIZING COMMITTEE Dr. Prakash K. Paudel, Convener, Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal Dr. Basant Giri, Member, Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal Dr. Hemu Kafle, Member, Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal Dr. Susma Giri, Member, Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal Dr. Mahendra Thapa, Member, Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal Mr. Roshan Ojha, Member, Nepal Agriculture Research Council, Lalitpur, Nepal SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE Dr. Rajan Ghimire, New Mexico State University, NM, USA Dr. Binod Pokharel, Utah State University, UT, USA Dr. Nabin Malakar, JPL, CalTech/NASA, California, USA Dr. Basanta Raj Adhikari, Centre for Disaster Studies, Tribhuvan University, Nepal Dr. Wentao Wang, Ministry of Science and Technology, China Dr. Achyut Aryal, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia Dr. Anzar Khuroo, University of Kashmir, India Dr. Olga Ameixa, University of Aveiro, Portugal Dr. Vasileios Bontzorlos, Technology of Thessaly, Greece Dr. Prakash K. Paudel, Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal Dr. Achyut Tiwari, Tri-Chandra College, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal Dr. Uttam Babu Shrestha, University of Southern Queensland, Australia Dr. Peter Stahl, University of Wyoming, WY, USA

Conference Scholarship Recipients (Supported by Smartphone4Water, Lalitpur, Nepal and Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal) Amber Bahadur Thapa Anusha Pandey

Arati Joshi Bishal Sharma Bishesh Dhakal Deepak Acharya Dharmendra Kalauni Gauri Jaiswal Nischal Devkota Pranil Pradhan Pratik Shrestha Pravin Pokhrel Rojina Duwal Sandip Tanu Mandal Saroj Maka Shishila Baniya Smriti Shrestha Surabhi Upadhya


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Partner Organizations Central Department of Environment Science, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal Conservation Science Journal Community-based Rainfall Measurement (CORAM) Program, Nepal S4W-Nepal UNIMONT-University of Mountain (Milan) Italian Mountain Lab Sponsors USAID and National Academy of Sciences, USA through Partnership for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) Grant Regional Cooperative Agreement (RCA), IAEA regional office in South Korea Kathford International College of Engineering and Management, Lalitpur, Nepal


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ABSTRACTS

Keynote: Climate and global change in the Himalayas: An ecological perspective (OR -KN -1 -466-KEYNOTE)

Jagdish Krishnaswamy Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Royal enclave, Jakkur Post, Srirampura, Bangalore-560064, India The Himalayan biodiversity hotspot includes one of the three largest ice and snow covered regions on earth, it’s amongst the most tectonically active regions and also has some of the highest rates of warming. Land-use and land-cover change (LULC) its interaction with climate change (CC) as well as other aspects of global change such as road and dam building and urbanization pose severe threats to natural and socio-ecological systems in the Himalayas. In this talk, I review the evidence we have on ongoing changes due to multiple drivers and its impacts on forests, water resources and aquatic ecosystems in the Himalaya. The changes include episodes of browning in forests due to warming induced moisture stress, shifts in species composition and loss of aquatic connectivity. The changes in the precipitation and moisture regime including events of highly intense rain pose increase the hazards to both natural and managed ecosystems. Abandonment of agriculture in some parts of the region poses both challenges to mountain communities as well as opportunities for ecological restoration. Development paradigms should recognize the ecological and geophysical limits and provide meaningful options for mitigation and adaptation in the coming decades.

Keywords: climate change, urbanization, ecological restoration

Keynote: A half-century of conservation successes in Nepal: Past lessons and future possibilities (OR -KN -1 -467-KEYNOTE)

Joel T. Heinen Department of Earth and Environment, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA

After a century of diplomatic isolation, Nepal began opening to the modern world in the 1950s. With the world’s highest peaks and still plentiful wildlife populations then, the country had vast potential for nature-based tourism. But, with that opening, came rapid conversion of lush lowland forests, and wildlife poaching. In response, the Government of Nepal (GoN) requested United Nations assistance to study wildlife and propose a system of protected areas (PAs) in the 1960s. By 1973, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) and Chitwan National Park were both established and five more PAs were added by the end of that decade. The PA system has expanded greatly since. With rapid human population growth across that time period, many park-people conflicts developed and the era of community based conservation began. This included legislation on buffer zones around PAs and the establishment of conservation areas (CAs) as a less-restrictive category. The 21st century brought political change and both threats and opportunities in conservation. The GoN responded by expanding community-based conservation programs and legislating to implement the CITES, Ramsar and Biodiversity Conventions. With the help of foreign aid, NGOs, INGOS and dedicated researchers from Nepal and abroad, conservation successes have mounted. PAs now cover over 20% of Nepal, several successful reintroductions have taken place, populations of many species are increasing and ongoing research has documented new species and range expansions. Such efforts must expand as climate change proceeds if Nepal’s biodiversity is to thrive into the future.

Keywords: conservation programs, tourism, wildlife poaching

Invited: Predator-prey interdependency within mammalian niche hotspots in response to climate change in Himalayan region of Nepal (OR -AEC -1 -459 -INVITED)

Menaka Panta Neupane1, Manish Basnet1, Prabhat Raj Dahal2, Hari Basnet1, Neeshant Modak1, Maheshwar Dhakal3, Laxman Poudyal4, Dhananjaya Lamichane3 1International Union for Conservation of Nature, Nepal; 2Kathmandu Living Lab; 3Ministry of Forests and Environment, Nepal; 4Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation, Nepal Snow leopard, the top predator in Hindu-Kush Himalayan ecosystem, is highly vulnerable to climate change as its ecologically suitable niches are limited to Himalayan region above the tree line in broken, rocky, sparsely vegetated and dry alpine steppe. It has been well known that the rate of warming in Himalayan region is significantly higher than the world average. The study assessed potential future habitat distribution of snow leopard and its prey species, mainly Blue Sheep and Himalayan Tahr, and the consequent future changes due to climate change in order to determine suitable niche/hotspots outside the protected areas of Nepal. Future climate projections under RCP 4.5 and 8.5 for years 2050 and 2070 predicted that potential habitat area of snow leopard and blue sheep would severely diminish, in particular that of snow leopard declining from current 4535 km2 to


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503 km2 under RCP 8.5-2070 scenario. Temperature and altitude are two dominant climate variables affecting the habitat suitability of the species. Due to increasing temperature, average altitude of potential habitable area of both species exhibit marked shift of above 5000m hence leading to decline in their suitable habitat. However, potential habitat area of Himalayan Tahr is projected to increase as altitude-shift is comparatively smaller. Temperature change will have less impact in eastern region reflecting in least changes in suitable habitat area of snow leopard with decrement of only 18.3% under RCP 8.5-2070 scenario. Thus, eastern region is projected to be major future ecological hotspot of snow leopard and its prey species which will require proper conservation and management.

Keywords: climate change, climatic variable, potential habitat, suitable niche

Ecological assessment of Mai Pokhari wetland: A Ramsar site from eastern Nepal (OR -AEC -1 -406)

Pranil Pradhan1, Deep Narayan Shah2 1Golden Gate International College, Ram Mandir Marga, Kathmandu, Nepal; 2Central Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal Mai Pokhari wetland is one of the Ramsar listed, highly diverse and less studied wetland of Nepal. The study is carried out with the purpose of assessing limnological parameters and composition of aquatic macro-invertebrates to determine the water quality of the wetland. Multi-habitat sampling approach is followed for sampling benthic macro-invertebrates from the littoral zone. Field data is collected during post and pre-monsoon season based on Lentic Ecosystem Field Protocol. Shannon Weiner Diversity Index is used for determining taxa richness and evenness from the ecological data. Nepal Lake Biotic Index is used for determining water quality class. This study examines the water quality of the wetland through the comparison of the biological and chemical parameter recorded in two different sampling periods. Land use and land cover changes of three decade have been analyzed in order to observe the change in wetland ecological condition. Forest in the selected area around the wetland is found increasing by 4.2% every decade. The huge deposition of organic matter is found major stressor causing dominance of Chironomidae and Tubificidae results in moderate level of pollution and fair water quality in both sampling period and is supported by calculated NLBI value. Measured nutrients i.e. Nitrate, Ammonia and Total Phosphate is found increased in pre-monsoon season. The information obtained throughout the study helps wetland management committee to avoid further degradation and enhance the ecological quality of the wetland.

Keywords: aquatic macro-invertebrates, ecological status, evenness index, NLBI index, Shannon-Weiner index

Small mammals in Nepal: Spatial visualization and heat map analysis (OR -AEC -1 -460)

Hari Basnet1, Menaka Panta Neupane1, Prabhat Raj Dahal2, Neeshant Modak1, Maheshwar Dhakal3, Laxman Poudyal4, Dhananjaya Lamichane3 1International Union for Conservation of Nature, Nepal; 2Kathmandu Living Lab, Kathmandu, Nepal; 3Ministry of Forests and Environment, Nepal; 4Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation, Kathmandu, Nepal A total of 212 mammalian species has been recorded in Nepal. Among them Small mammals (132 species) covered more than 62% species although 45% of them belongs to data deficient category. The taxonomic numeric of these species reports seems inconsistent with the distribution of several species being based on only one or two records. Furthermore, very less taxonomic input was added during last two decade as most of the finance targeted to large and charismatic species. Thus, as a part of large-scale biodiversity mapping, a total of 1530 occurrence point was collected representing 121 species of small mammals. These points were collected reviewing all the available secondary literature among which GBIF data was most valuable. Then, these occurrence points were pooled and heat map was produced to identify the hotspots (threshold value >0.75) using QGIS 2.18.18 version. The totals of 17 different small mammal’s hotspots covering 1914 sq. km (1.3 % of Nepal) were found in Nepal. The largest (528 Sq.km) and smallest (5.03 Sq. km) hotspots lies within Langtang and Chitwan National Park encompasses 35 and 9 different species respectively. Nine hotspots lies within protected area, seven hotspots were concentrated in Central Nepal and non in Far-western Nepal. Similarly, 11 districts still lacking the small mammals’ data and 12 districts records based on less than five occurrence point. The spatial visualization clearly indicates that the research and expedition are concentrated in central Nepal which contributes 44% of dataset whereas far-west region cover less than 3%.

Keywords: heat map, hotspots, small mammals, spatial visualization


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Understanding the dynamics in distribution of Chinese Pangolin under predicted climate change in Nepal (OR -AEC -1 -470)

Birendra Kandel1, Sujan Khanal2, Menaka Panta Neupane3, Hari Basnet3, Nishant Modak3 1Parsa National Park, Parsa, Nepal; 2Institute of Forestry, Pokhara Campus, Pokhara, Nepal; 3International Union for Conservation of Nature, Kathmandu, Nepal Future climate change is likely to affect distributions of species, disrupt biotic interactions, and cause spatial incongruity of predator-prey habitats. Understanding the impacts of future climate change on species distribution will help in the formulation of conservation policies to reduce the risks of future biodiversity losses in the present study, we use Species Distribution Modelling (SDM) modelling approach to predict the potential of distribution of Pangolin under future climatic conditions under RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5. The Trans-Himalaya is a vast biogeographic region and climate change is an emergent threat to biodiversity conservation. We recognize this explicitly in the bioclimatic model by treating the pangolin primary habitat as the dependent variable. Rise in the mean temperature and change in the level of precipitation are responsible factor for are wider change. Based on the model predictions, distribution of most of the Chinese pangolin is expected to decrease its habitat under future climatic scenarios, which might pose a serious threat to the native ecosystems in the study area. Our climate-only model shows that only (2550.332 Km (2)) area of Nepal is suitable for the Chinese pangolin under current climate. The predicted habitat distribution of Chinese pangolin reduces to (1255.24 (2)) in the year 2045 and to 935.41 Km (2)) in 2070 under predicated climate change RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5.

Keywords: Chinese pangolin, dynamics, prediction

Beekeeping for poverty reduction and biodiversity conservation in Bangladesh (OR -AEC -1 -333)

Md Ruhul Amin

Department of Entomology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur, Bangladesh

Bangladesh ranks 94th in terms of land area and 8th in terms of population among the 182 countries in the world, and there is an average of 1,266 people per km2 land (UN 2017). Agriculture is an important economic sector in Bangladesh contributing 15.1% of the country’s GDP and the agriculture is commercializing day by day. The farmers are showing interest in producing valuable crops like vegetable, fruit, oil and pulse. Pollination acts as the key driver for better production of these commercial crops and the relationship between these flowering plants and flower-visiting insects is of great importance in Bangladesh for biodiversity conservation. Honeybees play vital role in the agricultural ecosystem as natural pollinators of various plant species, but due to injudicious application of fertilizers, pesticides and flower induction hormones, their population is going down. So, there are growing interests in apiculture and uses of honeybees for crop pollination. Beekeeping activities are integrated with conventional crop, livestock farming and agro-forestry. In a similar vein, beekeeping plays a significant role in contributing food production through increased pollination of food crops. Apiculture is going to be a fascinating industry in the rural areas of Bangladesh and honeybee colonies are using for pollination of mustard, sweet gourd, melon, mango, litchi, onion etc. The bee-keeping is a proven technology for profitable venture requiring small investment of capital. For development of agriculture and rural economy, and conservation of biodiversity bee-keeping may play a vital role in Bangladesh.

Keywords: beekeeping, biodiversity, conservation, poverty reduction

Invited: Engaging youth for integrated water resources management in Nepal (OR -CCS -1 -376-INVITED)

Anjana Shakya1, Madhav Rijal2, Bhawani Dongol1 1Program for aquatic natural resource improvement (Paani) project, USAID Nepal's water project, Kathmandu, Nepal; 2Mid Western University, Surkhet, Nepal Nepal as a developing country needs to trail integrated management of water, land and related resources in order to maximize economic and social welfare in an equitable manner for country prosperity. Development as well human activities are closely and somehow inseparably associated with issues of water resources. By creating awareness about the diversity of our water resources and introducing the concept of integrated water resource management, we are investing for continuity and continuity is very important to any project as it ensures its sustainability. In order to reach the majority of youths in the country to address water issues and create awareness amongst the youth is the best way to educate them through academic curriculum. With that notion, Midwestern University with the support of Paani project launched an interdisciplinary course on "Basics of Integrated Water Resources Management" to the interested students of faculty of Science and faculty of Humanities. Maintaining the vision of long-term sustainability, the course has been introduced targeted to the students so as to connect them with citizen scientists and create a shared understanding to act for the benefit of local communities.

Keywords: integrated water resources management, sustainability


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Extreme precipitation events and importance of community based rainfall measurement in Nepal (OR-CSS-1-465)

Binod Pokharel1, Jonathan Meyer1, Simon Wang1, Suresh Marahatta2, Basant Giri3 1Utah Climate Center, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA; 2Central Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal; 3Center for Analytical Sciences, Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal Nepal has witnessed several extreme precipitation events including the recent flooding on July 2018 and August 2017. These events are occurring more frequently in the changing climate. Since no radar observations are available and forecasting of the extreme event is difficult for the meteorologists, a dense network of precipitation measurements can help to aware the community and to convey the extreme event warning to the people. The community based rainfall measurement has been very effective way to aware the community, to collect the data and to help the planners and it has been adopted in several countries in the world. The community based rainfall measurement has been started in Nepal and the data are being collected by the high school students with the help of science teacher. This presentation will show the importance of dense precipitation measurement for the country of highest slope of terrain and the efforts made towards this direction in Nepal. A case study of the extreme precipitation event shows that it is not only difficult to forecast the extreme event over the complex terrain but also the precipitation measurement that varies significantly within few kilometers. The existing precipitation dataset from satellite and reanalysis product as well as high resolution model cannot capture the accurate precipitation quantity particularly during the extreme events. The presentation will demonstrate several precipitation measurements including in-situ, satellite, high resolution modeling and their biases. The climatology of extreme weather events in Nepal and average synoptic condition during those events will also be discussed.

Keyword: citizen science, extreme rainfall, open data, satellite measurement

Exploring the relations between groundwater level, rainfall, and land-use in the Kathmandu Valley (OR -CCS -1 -312)

Rajaram Prajapati1, Jeffrey C. Davids2,3, Nischal Devkota1, Anusha Pandey1 1SmartPhones4Water-Nepal, Lalitpur, Nepal; 2Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands; 3SmartPhones4Water-US, CA, USA Among other things, quantity and intensity of rainfall have a huge influence on groundwater recharge. Since sustainable utilization of groundwater resources has become a key issue in water management in most groundwater dependent countries, understanding the relations between groundwater level and other determinants like rainfall is essential. For cities like Kathmandu that are heavily dependent on groundwater resources, and have a short recharge period, improving our understanding of these relationships is critical. In this study, associations between changes in groundwater level, monsoonal rainfall, and land-use types in the Kathmandu Valley were evaluated. To achieve this, data on monthly changes in groundwater level and monthly average rainfall for the period between July 2017 and June 2018 were collected by the citizen scientists from 30 locations distributed throughout the valley, using an android application called ODK Collect. Land-use coverage classification map with six different land-use types at a 30m spatial resolution was developed using a Landsat 8 image captured in the fall of 2015, which was further validated from ground-based observations conducted by citizen scientists. A trend analysis on the variations in groundwater level and rainfall patterns will be performed. A correlation analysis will also be conducted to further assess the existing relationship between the selected parameters. The results obtained from this study will provide further insight into the dynamics of groundwater level in the valley, thus facilitating the sustainable development and utilization of groundwater resources.

Keywords: ground water, Kathmandu, land use

Groundwater quality assessment of Bhaktapur Municipality based on quality-indices and statistical-modeling (OR -CCS -1 -319)

Aalok Sharma Kafle1, Rajaram Prajapati2, Kushum KC3, Anusha Danegulu4 1Kathmandu Engineering College, Kathmandu, Nepal; 2Institute of Engineering, Pulchowk Campus, Lalitpur, Nepal; 3Manakamana Training and Skill Development Institute Pvt. Ltd., Kathamandu, Nepal; 4Khwopa College of Engineering, Bhaktapur, Nepal Rapid urbanization and overexploitation of groundwater exacts a toll on quality of underlying water. This research elucidates the manner of accessing groundwater quality considering spatial variation of quality determinant factors. To represent the quality of water thematically, quality indices assignment procedure to spatial data along with various statistical modelling approaches were adopted. A total of 25 sample sites were selected from Bhaktapur Municipality


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and quality determinant parameters were determined 3 times in the span of eighteen months i.e. 2017 January, 2017 June and 2018 May. During the procedure of research, quality parameters determined were pH, Electric Conductivity, Total Dissolved Solid, Turbidity, Hardness, Nitrate, Ammonia, Iron, Chloride, Phosphate and Coliform. Quality determination process was carried out using ENPHO kits and other laboratory techniques. Correlation analysis was performed within the seasonal nature of data and in-between quality determining parameters. Statistical modelling was carried out to show correlation between parameters. All parameters are then linked within a database to be displayed on geographic information system (GIS) interface. Firstly, thematic maps are prepared for each map independently. Then, modelling of Groundwater Quality Index (GWQI) is carried out with indexing method based on parameter’s effect on human health by preparing water quality distribution map. Minimum quality standards for each parameter are taken form National Drinking Water Quality Standard (NDWQS), 2005 published by Ministry of Physical Planning and Works or chemical concentration guideline provided by World Health Organization (WHO). This modelling technique generalized the pollution state of area considering all polluting factors showing some alarming concerns.

Keywords: ground water, modelling, quality indices

Streams, sewage, and shallow groundwater: water quantity and quality interactions in the Kathmandu Valley (OR -CCS -1 -297)

Nischal Devkota1, Jeffrey Cook Davids2, Neelam Maharjan3, Torgen Soderlund2, Rajaram Prajapati1

1SmartPhones4Water-Nepal, Lalitpur, Nepal; 2SmartPhones4Water-USA, Chico, California, USA; 3Central Department of Geology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal Groundwater is a critical water supply for the Kathmandu Valley. Shallow groundwater provides a critical spatially distributed storage mechanism to meet human demands, and keeps springs, streams, and stone spouts flowing throughout the prolonged dry period (October to May). In addition to water quantity concerns, shallow groundwater quality appears to be deteriorating from both point and non-point sources including stream seepage, septic tanks, industrial facilities, agricultural nutrient applications, and others. Since, streams in the Valley are highly contaminated, it is critical to understand stream-aquifer interactions in order to understand the implications of surface contamination on shallow groundwater quality. Pairs of adjacent stream and groundwater levels (surveyed to a common datum), stream flow, and water quality were measured at 18 locations along the Bagmati, Dhobi, and Bishnumati rivers. In 16 of the 18 sites, the groundwater levels adjacent to the rivers were lower than the stream, meaning that the streams are losing (i.e. flowing from the stream to the groundwater). The two gaining sites were at the headwaters of the Bishnumati and just upstream of the Chovar canyon to the west of Nakkhu. Stream water quality had a statistically significant correlation with shallow groundwater quality. The primary conclusions from this work are that (1) streams are primarily losing water to the groundwater system, and (2) as such, surface water quality has an important impact on groundwater quality. These points highlight the importance of quickly controlling the discharge of untreated wastewater into the stream networks of the Kathmandu Valley.

Keywords: ground water, shallow, wastewater

Status of Pangolin trade in Nepal (OR -AEC -2 -353)

Bishal Sharma, Prakash Chandra Aryal, Sandesh Neupane GoldenGate International College, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal All eight species of Pangolin traded illegally in a global level are included in CITES list. The status and problems associated with Pangolin trade in Nepal is not worked upon properly. Facts about Pangolin trade in Nepal are limited in terms of coverage. This study focused on assessment of Pangolin trade status linking socioeconomic drivers of trade in 30 selected districts of Nepal using on site questionnaire surveys and register data from 50 district forest offices. The study showed that extensive Pangolin trade in Eastern and Central Nepal. A total of 70 cases (8.52% of the total wildlife seizure cases) registered between 2008-2017 AD were related to Pangolin trade. The highest volume of trade, 198.6 Kg of scales, was recorded in Sindhupalchok followed by Kathmandu. The price of Pangolin parts varied largely. The price of dominantly traded scales ranged from NPR 8000-26785 (19752.69±5573.8) per Kg and meat price ranged NPR 800-1000(960± 69.9) per Kg. In an illegal trade process, an average of 8-10 steps from hunting, collection, and supply to the international network was recorded. Parts were supplied to China and India via borders from different routes. The Pangolin populations were reported to have been in a declining rate in last 5-10 years with illegal trade and poaching contributing the most. Pangolin meat was consumed as medicine as well as for local delicacy. It was seen that enforcement of strong law and public awareness program could help mitigate the problem of illegal Pangolin trade in Nepal.

Keyword: awareness, DFO’s, pangolin trade, poachers, seizure


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Distribution, habitat utilization and threats to Chinese Pangolin (Manis Pentadactyla Linnaeus, 1758) in Eastern Chure, Nepal (OR -AEC -2 -279)

Nabin Bhandari1, Tej Bahadur Thapa2 1Central Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal; 2Central Department of Zoology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal Chinese Pangolins (Manis pentadactyla) has received very limited scientific attention, therefore information about the species is still scarce in Nepal. This study was conducted in Lekhani VDC, Udayapur, Eastern Nepal, to assess the distribution, habitat utilization and threats to Chinese Pangolin through direct field observation, group discussion, key informant interview and scheduled questionnaire survey. Using field survey within the transect of 500 meters; distribution of burrows, their geographical coordinates, slope, elevation, canopy cover, soil moisture, soil color and texture, distance to the food source, water, settlement, and road were recorded. The site was classified in seven different land covers where a majority was forestland and least with residential area. The signs such as 256 burrows (136 inactive and 119 active), scratches, and footprints were observed. The distribution of Pangolin was found to be highest in forest habitat followed by farmland and grassland with majority in southwest aspect and least in northeast, elevation range of 709 m to 1478 m, crown cover less than 25%, slope range 20°-30° (high) and least beyond 60° and below 10°, 10%-20% moisture, light yellow colour and fine texture. The distribution was highly affected by distance to the food source, settlement and less by the road and water source. Poaching for meat and traditional medicine and habitat destruction were major threats to pangolin at the site. Pangolins were taken as the sign of bad luck and the conservation status of Pangolins in the study area was found to be worse.

Keywords: habitat, pangolin, threats

Habitat analysis of the Chinese Pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) Suryabinayak Community forest, Bhaktapur, Nepal (OR -AEC -2 -329)

Kiran Gosai

Khwopa College, Tribhuvan University, Bhaktapur, Nepal Pangolin is a nocturnal, solitary, burrowing mammal that does no harm to humans. Chinese Pangolin is a critically endangered animal listed in the Appendix I of CITES. However it has not got high concern in the scientific society. The distribution and habitat preference by Chinese Pangolin at Suryabinayak Community Forest was studied in the month of March 2018. Two types of search area Systematic and Judgmental each of size 20 X 25 m2 were taken along the lines of different elevation ranges. A total of 27 search area (including both systematic and judgmental) were studied in which 26 burrows (65% old and 35% new) were found. The burrow density is 19.26 burrows/hectare. The burrows are mostly distributed in the northwest aspect (35%) in the elevation range of 1450 m (54 %) at medium slopes (73%) and in the areas dominated by Rhododendron arboreum. The Chi-square test revealed that the burrows in the different aspects, elevation and slopes are unevenly distributed. The forest area should be well conserved to protect the habitat of Chinese Pangolin.

Keywords: burrow, distribution, elevation, endangered, preference

Habitat analysis of the Chinese Pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) at Manthali Community forest, Bhaktapur, Nepal (OR -AEC -2 -340)

Mahendra Prasad Uprety

Tribhuwan University, Kathmandu, Nepal Pangolins belong to the least studied burrowing mammals whose information on habitat analysis is still scarce in Nepal. Chinese Pangolin is critically endangered mammals. Generally, they are nocturnal, elusive, non-aggressive, solitary insectivorous and burrowing mammals. In world 8 species are found among which 4 are found in Asian region. In Nepal, 2 species i.e. Manis pentadactyla and Manis crassicaudata are found. The main objective of this project is to know preference of aspect for building burrows, to assess the elevation-wise distribution and to know the habitat of pangolin. This study was carried out in the Manthali Community Forest from 23 January to February 2, 2018.The study was surveyed by Systematic Search Area in the interval of 200 m making and area of quadrat 10x10 m2 and Random Search Area making an area of 10x10 m2 were used for vegetation analysis, A total of 108 burrows were recorded which were not uniform in distribution. Burrows were mostly distributed in the habitat dominated by Schima Wallichii in the south West aspect in the elevation range between 1450-1550 m. Burrow were found more in the elevation of 1500 m. Chi-square test revealed that there was a significant difference in the distribution of burrows in the elevation and aspect. Clumped pattern of distribution was observed. Manthali Community forest is a prime habitat for pangolin. Therefore, this area should be taken under special attention for the conservation and research of pangolins.

Keywords: burrows, distribution, pangolins, preference


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Perception, distribution & readiness to protect Pangolin in Rani Community forest, Makwanpur, Central Nepal (OR -AEC -2 -409)

Gauri Jayaswal, Kamal Raj Gosai Department of Environmental Science, Tri-Chandra Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal Pangolins are elusive, non-aggressive, peculiar mammals having stiff scales depicting nocturnal and burrowing nature that is found in several parts of Nepal. The research was carried out in Rani Community Forest of Makwanpur District. Direct field observation was used to know the status of burrows and distribution pattern while semi-structured questionnaire, Key Informant Interview and Focus Group Discussion were adopted for understanding people's perception towards pangolin and readiness to protect pangolin. Total 68 burrows (12 new and 56 old) were recorded and distribution pattern was found to be clumped type and were not uniformly distributed throughout all the blocks of Rani Community Forest. Burrows were mostly present at an elevation range of 500-550m. Statistical test also revealed that there was a significant difference in the distribution of burrows according to altitude, block and food availability. The respondents lack scientific details of pangolin but possessed positive perception towards pangolin. Out of 45% respondents, 98% knew pangolin, 41% had seen live pangolins, 67% speculated increasing population trend, and 13% knew its ecological importance. 80% of the respondents had knowledge on pangolin as a protected species and consumption of meat and use of its scales was not prevalent in the area. Only 4% of the respondents claimed pangolin as a problematic animal as burrows of pangolins can lead to soil erosion. 67% were willing to protect pangolin and among them only 44% were directly involved in pangolin conservation till date.

Keywords: pangolin, perception, protection

Role of women in biodiversity conservation: Lesson learnt from HIMAWANTI Nepal (OR -AEC -2 -456)

Anita Shrestha, Gopi Paudel

HIMAWANT, Nepal Women have been playing an important role for conservation of biodiversity and protection of the community forest. With the support from Asia-Pacific Network for Sustainable Forest Management and Rehabilitation (APFNet), HIMAWANTI Nepal has conducted the biodiversity survey in the Laglage Pakha CF of Chandragiri Municipility, Kathmandu using camera trapping and sign survey along transect for mammals, birds, butterfly and herpeto fauna. Scientific data were validated with social survey. There were 12 species of mammals, 136 species of birds, 52 species of butterfly and eight species of herpeto fauna. Due to women participation in forest conservation (e.g, hunting restriction), more species have been found recorded. Large Indian Civet and critically endangered Chinese pangolin were trapped in the camera. Most importantly, three globally, five nationally threatened and two protected mammal species of Nepal were also recorded. This area was found to be a suitable habitat for 10 species of the summer visitor birds (e.g. Grey-bellied Cuckoo (Cacomantis passerines), Drongo Cuckoo (Surniculus lugubris), Eurasian Golden Oriole (Oriolus oriolus) etc.). Besides, two nationally threatened bird species, Barn Owl (Tyto alba) and Pied Thrush (Zoothera wardii), were also found. This all species have been protected through women for conservation and management of biodiversity.

Keyword: biodiversity, community forest, fauna, mammals

Habitat use by snow leopard and perceived impacts of climate change (OR- AEC-2-470)

Binaya Adhikari Kathmandu Forestry College, Kathmandu, Nepal The highly elusive creature “Snow Leopard” plays an integral role on maintaining a healthy alpine ecosystem. The objective of the study was to determine the probability habitat use of snow leopard (Arun South, Taplejung) using occupancy model by incorporating prey index and human disturbance index. The study also explored the perception of transhumant herders towards the effects climate change in critical habitat of snow leopard. The survey yielded a naïve estimate of 0.27 and modeled average estimate of 0.49 (SD 0.12). Among the total sampled grids, 33% had the probability of occupancy more than 0.50. Prey availability showed strong positive influence whereas human disturbance had negative influence on probability of habitat use by snow leopard. The transhumant herders perceived rising summer and winter temperature, decrease in rainfall, decreasing snowing days and decreasing amount of snowfall. All of the herders agreed that summer is staring earlier these days and snow in rangeland is melting earlier whereas most of herders disagreed on the statements that new livestock diseases have appeared and new species of plants are appearing in rangeland. Naïve estimate underestimated the occupancy by 22% which indicates the need to include occupancy model to deduce reliable estimates. The result signifies protecting wild prey and reducing human disturbance could aid in management interventions of snow


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leopard. Mitigation and adaptation strategy of climate change for the sustainability of transhumance system and livelihood should be developed which will help in conservation of snow leopard.

Keywords: climate change, occupancy modeling, snow leopard, transhumance system

Invited: Building Citizen science Asia: Community, partnerships & SDGs (OR -CCS -2 -415-INVITED)

Mendel Wong, Scott Edmunds

CitizenScience.Asia Citizen Science extends and fills the gap in professional science with high-resolution data to establish ground truth and with multi-disciplinary approaches that encourage varied perspectives. Beyond raising scientific curiosity and literacy of the people it involves citizen science makes science relevant by creating an opportunity for everyone to contribute towards outcome they care about. The recognition of citizen science as a building block to address the Sustainable Development Goals was highlighted at the recent United Nations Environment Assembly Forum in support of the establishment of the Citizen Science Global Partnership to coordinate effort and strategy top-down through the regional citizen science networks. CitizenScience. Asia provides a unified voice for Asia to represent the regional challenges, views and capabilities in this concerted effort to bring citizen science to the forefront of facilitating sustainable solutions. The immediate goals for CitizenScience.Asia are to:

1. Build the regional community around shared belief that citizen science engagement leads to positive change in our surroundings and increases societal awareness and understanding of them. Establish conversations and share stories across this region amongst project organizers, volunteers and the general public;

2. Coordinate and establish a global strategy in capacity building and facilitate bi-directional communication between global and local entities;

3. Maintain an IT platform where the community can find and access available resource for creating or participating in projects;

4. Promote citizen science to the general public through educational channels and community events.

Keywords: citizen science, regional community, sustainable development

Mapping the springs of the Kathmandu Valley: Can citizens accurately measure spring discharge? (OR -CCS -2 -316)

Anusha Pandey1,2, Jeffrey Colin Davids3,4

1NAMI College, Jorpati, Nepal; 2SmartPhones4Water, Nepal; 3Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands; 4SmartPhones4Water-USA, Chico, California, USA Wise water management decisions rely on accurate spatial and temporal records of water quality and quantity. River water, one of the major water sources, is usually quantified using sophisticated, highly accurate and expensive equipments used by trained professionals with significant funding. These factors make it difficult to scale. Citizen science (CS) projects, in the past decades, have rapidly increased due to advancements in sensing technologies, data processing and visualizations, and communication methods. This paper presents a case study of involvement of CS in collecting stream flow data using salt dilution technique. We recently launched our first CS Flow Campaign to assess the spatial variations in discharge of Bagmati River and its tributaries within Kathmandu Valley during pre-monsoon. Our goal is to repeat these measurements twice a year into the future. This paper first presents the development of the measurement methodology. Second, we summarize the quantity and location of data generated during the campaign. Third, we analyze the spatial variation of discharge in Bagmati River and its tributaries within Kathmandu Valley. Finally, we explore whether citizen hydrology could be used to continue to measure spring discharge in the long run.

Keywords: citizen science, salt dilution, stream flow, water management

Floristic composition of eastern mid-hills of Nepal (OR -PEC -1 -453)

Mohan Sangroula1, Mohan Siwakoti2, Chitra Bahadur Baniya2

1Damak Multiple Campus Damak, Jhapa, Nepal; 2 Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal Ration, identification, characterization and conservation of floristic genomes are major sights of plant systematics. Angejung-Jorpokhari area has unique landscape with a religiously protected forest, community forests and national forests in temperate and sub-alpine climate with wetland Jorpokhari in Midhills of Eastern Nepal. Floristic study was conducted during year 2014/2015 aim to enumerate flowering plants within elevation range of 600 to 2500 m asl. Altogether 489 species of flowering plants were recorded belonging to 79 families 346 genera; among them 60 families, 272 genera and 382 species were dicotyledons, 18 families 73 genera and 105 species of monocotyledons and 2 species of Gymnosperms. Lamiaceae family was the most dominant family with 29 species; followed by 29 species of Asteraceae and 10 species of Ericaceae. There were 254


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herbs, 40 shrubs, 116 trees, 51 climbers, 27 epiphytes and 1 other species of tropical and temperate plants. Among these list 25 wild edible fruits and 50 traditional medicinal plants were reported. Three endemic plants species, 12 species included in CITES appendices and 2 invasive plants of Nepal were matched from the Government list. The study mirrored significance of every landscape of mountain ecosystem; a repository of biodiversity, ecosystem services.

Keywords: beta-diversity, biodiversity, ecosystem services, floristic, species richness

Regeneration and dynamics of Himalayan Fir at a central Himalayan treeline ecotone (OR -PEC -1 -269)

Niels Schwab1, Ryszard J. Kaczka2, Aleksandra Lewandowska-Duzy1, Jürgen Böhner1, Ram P. Chaudhary3, Thomas Scholten4, Udo Schickhoff1

1Physical Geography, Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability (CEN), University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany; 2Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland; 3Centre for Applied Science and Technology (ReCAST), Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal; 4Department of Geosciences, Chair of Soil Science and Geomorphology, University of Tübingen, Germany

The Himalayan Mountains have been most affected by climate change over last century. At higher elevations, low temperatures during the growing season result in tree growth limitations, which determine the elevation of natural upper treelines. It is assumed that climate change induced temperature increase cause treelines to advance to higher elevations. However, empirical studies of diverse mountain ranges have yielded evidence of both advancing alpine treelines as well as rather insignificant responses. The reasons for this discrepancy are not well understood. We, therefore, selected the Rolwaling valley in east-central Nepal comprising a treeline ecotone in near-natural condition. Consequently the Rolwaling valley offers an opportunity to study the dynamics caused by climate change. To address the aforementioned research deficits, we mapped the elevational position of Himalayan Silver Fir (Abies spectabilis) trees across the Rolwaling treeline ecotone and measured their diameter at breast height. We took the tree-ring cores from some of the mapped trees and applied standard dendroecological methods. A regression model was developed between diameter and age of the sampled trees as derived from their cores. We used this regression model to estimate the age of those trees, which we did not take the cores from. Preliminary results indicate intense, sustainable regeneration in recent decades and, thus, a potential for upward migration. However, we found only few individuals above the current treeline. We conclude that ecological conditions of the dense Rhododendron krummholz belt above the treeline most likely control the upward migration.

Keywords: breast height, climate change, dendroecology, treeline

Identification of high priority sites for Rhododendron conservation in China (OR -PEC -1 -290)

Nawal Shrestha

Peking University, Beijing, China Rhododendron L. is one of the largest flowering plant genera with ca. 1000 species globally. It is an economically significant genus and forms an important component of the montane ecosystem in the subalpine and alpine regions of the Himalaya. The genus is represented by about 571 species in China with an exceptional number of endemics. Previous study has pointed the need to reassess the conservation status of Chinese Rhododendron owing to the fact that most species are under greater threat than has been acknowledged. Habitat degradation and an increasing pressure on land to meet the demands of an expanding human population have placed some of the species of Rhododendron in China at the risk of extinction. Therefore, identifying areas of high conservation importance for Chinese Rhododendron is urgently required to effectively monitor and conserve them, particularly in a scenario where global change is imposing great threat to species’ survival. Here, using the distribution data of 556 Rhododendron species in China, we evaluated the performance of the two commonly used priority setting approaches: hotspot and complementarity and selected the efficient method to select the priority areas for the conservation of Rhododendron in China. We found that the complementarity method had higher efficiency and representativeness than the hotspot method. Moreover, the complementarity method was much better at capturing the range-restricted species. We identified 61 grid cells of 50×50 km as high priority areas for Rhododendron conservation in China. Among these priority areas, only about 50% grid cells were located in the hotspot areas, and 14% grid cells were outside the current protected area network. Our findings suggest that, despite its popularity and ease of implementation, the sites selected by hotspot method may not necessarily be the best sites to allocate conservation efforts.

Keywords: habitat degradation, hotspot, priority sites


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Green algae as potential sorbent for trace elements (OR-PEC-1-350)

Yaman Kumar Sahu1, Khageshwar Singh Patel1, Erick Kibet Towett2 1Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur, India; 2World Agroforestry Centre, Nairobi, Kenya Algae a group of autotrophic and eukaryotic organism play a significant role in the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, fuel, and textile industries. They are an important part of our ecosystem, and they can help control the growing problem of pollution to a great extent. Hence, in this work, elemental composition of six common algae i.e. Chara Spp., Hydrodictyon Spp., Lyngbya Spp., Nitella Spp., Pithophora Spp. and Spirogyra Spp. grow in water are described. The accumulation of 22 elements i.e. Cl, P, S, Na, K, Mg, Ca, Rb, Sr, Ba, Al, As, Se, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, Mo and Pb in these algae were measured by the XRF technique. Among them, seven elements i.e. Mn, S, Mg, Al, K, Ca and Fe were present at significant levels with mean value of 1714, 4251, 5791, 10059, 14804, 29159 and 27278 mg kg-1 (dw), respectively. Elements i.e. Rb, Sr, Ba, P, As, Se, Ti, Cr, Mn, Co, Cu, Zn, Mo and Pb were present at moderate to low levels. Other elements i.e. Na, Cl and Ti were identified only in some algae. The enrichment of elements in the algae with respect to water is presented.

Keywords: green algae, sorbent, accumulation, XRF technique.

Vascular plant colonization pattern along the spatio-temporal gradient around the Gangapurna Glacier foreland, Manang, central Nepal (OR -PEC -1 -398)

Ilina Bajracharya, Chitra Bahadur Baniya Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal Glaciers are considered natural laboratories to study vegetation change. Glaciation and de-glaciation in the glaciers are greatly influenced by temperature and snowfall and can serve as an excellent indicator of increasing global warming. These retreating glaciers leave exposed area in front of the foreland as terrestrial ecosystem which was previously locked under ice for thousands of years now suitable to microbes and plants to get colonized. These areas are well known for the study of primary succession as they provide the valuable and suitable sites to study colonization pattern, processes and soil development during primary succession. With change in successional phases, less adapted species which are less resistant to competition, are substituted by better adapted species. Despite having an abundant literature on Himalayan glaciations and glaciers, including glacier retreat, there is limited information on soil development and plant succession in de-glaciated Himalayan terrain. Hence, the main objective of this research is to observe the trends of vascular plant colonization with respect to climate change and de-glaciation over a period of time along the study site. Gangapurna glacier is located in Manang district, within Annapurna Conservation Area, in the Central Nepal. The study was done using spatio-temporal gradient concept. Thus, Space towards glacier tongue was considered as young and recently opened up, whereas space distance away from the glacier front was considered as oldest temporal gradient. Hence, numerous plots were allocated along each transects and the vegetation pattern was noted. Farther the distance from the terminal more the abundance of vascular plants were recorded from the study site. About 59 species belonging to 27 families were recorded from the study area with the dominance of Rosaceae.

Keywords: colonization, glacier foreland, glacier retreat, succession

Altitudinal vascular species richness pattern in west Nepal (OR -PEC -1 -451)

Babu Ram Nepal1,2, John Skartveit3, Chitra Bahadur Baniya1

1Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Nepal; 2Butwal Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Nepal; 3University College, NLA, Bergen, Norway Altitudinal species richness pattern is almost known among bio geographers to the most parts of the geography. This type of study is also common to Nepal Himalayas. However, no cross-sectional richness pattern within the large scale pattern so far studied yet in Nepal. Thus this present study has been initiated to understand the vascular species richness pattern in the west Nepal (800 04' to 830 E). All available information related to vascular plants of west Nepal were collected first and then interpolated. A total of 3294 vascular species found enumerated in different literature from altitude below 125 m, around koilabas, Dang to above 7100 m asl around Api Nampa, west Nepal. The interpolated vascular species richness was regressed against their respective altitude through an application of generalized linear model (glm). Statistically highly significant unimodal species richness pattern with maximum modelled richness of 1386 species obtained at 2200 m asl. Similar unimodal richness pattern was found to endemic and non-endemic vascular plants with maximum richness at different altitudes. This study signified that there was the similarity between local and large scale altitudinal species richness pattern but difference in altitudes of the highest richness. Thus this similar study can be a good tool to understand the conservation strategies taken by organizations.

Keywords: endemic, interpolation, maximum richness, regional, unimodal


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Carbon emissions trading and clean development mechanism: Overview and expectations for Nepal (OR -PEC -1 -322)

Kushum KC1, Aalok Sharma Kafle2

1Manakamana Training and Skill Development Institute Pvt. Ltd.; 2 Kathmandu Engineering College, Kalimati, Kathmandu Coal and fossil fuels became the major energy sources as Industrial Revolution hit the globe. Burning such resources excessively increased greenhouse gases contributing to global warming. In an attempt to minimize such emission, particularly carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, companies are compelled to take permit for amount of CO2 production by taking part in market-based trade policy by buying the allotments of carbon emission right. Nepal’s presence on UN Conference on Environment and Development on 12 June 1992 in Brazil entrenched nation’s commitment to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Later enforcement and adaptation of Kyoto Protocol to pursue mitigation of climate change established three market-based mechanisms - emissions trading, the clean development mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation (JI). Nepal has been receiving money from biogas and local level hydropower projects by reducing forest loss and hence minimizing carbon production. This paper discusses spatial distribution of all development projects projected over geographic interface along with location of biogas plants and other development projects with certified emission reduction calculations as per UNFCC approval. Furthermore, 500 million tonnes of carbon was estimated by Nepal’s Government being stored in Nepal’s forest eligible for carbon trading. This provides major boost in income for community-based forest throughout the nation. This has emerged as effective tool being part of 'Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and sustainable management of forests in developing countries' (REED+) program. Role of newly formed local-level government to continue and manage future proceedings accordingly has been discussed.

Keywords: carbondioxide, CDM, global warming

Invited: Risk management and assessment on the environmental projects (OR -MLS -1 -469-INVITED)

Tom Wielickii

California State University, Fresno, CA, USA Environmental projects do represent numerous project management challenges due to their multidimensional character. One of the least addressed and mostly neglected issues is assessing and managing risk of environmental projects. This often result in runaway projects and both budget overruns and delays. In the spirit of complying with the fundamental rule of project management called “triple constraint of PM” – any risk analysis should at least cover risk associated with the scope, time and budget of the project. It is specific characteristic of environmental projects that makes the scope the most important element of risk management among the three listed dimensions. An inherent complexity of most environmental project makes precise definition of a project scope as well as definition of deliverables very difficult and exposed to numerous risks. Those risks are stemming from the possibilities of so called “scope creep” when adjustment of the scope becomes unavoidable, from domino effects of causal chains with unforeseen environmental impacts, and finally – from necessity of dealing with unintended consequences of original scope of the project. Scope risk analysis should be conducted both at the qualitative and quantitative levels using both judgmental as well numerical techniques such as computer simulation. The philosophical foundation of environmental project risk analysis should be the following: we don’t perform project risk analysis to assume any degree of control of the future state of nature; we merely use project risk analysis to develop alternative plans of action for the most likely states of nature. All projects – including environmental projects – never go according to the original plan. Therefore, not having a set of alternative plans as products of risk analysis should be deemed unacceptable.

Keywords: environmental projects, risk management

Comparative efficacy of Trichoderma viridae, Pseudomonas fluorescens and mixture of bio fertilizers against club root of Broccoli caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae (OR -MLS -1 -262)

Sarkal Jyakhwo

HICAST, Nepal Biological control of plant diseases and pest with beneficial microorganisms has become increasingly important to reduce the negative impacts of chemical inputs in the agriculture system. A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the efficiency of different bio control agents for the growth and development as well as control of clubroot in Broccoli caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with four different treatments (T1- Trichoderma viridae, T2- Pseudomonas fluorescens, T3- Mixture of biofertilizers and T4- Control); each replicated four times. Biological control reduced the rates of infection


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with P. brassicae significantly compared to the control plot. The disease severity and attributes related to root and plant development was analyzed. The control efficiency of T3 (91.66%) was significantly higher than T4 (70.83%, p<0.05). This result indicated that T3 could be promoted for control of clubroot as well as to increase the yield of Broccoli. The result obtained also demonstrated that the drenching of bio control agents also significantly increased the above ground fresh weight and root length while decreasing the disease incidence and disease severity. T3 was found significantly better (p<0.05) in plant height, root length and yield. Roots of bio control agent treated plants showed the suppression of disease whereas there was high incidence of disease in the control plot. The primary mechanism for pathogen dispersal seems to be the movement of spores via irrigation.

Keywords: bio control agents, efficiency, field testing

Analysis of watersheds in Gandaki Province, Nepal using QGIS (OR -MLS -1 -330)

Ram Chandra Paudel, Keshav Basnet

Infrastructure Engineering and Management Program, Pashchimanchal Campus, Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University, Kaski, Nepal Watershed analysis is used for the management and planning of natural resources. It provides catchment boundaries but also hydrological parameters useful for management program like decision making. It helps in flood prediction modeling and snowmelt runoff models and provides necessary inputs for hydrological modeling. The GIS technologies nowadays occupy a prominent place among the modern computer tools and constitute an invaluable support in the decision making of problems with a spatial dimension. GIS offers integration of spatial and non-spatial data to understand and analyze the watershed processes and helps in drawing a plan for integrated watershed development and management. The Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data available on the United States Geological Survey (USGS) was taken as primary data to analyze the watershed within the Kaski using QGIS. Delineation of the watershed was conducted from a DEM by computing the flow direction and using it in the Watershed tool. Necessary fill sink correction was made before proceeding to delineation. A raster representing the direction of flow was created using Flow Direction tool to determine contributing area. Flow accumulation raster was created from flow direction raster using Flow Accumulation Tool which then used to derive stream network, stream order, and stream links. And finally, to generate the area-wide watershed for each stream section, flow direction raster and stream link raster were used in the watershed tool. This study provides some major watershed parameters like watershed area, flow length, rainfall patterns, and catchment runoff for each watershed in Kaski. Furthermore, the parameters were compared among the watersheds in Kaski. The results of this research study can be used as a reference for proposing infrastructures in those watersheds and it can also be used for making policy by local government authorities related to Energy, Water Resources, Irrigation, and Infrastructures.

Keywords: Kaski, QGIS, watershed analysis

A participatory research experience on crop establishment in the char lands of northern Bangladesh (OR -MLS -1 -367)

Abdul Karim

Department of Agronomy, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur, Bangaladesh Bangladesh has about one million hectare of char lands, which are formed due to accretion of the Himalayan sediments. There are 222 chars with 23,000 ha cultivated land in the northern district Kurigram. The soils therein are mostly sandy with poor water holding capacity having poor nutrient status. Almost every year the chars are inundated by flood or flash flood. The floodwater recedes in a week or two or even more causing much damage of crops. The farmers are not well trained with the modern technologies. Water shortage also threatens crop production in pre-monsoon cropping season. A participatory research was initiated involving 1000 farmers of 8 chars of 3 Upazillas of Kurigram district to understand the challenges of establishing mungbean and short duration summer aman rice and also to find solutions to overcome the crop production problems prevailed therein. Several recommendations, such as no fertilizers should be applied in mungbean if the crop is grown after wheat or potato (winter season crops), irrigation scheduling should be designed, based on the intensity of drought and prevailing temperatures, a second-time seedbed, which may be called ‘backup’ or ‘insured’ seedbed, may be considered if the rice crop is totally submerged for more than two weeks, were made from the discussion meetings with farmers and extension personnel for successful crop production in the chars.

Keywords: char lands, crop damage, flooding


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Nutritional composition of biomass

Pravin Kumar Sahu1, Suryakant Chakradhari1, Yaman Kumar Sahu1, Khageshwar Singh Patel1, Erick Kibet Towett2 (OR -MLS -1 -351) 1School of Studies in Environmental Science/Chemistry, Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur, CG, India; 2World Agroforestry Centre, Nairobi, Kenya Biomass is sources of energy, food, nutrients and phytochemicals. They are used to feed local animals. Therefore, in this work, the mineral and phenolic composition of biomass is described. Elements, i.e. Na, Mg, Al, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Mo, BA and Pb were identified in commonly available biomass of 25 families. There plants are easily grown in Raipur region (21.2514° N, 81.6296° E) of the country. The total mineral content was ranged from 2007 – 74923 mg kg-1 with mean value of 35580±9567 mg kg-1. Very rich mineral content, > 50000 mg kg-1 in biomass of families, i.e. Araceae, Brassicaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Lythraceae, Nelumbonaceae, Solanaceae and Typhaceae was marked. Moderate mineral content, >10000 - <50000 mg kg-1 in biomass of families, i.e. Asteraceae, Combretaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Cyperaceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Linaceae, Malvaceae, Poaceae, Sapotaceae and Verbenaceae was observed. Low mineral content < 10000 mg kg-1 in biomass of families, i.e. Lauraceae, Meliaceae, Phyllanthaceae, Rhamnaceae, Rutaceae and Sapindaceae was detected. The total phenolic and flavonoid content was ranged from 1.10 – 3.72 and 1.12 – 2.97% with mean value of 2.72±0.25 and 1.92±0.21%. Rich phenolic content, = 3.00% in the biomass of families, i.e. Anacardiaceae, Apiaceae, Borangiaceae, Moringaceae, Oleaceae and Rhamnaceae were identified. The effect of the variable in the mineral and phenolic composition of the leaves is discussed. Keyword: biomass, flavonoid nutrients, phenol, phytochemicals

Invited: Biological invasion in Nepal: Agendas for research and management (OR -BIC -1 -468)

Bharat Babu Shrestha

Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kritipur, Kathmandu, Nepal Biological invasions have emerged as a major component of anthropogenic environmental changes threatening biodiversity, ecosystem health, food production systems, and human health worldwide. Scale and intensity of biological invasions have been increasing particularly due to globalization and diversification of trade, land use changes and habitat degradation, and more recently the climate change. Risks and impacts of biological invasions are likely to be higher in under-developed countries like Nepal due to poor enforcement of biosecurity (quarantine) rules, high dependency to imported commodities, limited financial and technical capacities, failure to understand the current and future impacts, and inadequate implementation of strategies and programs related to biological invasions. Informed policy decisions and their implementations are required to lower the risks and impacts of biological invasions. Therefore, major agendas for future research can be, but not limited to, 1) identification of introduction and dispersal pathways, 2) ecological and evolutionary impacts of invasive alien species, 3) prioritization of species and habitats for management and 4) economic valuation of impacts and cost of management. Similarly, the major agendas for management can be 1) preparation of national strategy for management of invasive alien species and its implementation, 2) provision of risk assessment before introduction of alien species particularly in agro-forestry, aquaculture and floriculture sectors, 3) promotion of community education and citizen science focusing on biological invasions, 4) inclusion of invasive species management components in operational plans of community forestry and other participatory resources managements, 5) inclusion of invasive alien species management in environmental impact assessment and auditing, and 6) location specific strategies to prevent further spread of invasive alien species. Focusing to these agendas will help to meet the long-term goals of biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.

Keywords: community participation, dispersal pathways, ecological and economic impacts, risk assessment

Determinants of coverage of invasive Chromolaena odorata in Sal forest of Chure (OR -BIC -1 -424)

LN Sharma, M Watson, B Adhikari, B Karna, E Poudel, BB Shrestha Forest Action Nepal, Kathmandu, Npal Invasive species are among the major threat to biodiversity conservation; they are a culprit for tremendous ecological and economic damage in agriculture, forestry and aquatic and pastoral resources. There are different drivers of spatial pattern of invasive species cover in different geographical scales. Understanding the spatial pattern of invasive species and disentangling the biophysical variables at forest stand level is essential for managing ecosystems and landscapes. However, forest specific and species specific information on invasive species abundance and extent is largely lacking. In this context we analyse the coverage of an invasive species,


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namely Chromolaena odorata, in economically high value Sal forest of ecologically sensitive Chure mountain of Central Nepal. Four community managed sal forests were sampled; out vegetation sampling in 0.01 ha square plots and measured C. odorata coverage in each plots. Floral richness, tree regeneration, tree density, canopy cover data was collected for each quadrat. We also estimated the disturbance in plots and plot location relative to the settlement and highways. The cover of C. odorata varied in different parts of the forest. Disturbance in the ground, distance to disturbance corridor, distance to highway were important variables to explain variation in cover of C. odorata in forests. Forest canopy cover has strong negative correlation with the C. odorata cover. Canopy cover inturn has strong positive correlation with the Basal area of trees. Our results clearly show that high canopy cover suppress the cover of C. odorata. Our results therefore can inform forest management.

Keywords: canopy cover, invasive species, richness

Inventory of invasive alien plant species in Godavari Landscape, Nepal (OR -BIC -2 -448)

Srijana Joshi1, Anil Shrestha2, Neha Bisht3, Sunil Thapa1 1International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development; 2Department of Plant Science, California State University, Fresno, CA, USA; 3National University of Singapore, Singapore The first step towards developing a management strategy for control of invasive alien plant species (IAPS) is to document their presence and map their distribution. Since studies have shown that the distribution and spread of IAPS is strongly influenced by road side corridors, we conducted an inventory of IAPS along the roadside in Godavari Landscape covering 23 plots in September and October, 2017. Vegetation along the roadside in plots of 10 m × 10 m was sampled and the presence of IAPS was documented at 5 km intervals. In total, 10 IAPS, belonging to four families, were documented at the study sites. The most common species by frequency were Bidens pilosa followed by Ageratina adenophora and the highest IAPS richness was noted at 1337 m asl with a total number of eight species. The species richness of IAPS was greater near settlements along roadsides and agricultural fields than in other areas. Therefore, this study documented the current state of IAPS at this landscape and identified the areas most susceptible to invasion. It is expected that this information will serve as a baseline for future monitoring and identification of priority areas for eradication, control and prevention of further spread of IAPS in the Godavari Landscape.

Keywords: Godavari landscape, invasive species, inventory

Contribution of native and naturalized plant species to the biomass production in grasslands of Siwalik region, Nepal (OR -BIC -1 -428)

Deviram Bhattarai, Bharat Babu Shrestha

Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal Grasslands in peri-urban areas are relatively more susceptible to biological invasion than other natural ecosystems due to frequent disturbances and high propagule pressure. Previous research measuring species richness across vegetation types in the Siwalik region of Nepal reported the highest number of naturalized plant species in grasslands. However, relative contribution of native and naturalized plant species to total biomass production of such grasslands remained unknown. In this study we measured biomass production of grasslands in Siwalik region at three locations representing eastern (Gaighat), central (Hetauda) and western Nepal (Surkhet). A total of 18 10 m × 10 m plots (six at each location) were selected and fenced in summer to protect from livestock grazing. Each plot was divided into 100 1m × 1 m quadrats and 10 such quadrats were selected randomly in each plot for harvesting above ground biomass during late monsoon. The biomass was segregated to species level and oven dried at 70 degree Celsius for 48 hours. The total biomass production varied significantly across locations with the highest production at Gaighat (699± 294 g/m2) and the lowest at Hetauda (367± 113g/m2). Overall, the native species had higher contribution to total biomass (68%) than naturalized species (32%). The native species biomass significantly decreased with increasing naturalized species biomass at all three locations. Among all species, Saccharum spontaneum (22%) and among naturalized species Senna tora (8%) had the highest contribution to the total biomass production. The results of this study showed that native species were dominant in terms of biomass production in the study grasslands but dominance of native species may decline with increasing biomass of naturalized species in the future.

Keywords: biological invasions, community invisibility, grassland management, propagule pressure


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Diversity of naturalized plants species across land-use types in Kailali district, west Nepal (OR -BIC -1 -445) Ganesh Datt Joshi, Mohan Siwakoti, Bharat Babu Shrestha

Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal With the increasing movement of organisms directly and indirectly by human across natural biogeographic barriers, the number of naturalized plant species has been increasing both in natural and human modified ecosystems. Due to variation in propagule pressure of alien species, available resources, disturbance regimes and species interactions, diversity of naturalized plant species may vary across vegetation and land use types. In this study, we measured species richness of naturalized plants species in different vegetation and land use types of tropical lowland (Tarai) region in Kailali district, western Nepal using Modified-Whittaker nested vegetation sampling method (50 m × 20 m). Five plots were sampled in each of the seven vegetation and land use types (Shorea - Terminalia forest, Mixed forest, Riverine forest, Degraded Sal forest, Roadside grazing land, Agricultural fallow land and Agricultural land); therefore total number of plots was 35. We recorded 279 species of vascular plants and among them 41 species were naturalized and among the naturalized species, 12 were invasive. Road side grazing lands had accumulated the highest number of naturalized species (54% of 50 spp.) followed by agriculture land (53% of 47 spp.), riverine forest (33% of 46), degraded sal forest (30% of 54 spp.), agriculture fallow land (30% of 47 spp.), mixed forest (23% of 61 spp.), with the lowest number in Shorea-Terminalia forest (18% of 50 spp.). Plot level species richness of naturalized plants was the highest in road side grazing land and the lowest in Shorea – Terminalia forest. Our results indicate that the alien species establish first in the road side grazing lands that provide propagules for further spread to other vegetation and land use types in the region. Therefore, the roadside grazing lands should be regularly monitored for early detection and eradication as a part of management strategy of alien species.

Keywords: alien species, ecosystem, vegetation

Invited: Food quality system and the current status and role of laboratory in food quality control in Nepal (OR-CFS-1-690-INVITED)

Lekhanath Kandel

Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology, Kathmandu, Nepal Food materials are vital commodity and have direct impact on the human health and safety, which are important issue these days. A numbers of measures are in place to ensure for food safety by the Government of Nepal. The constitution, acts, rules, directives, standards, technical requirements, and decisions are major instruments to monitor the food quality. Establishment, development and maintenance of food quality infrastructure is of prime importance which mainly focus on the inspection, certification, and testing as per national / international requirements. Nepal being a least developed country there are a number of challenges for the development of competent food quality infrastructure. Very limited manufactures implemented food safety management system as per relevant international criteria and best available practices. The inspection system has been in place but not accredited one mostly for the purpose of licensing. The Department of Food Quality Control (DFTQC) and Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology (NBSM) have very important role in the food quality control and food safety management system. Besides, there are a number of governmental and non-governmental organizations and laboratories that are involved in testing, monitoring, and management of food quality. Laboratory Quality Management system has the very important role in generating the reliable data which could be assure by accreditation of the testing laboratories. In spite a number of activities in this direction, there is still need to enhance coordinating and collaborating between relevant organizations involving in Food Safety Management and Quality Control.

Keywords: food quality, laboratory quality management, quality control,

Determination of nutritional value of different rock salt samples obtained in Nepalese market (OR-CFS-1-381)

Saraswati Pandeya, Bhanu Bhakta Neupane Central Department of Chemistry, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal Black and white rock salt-locally named as kalo noon and sinde noon respectively- are one of the highly used ingredients in Nepalese cuisine. It is reported majority of the salt samples are supplied from India and Tibet. Most of these salt samples are sold in unprocessed form. It is very likely that these samples may have different level of impurities. Since ancient time, salt is also believed to be an important source of essential minerals. The mineral content in the salt determines its nutritional value. In this paper a comparative study on percentage purity, essential elements (Calcium, Magnesium, and Iron), and toxic elements (Mercury and Arsenic) on the


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rock salt samples of different origin will be reported. This research will provide useful information on quality/nutritional value of rock salt samples. Keywords: essential elements, nutritional value, rock salt,

Study on the effect of cooking and storage conditions in the loss of iodine from iodized salt samples (OR-CFS-1-397)

Megh Raj Yonjan1, Bhanu Bhakta Neupane2,3

1Amrit Campus, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal; 2Central Department of Chemistry, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal; 3Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal

Salt is an important ingredient of Nepalese cuisine. In Nepal, common salt fortified with iodine is distributed by Nepal salt trading corporation with three brand names Sakti, Bhanu, and Aaayo noon. In this study, we made a systematic study on determination of amount of iodine in different salt samples collected from market and from kitchens. Depending on the type of salt, we found that amount of iodine ranges from 0 to as high as 120 ppm. We also studied loss of iodine from the iodized salt samples under different cooking conditions. Depending on the nature of cooking condition and cooking time it is found that iodine loss is as high as 85%. We also found that, if iodized salt is stored openly (exposed to room light with storage bottle lid open), around 20% loss in iodine is observed during four months period. Keywords: iodine, iodine loss, iodized salt,

Optimization of pesticide PADs (OR-CFS-1-365)

Pravin Pokhrel, Basant Giri Center for Analytical Sciences, Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal Synthetic pesticides are globally used for controlling pests, especially in agriculture. These chemicals also pose health effects to humans causing neurotoxic diseases, asthma and even cancer and also to environment. Therefore the pesticides residues are monitored in fruits and vegetables to ensure quality of such products. At present, pesticide residues are monitored primarily using chromatographic techniques which are relatively expensive, time consuming, and require trained personnel and sophisticated laboratory facility, making them inaccessible especially in developing countries like Nepal. Hence, there is necessity of methods that are more user friendly, cheap and rapid without compromising the accuracy. To address this demand, we are developing paper-based test device, calling it Pesticide PAD, for organophosphate and carbamate group of pesticides. We are using acetylcholinesterase inhibition reaction on the paper substrate. The reaction in the assay is monitored by smartphone app. In this presentation, we will present our work on device design and optimization of various assay parameters such as concentration of enzyme, enzyme substrate and coloring reagent, reaction time, storage stability of the device etc.

Keywords: pesticide; quantification; paper device; acetylcholinesterase inhibition assay

Smartphone based microscopic assay for detecting (oo)cyst of Giardia and Cryptosporidium (OR-CFS-1-384)

Rojina Duwal1, Sajeev Wagle1, Bhanu Neupane2, Basant Giri1

1Center for Analytical Sciences, Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal; 2Central Department of Chemistry, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal Food borne parasitic infections has become a public health problem worldwide. Diarrhoea is recorded as one of major cause of death in Southeast- Asia. Traditional practice of eating raw or inadequately cooked food is one of the major factors that affect the pervasiveness of such parasitic infections. Vegetables usually grown using sewage, surface and river water when not properly washed or cooked becomes the vehicle for transmission of viable (oo)cysts of Giardia and Cryptosporidium. Conventional methods available for detecting (oo)cyst such as high resolution optical microscopy, PCR are highly expensive and are not suitable for field screening of large number of samples in resource limited settings. In this work, we are developing a smartphone-based microscopic assay method. Smartphone based bright field microscope uses sapphire spherical ball lens as its core component. The lens is glued on the hole of the mounting plate which is then affixed onto camera lens of smartphone using scotch double sided tape. Identification of (oo)cyst of giardia and cryptosporidium is based on morphological characterization of the specimen. In this presentation, we will present our data on the optimization of (oo)cyst extraction and concentrations steps. Since, the use of smartphone based microscope in detecting parasitic (oo)cysts in vegetable products have not yet been explored in literature, this new approach can be a promising cheaper alternative for in-field cyst detection.

Keywords: ball lens, cryptosporidium, Giardia, (oo)cyst, smartphone based microscope,


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Plant functional traits of an invasive weed Ageratina adenophora (Asteraceae) along elevation gradients in Chitwan-Annapurna Landscape, Nepal (OR -BIC -2 -434)

Anju Sharma Poudel, Bharat Babu Shrestha, Pramod Kumar Jha


Success of invasive plants in their introduced range is often attributed to high fitness of their functional traits to new environment. In this study, we measured plant functional traits of a noxious invasive weed Ageratina adenophora (Sprengel) R. King and H. Robinson to understand how the traits vary along the elevation gradient. Vegetative (leaf area LA, specific leaf area SLA and leaf nitrogen content LNC) and reproductive traits (number of floral heads per ramet, total seeds per floral head, number of viable seeds per floral head and number of non-viable seeds per floral head) of A. adenophora were measured along the elevation gradient (500, 1000, 1500, 2000 and 2500m asl) at two sites (Eklefannt-Simbhanjyang and Khairenitaar-Panchase) in Chitwan-Annapurna Landscape (CHAL) of Nepal. At each elevation band, three quadrats (10m × 10m) were defined and 15 healthy individuals were sampled in each quadrat for vegetative traits and 10 for reproductive traits. Results showed that SLA, total number of heads per ramet and total number of seeds per head declined with increasing elevation at both the sites while the LA exhibited unimodal response curve with elevation. Remaining traits did not vary consistently along elevation gradient at the two sites. In any case, the measured traits did not decline sharply as one approached to the highest elevation along the gradient. This may indicate that the performance of A. adenophora was not constrained by low temperature at its current highest distribution and the plant may spread further upslope.

Keywords: Crofton weed, reproductive traits and temperature gradient, vegetative traits

Variation in plant functional traits of an invasive weed Parthenium hysterophorus along elevation gradients in central Nepal (OR -BIC -2 -437)

Seerjana Maharjan1,2, Bharat Babu Shrestha1, Anjana Devkota1, Pramod Kumar Jha1

1Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur; 2Ministry of Forests and Environment, Singhadurbar, Kathmandu, Nepal Plant functional traits are critical for predicting the spread of invasive species and explaining their invasion success. We measured leaf area (LA), specific leaf area (SLA), biomass allocations and plant height of noxious weed Parthenium hysterophorus L. along the two elevation gradients (Birgunj-Hetauda-Kathmandu and Chitwan-Gorkha) between 60 m and 1300 m asl in central Nepal. At each elevation band spaced by about 200-500 m altitude depending upon the site and availability of the sampling population, 10 healthy individuals were collected for determining the above traits. The average values for all above traits LA, SLA, leaf mass ratio, stem mass ratio, root mass ratio and plant height for entire gradient was 49 24.55 cm2, 328.63 65.78 cm2/gm, 43.51 8.04 %, 42.48 9.24 %, 14.10 3.5 % and 154.18 27.8 cm respectively. The measured traits varied among elevation bands but they did not vary consistently with elevation, indicating that the factors not related with elevation might have controlled the variation in traits. Contrary to our expectation, the traits did not decline sharply at the highest elevation of the weed occurrence along the elevation gradients. Therefore, it appears that the occurrence of this weed at the uppermost elevation in the present study has not been constrained by elevation (i.e. low temperature) and it is highly likely that the weed will expand further in higher elevation.

Keywords: elevation gradient, Parthenium weed, phenotypic plasticity, life history traits,

Diversity of naturalized species across land use types in Nawalparasi, central Nepal (OR -BIC -2 -439)

Rashmi Paudel, Mohan Siwakoti, Bharat Babu Shrestha

Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal Diversity of naturalized plant species is an important criterion for assessing invisibility of communities. The diversity of naturalized plant species depends on propagule pressure, resource availability, disturbances and species diversity as well as species composition of resident community which in turn depends on vegetation types and land use types. In this study we assessed the diversity of naturalized plant species across six vegetation and land use types in an inner-Tarai valley of Nawalpur district, Central Nepal. In each type, we sampled five plots (50m×20m) following modified Whittaker vegetation sampling method to record naturalized as well as other vascular plants. Number of naturalized plant species was found the highest in shrub land (18 species) followed by agricultural land (17), Riverine forest (14), whereas mixed forest, grassland and sal forest has the lowest number of naturalized species (6 in each).Percentage share of naturalized species to the total species was the highest in agricultural land (23%) followed by shrub land (20%), Riverine forest (17%), grassland (11%), sal forest (6 %) and mixed forest (6%). Plot level species richness of naturalized species was the highest in agricultural land (11 species) followed by shrub land (10), riverine forest (6), sal forest (3),


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grassland (2) and mixed forest (2). The results indicate that naturalization of alien species was higher in agriculture and shrub land than in the forest and grassland.

Keywords: exotic species, modified Whittaker method, propagule pressure

Diversity of invasive alien plant species across land use types in Makwanpur district, central Nepal (OR -BIC -2 -440)

Bhawani Nyaupane, Bharat Babu Shrestha, Mohan Siwakoti

Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal Naturalization and subsequent invasion of species is a hardly control phenomena, which challenges the steadiness of environment. Land use pattern and naturalization of species are correlated. Although every exotic species are not invasive, some of them become naturalized and later starts to invade and contribute to a significant effect on loss of biodiversity. The present study has assessed the diversity of naturalized plant species in different land-use types in Makwanpur District, Central Nepal. Modified-Whittaker’s nested sampling method (50m×20m) was used in six different land use types and found a greater average number of naturalized plant species in the fallow land (17): among them 9 species were invasive. It may be due to the availability of excessive unused resources and highly disturbed site. However, least number of average naturalized species had found in the agricultural land (9) among these 4 are invasive. Cumulative frequency of naturalized species in different land use type had found as - fallow land (29), sal forest (26), wetland (24), grassland (22), mixed forest (19) and agricultural land (13). This research will help to discover the vegetation, which is severely affected by the naturalization of exotic species and subjected to invasion and requires early and essential attention for management.

Keywords: biodiversity, invasive species, sampling

Assessing a low-technology intervention to control Mikania micrantha in the community forests of Chitwan, Nepal (OR -BIC -2 -443)

Rija Manandhar1, Michele Clark2, Sharon J. Hall2, Scott Yabiku3, Sean Murphy4, Dirgha Jibi Ghimire1 1Institute for Social and Environmental Research-Nepal (ISERN); 2School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University; 3Department of Sociology and Criminology, Pennsylvania State University; 4CAB International Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) Chitwan National Park's buffer zone community forests are threatened by some of the world’s worst invasive plant species. These plants alter ecosystems by out-competing native plants and lowering biodiversity. By 2015, two invasive plants, Mikania micrantha and Chromolaena odorata occupied 39% and 52% of CNP buffer zone community forests, respectively. We sought to identify low-cost and low-technology mechanical techniques to combat the spread of invading plants. In 2015, we established a three-year study to evaluate and compare the efficacy of multiple removal methods. We selected control techniques based upon their current use by community forest members (traditional methods) and compared them to a modified approach consisting of uprooting, bagging and burying the invasive plants. We established a combination of four treatments in separate 20X20m2 plots in five selected community forests including 1) Traditional with burning, 2) Modified with burning, 3) Modified without burning, and 4) Traditional without burning. Treatments were conducted three times between January 2016 and September 2017. Ecological measurements were taken six times and included native and invasive herbaceous species cover, stem counts, and tree cover. We found that the presence of Mikania and other invaders was reduced in all treatment types compared to the original baseline measurements in November 2015. However, it was clear that modified treatment techniques in many time periods had significantly less invasive plants when compared to the baseline measurements. This evidence suggests that low-cost and low-technology management approaches can be implemented to successfully mitigate the effects of invasive plants species over time.

Keywords: ecological measurement, invasive plants, traditional method

Responses of Triticum aestivum, Brassica campestries and some weeds to the compost of invasive species Ageratina adenophora and Parthenium hysterophorus (OR -BIC -2 -452)

Baby Babita Das “Mallik”1, Bipana Devi Acharya2, Mohammad Saqib3, M.K.Chettri2 1Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Npal; 2Department of Botany, Amrit Campus, Kathmandu, Kathmandu; 3Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Adamawa State University Mubi, Adamawa, Nigeria The allelopathic effect of compost extract and compost amended with soil of two invasive weeds Parthenium hysterophorusand Ageratina adenophora on seed germination and seedling growth of two winter crops (Triticum aestivum and Brassica campestries), and some associated weeds (Bidens pilosa, Ageratum conyzoides, Galinsoga parviflora and Cyperus rotundus) have been investigated in the present study. The seed


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germination, shoot and root length of both tested crops reduced significantly (P=0.05) with compost aqueous extract of A. adenophora. Similarly, seed germination of B. campestries reduced insignificantly and that of T. aestivum increased significantly (P=0.05) at low concentrations (2.5 and 5%) of P. hysterophorus compost aqueous extract. The seed germination of B. campestris was totally inhibited at 10% compost extract of both Ageratina and Parthenium but seeds of T. aestivum could germinate even at 10% compost aqueous extract of both the weeds. Seed germination, shoot length and root length of all studied weeds reduced with increase in concentrations of both Ageratina adenophora and Parthenium hysterophorus compost aqueous extract. The soil amended with different concentrations of Ageratina adenophora compost reduced seed germination of both the crops and weeds, Soil amended with Parthenium 10 and 20g compost/kg soil enhanced seed germination, shoot and root length of both crop seeds but reduced seed germination, shoot length and root length in all weeds. Complete seed germination inhibition of Cyperus rotundus with both Parthenium hysteroporus compost aqueous extract (even at 1%) and compost amended soil (even at 10g compost/kg soil) indicates the possibilities of using it to control Cyperus rotundus.

Keywords: A. adenophora, compost extract, P. hysterophorus, tested crop

River analysis using HEC-RAS - A case study in Seti River at Ramghat, Pokhara, Nepal (OR-MHM-1-294)

Deepak Acharya, Keshav Basnet

Infrastructure Engineering and Management, Paschimanchal Campus, Pokhara, Nepal Watershed Analysis is a part of Integrated Water Resource Management. Precise modeling is necessary to make more transparent in decision in decision making process of water resource management. Tools to be used in modeling need to be calibrated in certain watershed for reliability. HEC-RAS, a river analysis tool has been used to find flood level. Hydrologic simulation using computer model has advanced rapidly. The computerized models are being important tools for understanding human influences on river flows. Hydrological Engineering Centre-River Analysis System is a modeling system, developed by US Army Corps of Engineers that can be use in many hydrological simulations. This model was used to find the flood level in the Ramghat area. Thirty years rain gauge data from Lamachour station and 40 years rain gauge data from Pokhara Airport was used to calculate the Peak Flood by NRCS method for 50 years return period. The mean monthly flow and peak flood for 50 years return period was calculated using DHM/WECS (hydest) method. Five numbers of flows were measured by current meter in Ramghat, at outlet. A staff gauge was established in Ramghat for the validation purpose. The flow was also compared better with the DHM/WECS mean monthly flow in the Seti-River Sub-Basin. Profile and Cross-section levels were taken in Seti River in Ramghat in interval of 100 meter for length of 800 meter. This simulated flow was used for the hydrological analysis of Ramghat, Pokhara. Also, this simulated flow was used in HEC-RAS to find the flooding level Ramghat with various return periods.

Keywords: HEC-RAS, hydraulic modeling, hydrological analysis, NRCS

Spatial analysis and statistical modelling of snow cover dynamics in the central Himalayas, Nepal (OR -MHM -1 -295)

Johannes Weidinger1, Lars Gerlitz2, Benjamin Bechtel1, Jügen Böhner2

1Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability University of Hamburg - Insitute of Geography; 2German Research Centre for Geosciences Snow cover modelling is primarily focused on snow depletion in context of hydrological research. Degree-day or temperature index models (TIM) as well as energy balance models (EBM) are conventional to quantify catchment runoff. Whereas the former exploit relationships between snow (and/or ice) melt and air temperatures, the latter rest upon quantifying melt as the deviation from heat balance equations. Yet, the two approaches contain distinct drawbacks, such as increasing temporal resolution decreases TIM’s accuracy and no spatial variability is provided., whereas EBMs have large dataset requirements on climate, landscape and soil properties. Nevertheless, detailed knowledge about shifts in seasonal ablation times and spatial distribution of snow cover are crucial for understanding hydrological systems, plant distribution and various other research interests. Therefore, we propose a statistical model based on a combination of high spatio-temporal climate datasets and climate-related topographic data, which were obtained by meteorological network stations, remote sensing, and GIS analysis. The main objectives are to identify suitable inputs and to develop a robust binary snow distribution model (SDM) that enables the mapping of major physical processes controlling snow accumulation, melt and stagnation in a high mountain environment in the Gaurishankar Conservation Area in Nepal. Therefore, the random forest technique, which represents a state of the art machine learning algorithm was employed. The snow distribution is predicted very accurately with high spatio-temporal resolution (daily on 0.5x0.5 km), with hit rates of around 90% and an overall model accuracy of 90.8% compared to independent Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) observations.

Keywords: binary snow distribution model, remote sensing, temperature index model


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Estimation of surface runoff using NRCS-CN for rapid response catchment in Pokhara, Nepal (OR -MHM -1 -298)

Manoj Neupane1, Keshav Basnet2

1Infrastructure Engineering and Management Program, Pashchimanchal Campus; 2Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University, Nepal The most basic challenges of hydrology are the prediction and quantification of catchment surface runoff. The disposal of surface runoff is more based on watershed management. Hydrological studies are important and necessary for water and environmental resources management. Demands from society on the predictive capabilities of such study and analysis of hydrological parameters are becoming higher and higher, leading to the need of enhancing existing research theories and even on developing new theories. The NRCS-CN method is one of the most popular methods for computing the volume of surface runoff in catchments for a given rainfall event. The catchment area that is contributing the flow for drainage is calculated using the GIS tool. The hydrologic soil is mapped using this platform. For the hydrological study, 15 years daily rainfall data was analyzed for the period 2002 to 2017 with maximum rainfall taken into consideration. It was conducted on the basis of the data records available for the Meteorological Station of the study zone. Tipping Bucket type rain gauge was also installed and the rain gauge constructed manually was also used to collect rainfall at various intervals and to compare the hydrological data. The rainfall data from meteorological department, the data from tipping bucket and the rain gauge constructed manually was compared. The comparison of these shows satisfactory results. The maximum daily rainfall depth is computed to estimate maximum runoff for the catchment using NRCS-CN method and compared with rational method for verification purpose. Study reveals that there is no significant difference between these methods for the catchment. In conclusion, this hydrological study shows that the use of NRCS method plays an important role for the determination of runoff for the rapid response catchment. The methodology introduced in this study can be adopted for the hydrological study in the other area of rapid response regions.

Keywords: discharge calculation, NRCS equation, rainfall, rapid response catchment

Monitoring spatial changes in Gara Glacier in Tirungkhad Basin in Himachal Pradesh (India) between 1965 and 2016 (OR-MHM-1-283)

Sandip Tanu Mandal, Milap Chand Sharma Centre for the Study of Regional Development Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India Gara glacier is one the largest glaciers in Tirungkhad basin. Tirungkhad is a sub-basin in the upper Sutlej basin situated in Himachal Himalaya (India). Changes in the frontal area of Gara glacier was monitored for more than 50 years (1965-2016) using high to medium resolution satellite data. Corona KH4A, Landsat TM and Landsat OLI satellite data were used to estimate the changes in the glacier. The elevation information was obtained from ASTER Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data. Total length of the glacier along the central flow line was 3598.26 m in 2016. Total size of the glacier in 1965 was 4.88 km2 which came down to 4.46 km2 in 2016. In the last 51 years the glacier lost an area of 0.42 km2. The results show that in last fifty years Gara glacier has lost a significant size of area.

Keywords: digital elevation model, landsat, satellite data

Delineation of sustainable groundwater potential zones with multivariate analysis using integrated GIS and remote sensing approach (OR -MHM -1 -300)

Aalok Sharma Kafle1, Kushum KC2

1Kathmandu Engineering College, Kathmandu, Nepal; 2Manakamana Training and Skill Development Institute Pvt. Ltd., Kathmandu, Nepal

Groundwater has become indispensable source of water in Kathmandu Valley. Lack of regulated water supply has forced people looking for easiest alternative which has led to haphazard exploitation of groundwater. This study aims to delineate groundwater potential zones within the valley, classify potential zones and correlate them with current boring sites. Locating new potential zones relieves exploitation from other sources promoting sustainable development with groundwater management. Multivariate decision analysis is performed analyzing lithology, soil-type, landform, slope, drainage density, rainfall and land-use with integrated use of Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS). Thematic maps for each parameter are prepared using GIS and ERDAS software utilizing different band images of Landsat 8 OLI, Digital Elevation Model (DEM), rain statistics and subsoil maps of valley. Weight assignment to every thematic map parameter followed by weigh normalization provides basis for integrated groundwater potential map prepared using Inverse Distance Weighed (IDW) interpolation technique. Groundwater depiction model using ground-based survey and data


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collection is very ineffective considering both time and money for developing country like Nepal. So, this type of statistical decision analysis with systematic approach can provide spatial information of groundwater in developing cities essential for sustainable development.

Keywords: Geospatial, GIS, groundwater, Kathmandu valley, RS

Groundwater quality assessment along Bagmati river corridor (OR -MHM -1 -317)

Neelam Maharjan

Tribhuwan University, Kathmandu, Nepal Groundwater has been the major source of water for different purpose in the human daily life. An aquifer is an underground layer of water bearing permeable rock, rock fractures or unconsolidated materials from which groundwater can be extracted using water well. Bagmati River is the main drainage of the Kathmandu Valley originating from the Shivapuri Lekh (Baghdwar) which lies in the northern side of the valley. The urbanization of the Kathmandu Valley and its sustained population growth are only a couple of the numerous reasons for the decline of the Bagmati River Corridor. The major objective to carry out this research is to find the quality variation and to know the interaction between the surface water and groundwater resource along the Bagmati river corridor. For this, ten sampling stations were selected viz. Sundarijal, Gokarna, Guheshori, Subidhanagar, UN Park, Kupandole, Sankhamul, Kuleshor, Balkhu, and Bagdol . From each station, one river water sample and four ground water samples from both sides of the river were taken on proportion basis by dividing the strata lying within 50 m, 50-100 m distance from the river collected. Different insitu physico-chemical parameters (pH, EC, TDS, DO, temperature) were collected from direct observation for the quality assessemt of river as well as the surrounding shallow wells. Also the chemical parameters of water were tested in the laboratory for further test using chemical reagents.

Keywords: chemical analysis, groundwater, in-situ physio chemical parameter, water quality

A study of risk perception of people using streets occupied with unreinforced brick masonry buildings under shoring and their risk assessment (OR -MHM -1 -318)

Bishesh Dhakal

Khwopa College of Engineering, Bhaktapur, Nepal On 25th April 2015, Gorkha Earthquake took the life of more than 9,000 people. A number of houses in Bhaktapur as well as other parts of Nepal were either fully or partially destroyed. No reconstruction or retrofitting works have been carried out in most of these buildings. The partially damaged houses have been supported with the help of temporary supports called ‘shoring’. The entire paper revolves around 3 research questions: What psychological perception the street dwellers have while passing by such buildings? How stable are these building and what adjustments they need? What preventive measures can be adopted to gain capacity resilience? 50 houses of ward number 2, 3 and 4 of Bhaktapur Municipality were randomly selected for preliminary analysis. A numerical structural model was made for the risk assessment of buildings considering the material properties. Meanwhile, 50 street dwellers, local as well as visitors of different population features were interviewed. The questionnaire was prepared from extensive literature review. A risk perception scale was prepared to determine vulnerability of the people and the study area. The risk perception of the people using streets was quantified and the structural risk assessments of those buildings were performed as well. The outcomes of this research will help policy makers to minimize the effects of hazards in near future.

Keywords: Bhaktapur, Gorkha earthquake, risk perception Invited: Remote sensing applications to geological mapping and disaster monitoring (OR -DAR -1 -338-INVITED)

Yasushi Yamaguchi

Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan Remote sensing is useful for geological mapping. Particularly, Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA’s Terra spacecraft has been providing valuable image data. For example, distribution of iron oxide minerals and vegetation can be assessed by the VNIR bands, hydrothermal alteration zones and carbonate rocks can be delineated by the SWIR bands, and different types silicate rocks can be distinguished by the TIR bands. In order to allow geologists to easily interpret such information on a single image, we developed a technique to combine information derived from the ASTER VNIR, SWIR, and TIR bands. Remote sensing is also a powerful and practical tool for monitoring disasters. For example, radar interferometry can detect land slide movements. Remote sensing was very useful for rapid damage assessment, e.g. at the time of the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011. The newly captured data as well as the


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archive image data taken before the earthquake played an important role to extract changes due to the earthquake and tsunami. Drought is a disaster whose slow onset and cumulative impact may not be immediately observable on ground. We proposed a Vegetation Water Temperature Condition Index (VWTCI) for monitoring drought on a regional scale d a technique to identify and monitor drought by combining a vegetation index, a vegetation-water index and land surface temperature derived from remote sensing data. Another MODIS-derived index; Drought Severity Index (DSI) was also proven to be useful for monitoring drought.

Keywords: ASTER, disaster, geology, remote sensing

Jomda flood: Possible factors for the increased natural disasters in Tibet (OR -DAR -1 -267)

Tempa Gyaltsen Zamlha

Tibet Policy Institute, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India The Tibetan Plateau has seen massive climatic shifts in its geological history that had global implications, but the phase and extent of natural disaster has never been as alarmingly obvious as it has being in the recent years. The simultaneous floods, lands slides and avalanches across Tibet in year 2016 was unprecedented to the historical memory of its inhabitants. The fear of a new climatic trend setting in on the plateau was further strengthened with another set of natural disasters across Tibet in 2017. This paper will try to look beyond the floods and its immediate damages. It will rather examine the possible factors that could have led to the increased natural disasters and exacerbated the situation. Factors such as climatic conditions, architectural designs, topographical features and developmental models that were ideal for the cold dry climatic conditions of the past, but no longer in sync with the new climatic reality on the plateau. To understand the factors, this paper will focus on one particular area, the Jomda Town in eastern Tibet. The town, located in a narrow valley along the Zichu River, witnessed a massive flood on 8 July 2017. First of its kind seen by local residents.

Keywords: climatic reality, Jomda floods, natural disasters, Tibetan plateau

The response of downstream flood control process to upstream interventions: Experiences from Bakra River Basin, Nepal (OR -DAR -1 -354)

Saroj Karki1, Suchana Acharya1, Ashok Gautam2 1Department of Irrigation, Nepal; 2Department of Water Induced Disaster Management, Nepal Human interventions are largely attributed to the vulnerability of the hills and mountains of Nepal which pose a serious threat to the downstream reach in terms of the flood risk and other water-related disasters. In this context, the Bakra River Basin located in the Siwalik and middle hills, where the current study is focused, flood events are being increasingly common in the recent years and so is the extent of the damages. While prioritizing the downstream flood resilience, the upstream basin dynamics is often neglected in the flood management plan which leads to increased vulnerability. The current study, based on the past flood disaster events, aims to investigate how the downstream flood control process is hindered due to the human interventions in the upstream basin leading to increased flood risk. An attempt has been made to identify the relation between the downstream flood control processes with the upstream basin dynamics. The characteristics of the occurrence of the past flood events and subsequent damage scenario showed that the flood control process function well in the short to medium term as long as the downstream reach absorb the changes resulting from upstream perturbations. However, in the long run, when the downstream reach no longer can cope with the uncontrolled upstream dynamics, the flood control process tends to become ineffective or even amplify the flood risk. Finally, after carefully analyzing the response of the downstream reach to the upstream interventions, some counter-measures have been proposed.

Keywords: flood resilience, glood risk, vulnerability,

Low strength masonry debris as a construction material: A concept of green reconstruction (OR -DAR -1 -261)

Naresh Nidal, Gokarna Bahadur Motra Institute of Engineering (IOE), Pulchowk Campus, Tribhuvan University, Lalitpur, Nepal Debris Blocks are manufactured by compacting wetted mixture of low strength masonry debris consisting of soil and stone bats, sand and stabilizer in a mould into a compacted block. This paper focuses on issues pertaining to the strength of the debris blocks using three different proportion of cement as a stabilizer and test results were compared between two different curing techniques of debris block. Comprehensive study of two different debris soil characteristic and influence on the compressive strength of debris block was outlined. Experimental investigation was undertaken to know the parameters affecting compressive strength of debris block. Experimental study on compressive strength and share strength of debris block masonry using two


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different proportion of lime mortar was carried out. Experimental results are compared with existing provisions. Compressive strength of debris block was found to be highly dependent on the compacting pressure, cement content and curing technique of debris block. Dry compressive strength of block increased by 30% in average by plastic wrapped curing technique. Average compressive strength and shear strength of debris block masonry increases with increase in mortar strength. The failure pattern of debris block masonry is similar with the failure pattern of normal burnt clay brick masonry and other concrete block masonry. Increase in mortar strength and manual groove in block unit shows failure with development of shear cracks.

Keywords: compressive strength, masonry, plastic wrapped curing, shear strength, stabilized debris block

Simultaneous measurements of mixing layer height and aerosol optical properties in the urbanized mountain valley of Chiang Mai (OR -EPM -1 -442)

Raman Solanki1, Ronald Macatangay1,2, Vanisa Surapipith1, Thiranan Sonkaew3, Serm Janjai4, Sumaman Buntoung4, Sherin Hassan Bran1, Vichawan Sakulsupich1

1Atmospheric Research Unit, National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand, Chiang Mai, Thailand; 2Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology, University of the Philippines; 3Astronomy and Atmospheric Research Unit, Faculty of Science, Lampang Rajabhat University, Lampang, Thailand; 4Department of Physics, Silpakorn University, Nakhon Pathom,Thailand The highly urbanized mountain valley of Chiang Mai is quite susceptible to strong concentration of air pollutants as a result of the interplay between mountain atmosphere and synoptic wind flow over the region, with the height of the mixing layer being an important indicator of the volume available for the dispersion of pollutants. In this case study, mixing layer height retrievals from miniMPL observations are co-analyzed with the measurements of aerosol optical properties from AERONET stations located at the valley floor and mountain top. The analysis will provide an insight into the role of the mountains winds and the atmospheric boundary layer in the dispersion of atmospheric aerosols over complex topography. The simultaneous measurements during clear sky days from the spring (19 and 20 April 2017) and winter season (31 October and 1 November 2017) are investigated. Back air-trajectory analysis has also been carried out to quantify the source of air mass within and above the valley atmosphere during the days being analyzed. The study will provide a detailed insight into the transportation of air pollutants from the valley floor to the free troposphere and vice versa.

Keywords: aerosol, atmospheric, dispersion, pollutants

Combating air pollution in Nepal: Challenges, lessons learned and way forward (OR –EPM -1 -445)

Hemu Kafle1, Basant Giri2, Prakash Sharma1

1Cener of Water and Atmospheric Research, Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal; 2Cener for Analytical Sciences, Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal The ambient air of Kathmandu valley is severely polluted, making Kathmandu one of the most polluted cities in Asia. Past studies have shown that the concentration of particulate matter less than 10 microns (PM10) in the Valley’s ambient air is already several times higher than the WHO and Nepal national safe limit. Despite the increasingly visible impact of air pollution on people’s health and environment in the last years, there have been only few scientific studies reported. These reports have pointed out 92 premature deaths of children under 5 years and about 65,000 cases of respiratory problems that are attributed to PM10 pollution. Even now, solid biomass is the primary source of fuel in most rural areas of Nepal, which causes significant indoor air pollution and is affecting house makers including women. The Government of Nepal has had installed few continuous air monitoring stations, focusing in Kathmandu. The ministry of science and technology established the first set of such six ambient air quality monitoring stations in 2002. Recently, a few other stations have been installed within the Kathmandu Valley. A number of strategies have been placed in action such as the ban on the heavily polluting Movable Bull Trench Kiln and the introduction of less polluting technologies (Fixed Chimney & Vertical Shaft Brick Kilns), as well as ban on polluting vehicles and introduction of electric vehicles (safa tampo) by the government to reduce the level of air pollution. Provided all these efforts, we still need more scientific studies to better understand levels of air pollution, their sources, and possible mitigation strategies. In this presentation, we will review current state of status of air pollution in Kathmandu valley to better understand the observed pollution, along with its impact on our environment.

Keywords: brick kilns, health impact, polluted air, sources of pollution, vehicular emission


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Features of organo chlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in urban environment of Nepal: spatial variation, sources, temporal trends, air-soil exchange and long range transport potential (OR –EPM -1-446)

Balram Pokhrel1, Ping Gong2,3, Xiaoping Wang2,3,4, Chuanfei Wang2,3, Shaopeng Gao2, Tandong Yao2,3

1Kathmandu University, Department of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Dhulikhel, Nepal; 2Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; 3CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Beijing, China; 4University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

The study of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in low latitude tropical and subtropical urban cities is necessary to assess their local and global impacts on ecosystems and human health. Despite studies on levels of POPs in water, soils, and sediments, analysis of the distribution patterns, seasonality sources and air soil exchange of POPs in urban regions of Nepal remain limited. In the present study, polyurethane foam (PUF)-based passive air samplers were deployed in three major cities of Nepal: Kathmandu (the capital city), Pokhara and Hetauda (agricultural cities) and 39 soil samples from Kathmandu and 21 soil samples from Pokhara were also collected. Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) in the atmosphere and endosulfans in the soil were the dominant organochlorine pesticides. The average air concentrations of POPs were: ∑DDTs, 8.7–1.02×103 pg/m3; ∑HCHs, 5.3–3.33×103 pg/m3; HCB, 5.8–347 pg/m3; ∑endosulfan, BDL–51 pg/m3; and ∑6PCBs, 1.4–47 pg/m3 while the soil concentrations of the sum of endosulfans (α- and β-endosulfans) ranged from 0.01 to 16.4 ng/g dw. Meanwhile, ∑dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDTs) ranged from 0.01 to 6.5 ng/g dw; and ∑6PCBs from 0.01 to 9.7 ng/g dw. Isomer and metabolite ratio analyses suggested that the concentrations present were from both new and historical applications of the POPs. Vegetable production sites and their market places appeared to be the major DDT and HCH source areas. High concentrations of OCPs were also found in the soil of commercial land at Kathmandu, and farmland at Pokhara. Higher atmospheric concentrations of DDT and HCH occurred during the pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons, and winter, respectively, closely associated with their local application for soil preparation and vegetable spraying. The directions and fluxes of air–soil exchange were estimated using a fugacity model. It is clear that Nepal is a country contributing prominently to secondary emissions of endosulfans, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and low molecular weight (LMW) PCBs. The flux for all the pollutants in Kathmandu, with ∑endosulfans up to 3553; HCB up to 5263; and ∑3PCBs up to 3247 pg m−2 h−1; were higher than those in Pokhara. These high flux values indicated the high strength of Nepali soils to act as a source. The estimated travel distances of the POPs (HCB, α-HCH, γ-HCH, and p, p′-DDT) under the Nepalese tropical climate were all above 1000 km, suggesting that high precipitation levels in the tropical climate were not enough to scavenge the POPs and that Nepal could be an important source region for POPs. Due to their close proximity and cold trapping potential (driven by low temperatures), the high Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau are likely the key receptors of POPs emitted in Nepal. These results add to the information available on POPs from tropical developing countries.

Keywords: air-soil exchange, fugacity, persistent organic pollutants, polyurethane foam

Chemical characteristics of seed coats (OR -SAM -2 -346)

Suryakant Chakradhari1, Pravin Kumar Sahu1, Khageshwar Singh Patel1, Erick Kibet Towett2 1Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur Chhattisgarh; 2World Agroforestry Centre, Nairobi, Kenya The seed coats are composed of cellulose, fiber, polyphenols, starch, wax, etc. The seed coats of seeds belonging to family i.e. anacardiaceae, basellaceae, cucurbitaceae, comberbitaceae, euphorbiaceae, fabaceae, juglandaceae, lamiaceae, lauraceae, loganiaceae, malvaceae, meliaceaa, nelumbonaceae, poeacae, putranjivaceae, phyllanthaceae, rutaceae, rhamnaceae, santalaceae, sapindaceae and sapotaceae are used as fodder for animals and fuels for heating purposes. In this work, the composition of elements (i.e. Mg, Al, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Mo, Ba and Pb) and phenols in the seed coats of 21 families i.e. anacardiaceae, basellaceae, cucurbitaceae, comberbitaceae, euphorbiaceae, fabaceae, juglandaceae, lamiaceae, lauraceae, loganiaceae, malvaceae, meliacea, nelumbonaceae, poeacae, putranjivaceae, phyllanthaceae, rutaceae, rhamnaceae, santalaceae, sapindaceae and sapotaceae are described. The seeds were collected from the Raipur region (21.2514° N, 81.6296° E) of the country. The X-ray fluorescence spectrophotometer (XRF) was used for the characterization of the inorganic minerals. The total phenol and flavonoid content were analyzed by the Folin - ciocalteu and Quercetin spectrophotometric methods. The elements were characterized by total elemental concentration was ranged from 2910 – 109921 mg kg-1 with


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mean value of 19754±9541 mg kg-1. Among them, high mineral content (> 20000 mg kg-1) was identified in seed coat of seeds belonging to families i.e. anacardiaceae, euphorbiaceae, fabaceae, lauraceae, malvaceae, rutaceae and santalaceae. The total phenol and flavonoid content in seed coat of seeds belonging to 14 families (i.e. basellaceae, combretaceae, cucurbitaceae, euphorbiaceae, fabaceae, juglandaceae, lauraceae, malvaceae, nelumbonaceae, phyllanthaceae, poaceae, rutaceae, santalaceae and sapotaceae) was ranged from 0.75 – 3.68 and 0.19 – 2.69% with mean value of 1.77±0.49 and 0.81±0.38%, respectively.The high phenol contents (> 2.0%) in seed coats belonging to families i.e. combretaceae, fabaceae, lauraceae and nelumbonaceae was detected. However, high flavonoid content (> 2.0%) in seed coats belonging to families i.e. combretaceae and lauraceae was marked. The results reported are found useful for the animal health.

Keywords: elemental concentration, flavonoid, metallic elements

Nutritional composition of biomass (OR -SAM -2 -351)

Pravin Kumar Sahu1, Suryakant Chakradhari1, Yaman Kumar Sahu1, Khageshwar Singh Patel1, Erick Kibet Towett2 1Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur, CG, India; 2World Agroforestry Centre, Nairobi, Kenya

Biomasses are sources of energy, food, nutrients and phytochemicals. They are used to feed local animals. Therefore, in this work, the mineral and phenolic composition of biomass are described. Elements, i.e. Na, Mg, Al, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Mo, BA and Pb were identified in commonly available biomass of 25 families. There plants are easily grown in Raipur region (21.2514 ̊ N, 81.6296 ̊ E) of the country. The total mineral content was ranged from 2007 – 74923 mg kg-1 with mean value of 35580±9567 mg kg-1. Very rich mineral content, > 50000 mg kg-1 in biomass of families, i.e. Araceae, Brassicaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Lythraceae, Nelumbonaceae, Solanaceae and Typhaceae was marked. Moderate mineral content, >10000 - <50000 mg kg-1 in biomass of families, i.e. Asteraceae, Combretaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Cyperaceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Linaceae, Malvaceae, Poaceae, Sapotaceae and Verbenaceae was observed. Low mineral content < 10000 mg kg-1 in biomass of families, i.e. Lauraceae, Meliaceae, Phyllanthaceae, Rhamnaceae, Rutaceae and Sapindaceae was detected. The total phenolic and flavonoid content was ranged from 1.10 – 3.72 and 1.12 – 2.97% with mean value of 2.72±0.25 and 1.92±0.21%. Rich phenolic content, ≥ 3.00% in the biomass of families, i.e. Anacardiaceae, Apiaceae, Borangiaceae, Moringaceae, Oleaceae and Rhamnaceae were identified. The effect of the variable in the mineral and phenolic composition of the leaves is discussed.

Keyword: biomass, flavonoid, nutrients, phenol, phytochemicals

Influence of integrated use of urea with cow dung, poultry manure and urban wastes in a rice-rice cropping pattern (OR -SAM -2 -361)

Md. Mamun UR Rashid1, A.R.M. Solaiman2

1Agriculture Training Institue, shemoltoli, Gazipur, Bangladesh; 2Department of Soil Science, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur, Bangladesh Two experiments were conducted in the field to assess direct effects of integrated use of urea with cowdung, poultry manure and urban wastes in boro rice (BRRI dhan 29) and their residual effects on T. aman rice (BRRI dhan 33) at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur, Bangladesh. The yield of boro rice was increased significantly due to combined application of urea N and cowdung, poultry manure or urban wastes. Urea at the rate of 47.5 kg N/ha (50% of recommended N) along with cowdung, poultry manure or urban wastes at the rates of 11.5, 9.5 or 11.8 t/ha, respectively resulted better yield and nutrient uptake by rice compared to urea alone. The effect of poultry manure was the most pronounced compared to that of cowdung and urban wastes. Similar results were obtained with the residual effects of organic manures in T. Aman rice. In post-harvest soils, the contents of organic matter, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, exchangeable potassium and available sulphur were increased due to the application of organic manures compared to initial soils. Soil pH decreased slightly as compared to that of initial soils. The overall results indicate that urea nitrogen at the rate of 47.5 kg/ha along with 9.5 t poultry manure/ha was the best option in producing higher yield of rice and sustenance of soil fertility. The direct effect of organic manures was more pronounced than their residual effects.

Keywords: harvest, organic manure, urea


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Effect of different sources of nitrogen on growth and yield of Okra [Abelmoscus esculentus (L.) Moench] in Dhading, Nepal (OR -SAM -2 -371)

Ritikshya Poudel

Agriculture and Forestry University, Chitwan, Nepal A study entitled 'effect of different sources of nitrogen on growth and yield of okra (Abelmoscus esculentus (L.) Moench) in Dhading, Nepal' was conducted at Dhadingbesi, Dhading from May to September, 2017 to evaluate the effect of different sources of nitrogen on growth and yield of okra. The experiment was laid out in a two factor randomized complete block design with 12 treatment combinations and three replications. The treatments included the combination of three commercial okra cultivars Arka Anamika, Lakshmi-21 and Bhindi-052 and four different sources of nitrogen (Inorganic fertilizers, poultry manure, farmyard manure, goat manure). The data were collected on the growth and yield parameters including plant height (cm), number of leaves per plant (cm), days to first flowering, days to first harvest, number of flowers/plant, number of fruits/plant, crop duration, harvest duration, weight of fruits and yield. From the study, inorganic fertilizers application had significantly higher values in growth and yield followed by the poultry manure. Inorganic fertilizers significantly increased plant height and number of leaves per plant in most of the growth stages followed by poultry manure. Similarly the reproductive parameters were also significantly influenced by the application of different sources of nitrogen. Highest yield (24.15 t/ha) was recorded inorganic fertilizers treatment followed by poultry manure (23.70 t/ha) and the lowest total yield was reported in goat manure (19.87 t/ha). But, there was no significant difference between the three varieties of okra. Based on the findings of the experiments, it can be concluded that poultry manure was appropriate source of nitrogen after inorganic fertilizers to get optimum yield of okra under Dhading condition.

Keywords: fertilizer, harvest, manure

Application of GIS in agricultural sector of Nepal (OR -SLM -2 -418)

Suraj Shah

Khwopa College of Engineering, Tribhuvan University, Bhaktapur, Nepal Nepal is in the lap of the mountain as an agricultural country having 66% people directly engaged in farming. For their subsistence and more than one-third of GDP comes from Agriculture sector. Ensuring effective agriculture production across Nepal has been a serious challenge due to the high degree of spatial and temporal climate variability, irrigated and rainfed agriculture systems coupled with farmer’s fragile social and economic fabric and unique mountain practices. Droughts, floods, swarms of insects and poor farming techniques have plagued the agricultural community for centuries. Improvements have been made to ensure the safety and gain of crops worldwide and yet these factors and many more continue to make or break individuals and communities affected by them. GIS is incredibly helpful in being able to map and project current and future fluctuations in precipitation, temperature, crop output, and more. By mapping geographic and geologic features of current farmland scientists and farmers can work together to create more effective and efficient farming techniques; this could increase food production in parts of the world that are struggling to produce enough for the people around them. This paper focus on capability of GIS in analyzing soil data combined with historical farming practices to determine what are the best crops to plant, where they should go, and how to maintain soil nutrition levels to best benefit the plants in main agricultural field of Nepal and to help government of Nepal for introducing new scheme which can uplift economic condition

Keywords: agricultural information system, droughts, farmland scientist, mapping, precipitation



1Centre of Applied Studies for the Sustainable Management and Protection of Mountain Areas (Ge.S.Di.Mont.), University of Milan, via Morino 8, 25048 Edolo (BS), Italy; 2Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences-Production, Landscape, Agroen, Italy Linaria tonzigii is a rare steno-endemic species of Community interest that grows on some limestone screes in the Orobie Bergamasche Regional Park (Italian Alps). Currently, its presence is certain in just a few sites of the Orobic pre-Alps many of which were refuge zones during the glaciations of the Quaternary Age. Information is scarce regarding its ecology (and especially synecology) and its Grime's CSR functional strategy. For this reason, this study, as well as analyzing the floristic composition and ecology of the Linaria tonzigiicommunity by means of traditional methods (ecological indices), also evaluated the Grime's CSR strategy of this endemic species using the latest methods and tools. Analysis of 24 phytosociological relevés conducted in five different areas revealed that this species constitutes a single plant community consisting of basophile species mostly


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typical of limestone screes. The analysis of the CSR strategy revealed that the mean strategy of Linaria tonzigii is R/CSR although the species presents slightly different strategies in the different sampling areas. This research suggests that the functional variability of the species is much wider than is currently known. The analysis of plant height of Linaria tonzigiialso showed that the population isolated at the northern limit of the distribution range of the species has significantly taller and less stress-tolerant individuals than those in other areas, suggesting that it may be a different ecotype. This study aims to stimulate researchers to study the little-known endemic species in order to protect and valorize the biodiversity of the planet.

Keywords: CSR strategy, ecology, limestone



1Centre of Applied Studies for the Sustainable Management and Protection of Mountain Areas (Ge.S.Di.Mont.), University of Milan, via Morino 8, 25048 Edolo (BS), Italy; 2Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences-Production; 3Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences-Production, Landscape, Agroenergy, University of Milan, via Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy After the discovery of the Americas, maize cultivation became diffused in Europe and elsewhere around the world where hundreds of different landraces have been used to feed the local populations. However in the second half of the last century the American dent hybrids began to be widely grown, leading to the disappearance or marginalization of the less productive traditional varieties. Nowadays the characterization of traditional landraces can help breeders to discover precious alleles that could be useful for modern genetic improvement. In this research we characterized the ancient pigmented “Mais Nero Spinoso” from Valcamonica (Northern Italy). A preliminary spectrophotometric analysis revealed the presence of flavonols, phenolic acids and in particular phlobaphenes, probably responsible for the ear coloration. Phlobaphenes are reddish insoluble substances synthesized in maize through the flavonoids pathway by the polymerization of the flavan-4-ols. In maize this pigment is due to the presence of the pericarp1 gene (p1), a transcription factor belonging to the MYB gene family driving the accumulation of this pigment in the pericarp layer. The genetic and molecular analysis confirmed the presence of the P1gene in this landrace and histological analysis confirmed that the pigment is accumulated in the pericarp. Given the chronic disease prevention property of the antioxidant molecules (phlobaphenes), this variety could become very interesting also by a nutritional point of view. In December 2015, this landrace was included in the National Register of conservation varieties with the aim to safeguard and promote its cultivation.

Keywords: flavonoids, MYB, phlobaphenes


Roberto Pilu1,2, Michela Landoni3, Giulia Borlini4, Elena Cassani4, Luca Giupponi5, Anna Giorgi5

1University of Milan - Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences: Production, Landscape, Agroenergy; 2Centre for Applied Studies in the Sustainable Management and Protection of the Moun; 3Department of Biosciences, University of Milano, via Celoria, Milano, Italy; 4 Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences - Production, Landscape, Agroenergy, University of Milano, Via Celoria , Milano, Italy; 5Centre for Applied Studies in the Sustainable Management and Protection of the Mountain Environment Ge.S.Di.Mont., Universita` degli Studi di Milano, Via Morino, Edolo

In maize (Zea mays) infection caused by Fusarium and the consequent fumonisin contamination, a mycotoxins potentially dangerous for animals and human health, is widespread in several countries. The fumonisins are produced primarily by Fusarium verticillioides and Fusarium proliferatum, although a few other Fusarium species also may produce them. So far, no definitive control strategies are available to prevent fumonisin accumulation in kernels. However, it is known that crop growing techniques such as planting date, irrigation, nitrogen fertilization, or damage by insects and inappropriate storage can contribute to fungal growth on kernels. Plant breeding is an environmentally safe method to control fungal infection and reduce mycotoxin levels in maize. Higher resistance levels and reduced fumonisin contamination in maize kernels are possible considering the high genetic variability observed for resistance to fusarium infection and its heritability. In this work we showed that the presence of pericarp color 1 (p1) gene modifies pericarp thickness and fumonisins accumulation in maize kernel. p1 gene maps on short arm of chromosome 1 (Bin 1.03) and encodes a DNA binding protein belonging to the R2R3-MYB transcription factor family: dominant P1 allele provides pigmentation selectively to plant floral organs, in particular pericarp and cob, due to accumulation of phlobaphene pigments derived by polymerization of flavan-4-ols. We studied and compared different genetic materials carrying P1 allele and the respective p1 isogeneic lines. Our results indicate that the accumulation of phlobaphene pigments in the seeds leads to an increased pericarp thickness and a reduced level of fumonisin B1.

Keywords: fumonisins, maize, pericarp color1 (p1), pericarp thickness, phlobaphenes


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Roberto Pilu1,2, Elia Cammarata3, Margherita Brambilla3, Federica Galizia3, Gloria Brunoldi3, Camilla Comaschi3, Giulia Borlini3, Filippo Tarenghi3, Elena Cassani3, Michela landoni4, Luca Giupponi5, Annamaria Giorgi5


In recent years, renewed interest for the traditional cultivars has been increasing due to the new vision of agricultural systems not only based on yield performance but also on sustainability and quality of the products. Usually maize is able to accumulate pigments in the seeds such as carotenoids that confer the typical yellow to orange color of the seeds and are highly important for human health. Carotenoids are hydrophobic C40 isoprenoids and in maize they are mainly represented by lutein and zeaxanthin. In yellow maize there are more than 30 loci involved in the biosynthesis of carotenoids and the main class of mutations that reduce or deplete carotenoids are the ys conferring white or pale yellow endosperm. In various developing countries white maize varieties are consumed in human diet, even though it is now well understood that Vitamin A, derived from carotenoids, is essential for human health. In fact the WHO estimates that hundreds of millions of persons (in particular children) worldwide suffer from vitamin A deficiency (VAD). Despite this problem white maize varieties are worldwide consumed and appreciated. In this work we will show the results obtained studying a worldwide white maize collection: a complementation test has been performed with the aim to determine the genetics base of the “white” character. Furthermore we formulate some hypothesis regarding the preference regarding the use of white maize varieties all over the world in direct human nutrition compared to the yellow ones containing carotenoids.

Keywords: carotenoids, traditional landraces, VAD, white maize



1Centre of Applied Studies for the Sustainable Management and Protection of Mountain Areas (Ge.S.Di.Mont.), University of Milan, via Morino, Edolo (BS), Italy 2Emory University, Dowman Drive, Atlanta, Ga.; 3Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences-Production, Landscape, Agro, Italy This study examines the farmers cultivating agro-biodiversity through planting traditional crops in the Val Camonica of the Italian Alps. If we are to maintain plant biodiversity for food and nutrition in mountain areas, we must not only understand the biology and ecology of the plants being grown, but also the nature of the individuals and enterprises working to maintain this biodiversity in the face of environmental challenges and change. The wide variety of microclimates and microenvironments, as well as cultures and histories, present in the Alps across even short distances and small elevation changes means that increasing temperatures and changes in the intensity and frequency of precipitation are affecting farmers differently depending on the location and nature of their agricultural activities. This study presents three case studies of farmers in the Val Camonica in the Lombardy region of the Italian Alps. For each farm and farmer, we describe the nature of the agricultural enterprise including the plant biodiversity cultivated, the specific microclimate and microenvironments in which the farm is located, and the specific challenges the farm faces. Then, we describe how farmers are dealing with these challenges and what motivates them to continue to grow traditional varieties and thus maintain plant biodiversity. Finally, we provide suggestions for how to encourage farmers and local agricultural associations to grow traditional crops and how to promote farmer adaptation to climate change by paying attention to local variations in the impact of climate change and thus variations in necessary adaptations.

Keywords: agro-biodiversity, micro climate, traditional crops

Seed germination ecology of Ageratum houstonianum: A major invasive weed in Nepal (PO -BIC -1 -449)

Anju Lamsal1, Mohan Prasad Devkota1, Deepa Singh Shrestha1, Srijana Joshi1, Anil Shrestha2

1Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal; 2California State Universities, Fresno, CA, USA In recent years, spread of invasive alien plant species (IAPS) has been a major concern in Nepal. Ageratum houstonianum, an Asteraceae, is a prolific seed producer and a difficult-to-control IAPS in farmland and natural areasin various ecological regions causing crop yield and biodiversity losses. However, very little information is available on seed germination biology and ecology of this species in Nepal. Therefore, experiments were conducted to assess the effect of water stress, pH level, and light requirement on seed germination, and the


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effect of seed burial depth on seedling emergence. Water stress was simulated by polyethylene glycol solutions ranging from 0-5.56MPa. pH solutions ranging from 4 to 9 were prepared using HCl and NaOH. Germination tests were conducted in petri dishes lined with filter paper and placed in a controlled environment chamber set at 20° C. Light requirement comparisons were made by keeping petri dishes wrapped or unwrapped with aluminum foil. Seedling emergence studies were conducted by placing seeds at depths ranging from 0 to 20mm in the soil. Results indicated that this species is not very drought tolerant because germination ceased beyond 0.51MPa.Greater germination occurred at neutral to acidic than at alkaline pH levels. The seeds were positively photoblastic because no germination occurred under the dark condition. No seedlings emerged from seeds placed more than 2mm deep in the soil, indicating that this is a surface germinating species. These findings will help predict future invasions and develop management strategies for this invasive weed.

Keywords: Ageratum houstonianum, light requirement, pH level, seed germination, water stress.

Contribution, service quality and sustainability of homestay tourism in Annapurna Conservation Area (A case study from Lwang village of Kaski district) (PO -BIC -1-363)

Sudipti Parajuli, Bikash Adhikari, Shree Kanta Khatiwada

Institute of Forestry, Pokhara, Nepal Home stay tourism, being a community-based program provides accommodation to tourists along with the chance to interact and experience day-to-day life of an individual family or community. It preserves rural lifestyle, culture and identity and helps in self-employment and income generation. However, information on how homestay program is contributing to achieve its conservation and local development goals is scarce. Particularity possessed by tourism destinations attract a lot of pressure which questions its service quality and sustainability. This study aims to assess the contribution of homestay program in Lwang village and determine its service quality and sustainability. 12 homestay households (census sampling), 12 non-homestay households (random sampling) and 12 committee members (census sampling) were selected and face-to-face interview was done using semi-structured questionnaire. 64 visitors (random sampling) were surveyed for evaluating the service quality using SERVQUAL model. Similarly, secondary data required for the study were collected from relevant literatures including reports, journals, websites, and publications. Descriptive statistics of the collected data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel and interpreted accordingly. Similarly, paired sample t-test was performed for evaluating the service quality. Homestay program has helped in empowering women and increasing the pride of Lwang village as well as in fostering environmental education. The overall service quality of Lwang community homestay as perceived by the visitors was found to be more than satisfactory with the gap mean 0.328 (p < 0.1). In the five-factor sustainability framework, Likert scale score has been measured as 3.88 which means that sustainability of Lwang homestay can be simply agreed upon. Homestay contribution can be more effective if priority is given to service quality and sustainability. It is recommended to share the benefits with the community as a whole for community’s continual support.

Keywords: benefits, conservation, community, sustainability score

Wildlife research in Nepal (PO -AEC -1 -421)

Shishila Baniya, Prakash K. Paudel Center for Conservation Biology, Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal Scientific research is the perquisite for the well founded conservation planning. Nepal is considered a global leader in wildlife conservation in the less developed countries. However, conservation activities are believed to be biased towards mammals and limited within protected area network. In this paper, we assessed status and pattern of scientific research on wildlife by species class and protected area coverage. A total of 565 journal articles relating to wildlife were collected from the various journal databases. The results suggested that nearly 94% of articles were of original research and rest were review papers. Nearly equal proportional research was of qualitative (48%) and quantitative (45%) whereas theoretical and the experimental research articles were very few. “Mammalia” was the highly emphasized in the academic research, which included 62% macro ecology and 2% molecular ecology. The protected areas were the major focus of academic research, which accounted nearly 83 % research on wildlife.

Keywords: journal database, protected areas, wildlife


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Invasive land snail Achatina fulica and its impact in Ghorahi, Dang, Nepal (PO -BIC -1 -436)

Shobha Rawat¹, Prem Bahadur Budha² , Bharat Babu Shrestha¹ ¹Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kritipur, Kathmandu; ²Central Department of Zoology, Tribhuvan University, Kritipur, Kathmandu Achatina fulica, native to east Africa, is one of the world’s worst invasive species and is currently spreading rapidly in Nepal. However, dispersal pathways and impacts of this invasive snail in Nepal remain unknown. In this study, we recorded distribution, identified potential dispersal pathways and documented impacts of A. fulicain Dang valley of Dang district in western Nepal. Data were collected through direct observations, interviews and field sampling. Out of 111 total sampling sites, it was found at 85 sites (76.58%). The most preferred habitat was kitchen garden followed by non-irrigating field (Bari), river bank, grassland, forest edge and irrigating field (Khet). Spread of the snail in the valley was not known, but local people reported that human activities to be the main reason for dispersal which include throwing live individuals in road that escape to other areas and through water canals. The snail was found damaging 26 crops and the most affected vegetable crops were Cabbage, Cauliflower, Yard long beans, Beans, Lady’s finger, Pumpkin, Bottle gourd, Chayote and Green vegetables. Locally people have adopted various control techniquesin Ghorahi, Dang which include hand picking (100%), use of salt (82.50%), putting live individuals into polythene bags and throwing to roadside (95.15%) and packing in polythene bags with salt and throwing to roadside (67.96%). A. fulicais widely distributed in Dang valley and found as responsible agent for loss of crop yield therefore public level awareness and further integrated management initiatives need to be applied to control the invasive snail population.

Keywords: Achatina fulica, agricultural pest, distribution, GIS, invasive species, sampling

Resilience to natural hazards in the face of uncertainty: Introducing an alternative approach (OR -DAR -1 -423)

Eva Louise Posch1, Karl-Michael Höferl1, Rainer Bell1, Robert Steiger2

1University of Innsbruck, Institute of Geography; 2University of Innsbruck, Institute of Public Finance

Nepal is highly vulnerable to natural hazards. Traditionally, quantitative risk assessments are a useful tool to deal with natural hazards. However, such approaches are challenging because epistemic and aleatoric uncertainties make predictive assessments of hazards like earthquakes, landslides, or mud torrents elusive to define. The focus on magnitude and probability poses a major shortcoming of quantitative hazard assessments due to the fundamental complexity or simple lack of data. Besides, classical risk assessments often assume a top-down, foreign, expert-led approach ignoring communication issues or missing community involvement. Thus, the ability of local people to proactively cope with, adapt to and transform in the face of natural hazards is of major importance for a resilient development. The aim of this study is to introduce an agency-centred perspective on resilience. We propose a conceptual framework, which analysis existing agency arrangements in the context of natural hazards and by doing so challenge the classical approaches to ‘measure resilience’. We critically discuss conventional conceptualizations and operationalization of resilience in the context of disaster risk. Specifically, we present empirical findings from two case studies from Nepal, which are based on quantitative surveys (n=350) and qualitative interviews from 2017 and 2018. First results of the case studies emphasise the importance of individual capacities and cultural worldviews as well as personal values and beliefs. A deeper understanding of people’ agency and priorities is a requirement for understanding resilience to natural hazards and can contribute to a more holistic approach to resilience.

Keywords: holistic approach, natural hazard, resilience

Blue intensity shows more stable dendroclimatic signal than tree-ring width at a Himalayan treeline (PO -CCD -1 -270)

Niels Schwab1, Karolina Janecka2, Ryszard J. Kaczka3, Jürgen Böhner1, Ram P. Chaudhary4, Thomas Scholten5, Udo Schickhoff1 1Physical Geography, Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability (CEN), University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany; 2Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology, University of Greifswald; 3Germany, Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland; 4Centre for Applied Science and Technology (ReCAST), Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal; 5Department of Geosciences, Chair of Soil Science and Geomorphology, University of Tübingen, Germany Himalayan treelines are exposed to above average climate change impact, resulting in complex tree growth-climate relationships for Himalayan Silver Fir (Abies spectabilis) at central Himalayan treelines. Here we present a first application of Blue Intensity (BI) proxies (early wood BI, late wood BI, delta BI) in the Himalaya, derived from Abies spectabilis tree-rings, in order to determine BI-climate relationships and their stability as compared to tree-ring width (TRW)-climate relationships. Analyses were conducted using more than one century long gridded temperature and precipitation data. The results showed significantly unstable


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dendroclimatic signals over time. However, early wood BI exhibited a stable positive correlation with spring temperature over the whole analysed period from 1902 to 2012, in line with findings of Sano et al. (2005) for early wood minimum density. Correlations of all BI parameters with climate variables resulted in longer significant evolutionary interval correlations in comparison to TRW. In general, we found significant static correlations of BI parameters to a larger extent, with climate variables showing higher correlation coefficients. Contrary to early wood BI, TRW correlated weakly with climate in early and mid-20th century. These results suggest Abies spectabilis BI to be a suitable surrogate for wood density parameters and a promising climate proxy for the Himalaya.

Keywords: blue intensity, treeline, TRW

The brink of extinction: Quantifying the stories of stone spouts in the Kathmandu Valley (PO -CCS -1 -307)

Saroj Maka1, Pratik Shrestha2, Anusha Pandey2,3, Jeffrey C. Davids4,5 1Department of Civil Engineering, Kathmandu, Nepal; 2NAMI College, Jorpati, Nepal; 3S4W-Nepal, Lalitpur, Nepal; 4Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands; 5SmartPhones4Water-USA, Chico, California, USA

Stone spouts were one of the traditional water management techniques which served as primary water sources in the Kathmandu Valley from 550 C.E to the mid-1900s. These stone spouts (also known as “dhunge dharas”) are channelized water spouts which use shallow aquifers and springs as their source. These aquifers were recharged by precipitation and state canals (Raj-kulos). However, excessive groundwater extractions, depleting groundwater table, destruction of state canals, and concretization of recharge areas due to rapid urbanization have collectively led towards drying up of these stone spouts. The main objective of our research was to analyze the present conditions of stone spouts in the Kathmandu Valley. We analyzed water quantity and quality (temperature and electrical conductivity) of more than 200 stone spouts inside the Kathmandu Valley during pre-monsoon (September-October 2017) and post-monsoon (April-May 2018) using an android application called Open Data Kit (ODK). From the study, we concluded that stone spouts located in natural land uses (forests and shrub lands) had significant amount of flow while those located in city lowlands were mostly dry or had comparatively very less flow. These traditional stone spouts are no longer capable of meeting water demand of the Valley. However, if managed properly, they could still serve as one of the major water sources of Kathmandu Valley.

Keywords: discharge, groundwater, stone spouts

Patterns of rainfall in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal: A citizen science based approach (PO -CCS -1 -308)

Amber Bahadur Thapa1, Nischal Devkota1, Jeffrey Cook Davids1,2,3

1S4W-Nepal, Lalitpur, Nepal; 2Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands; 3SmartPhones4Water-USA, Chico, California, USA In the Kathmandu valley, rainfall plays an important part in regulating the water resources including groundwater recharge, stream-flow, and similarly others. However, there is a significant spatial variation in the rainfall intensity and quantity throughout the valley which can have varying effects on the available water resources. This study was primarily designed to analyze these variations observed in rainfall spatially and temporally in the Kathmandu Valley. Daily rainfall data was collected with the help of citizen scientists using an android application called ODK Data Collect from around 50 monitoring stations distributed throughout the valley between January 2016 and December 2017. A home-made S4W-Gauge was used to measure rainfall. The collected data were further checked for errors as part of the quality control mechanism to ascertain the reliability of the data. The results showed that there is a significant spatial variation in the amounts of rainfall occurring in the valley. Especially, the outskirt areas including Nagarkot, Budhanilkantha, Okherni, and Bhardev received more amount of rainfall compared to the core areas. Similarly, the northern and eastern part of the valley received more amount of rainfall compared to the western and southern sides. Almost all the rainfall occurred between May and October, portraying monsoonal characteristics. The results obtained from this study will be beneficial for understanding the monsoonal rainfall in the valley, and facilitate in further meteorological and hydrological studies, climate modeling, and water resource management.

Keywords: citizen science, ODK, rainfall patterns


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Perception vs. reality: A story of motivating citizen scientists in the Kathmandu Valley (PO -CCS -1 -310)

Anurag Gyawali1, Eliyah Moktan1, Anusha Pandey1, Jeffrey Colin Davids2,3

1SmartPhones4Water-Nepal (S4W-Nepal), Thasikhel, Lalitpur; 2Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands; 3SmartPhones4Water-USA, Chico, California, USA Citizen Science is the process of involving general public or citizens in scientific processes, often for or with the help of researchers. Several projects have recognized and valued the benefits of citizen science in any research, yet what motivates these citizen scientists to participate in a citizen science driven project remains mostly unknown or poorly understood. Our previous work analyzed various intrinsic and extrinsic motivations for citizens in Nepal to participate in citizen science (CS) driven projects like Smartphones4Water (S4W). We performed surveys and interviews with over 200 current or potential CS to evaluate CS motivations using Q methodology. Finally, we identified seven factors which were expected to be helpful in motivating people. These factors varied with personal characteristics, like, age, background, personal interest, etc. This paper extends this research to evaluate dishonesty or social un-reliability, if any, exists in the survey research. Based on the performance of more than 300 current CS for 2017, we re-evaluated CS motivational factors based on the same social and personal characteristics. Essentially, our goal was to compare what we thought would motivate CS and what actually motivated them.

Keywords: citizen motivations, dishonesty, social disreliability

Developing ground truth data to enhance land use classification: A case study of the Kathmandu Valley (PO -CCS -1 -311)

Surabhi Upadhyay1,2, Anusha Pandey1, Jeffrey C. Davids3,4 1Naya Aayam Multi-disciplinary Institute; 2Jorpati SmartPhones4Water, Lalitpur, Nepal; 3Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands; 4SmartPhones4Water-USA, Chico, California, USA Land cover drives several water related land surface processes like runoff, infiltration, evapotranspiration, etc. Hence, they are most important parameters to take into account while making wise environmental management decisions. Satellite imagery is freely available, popular and provides an adequate source of raw data for creating and updating land use maps. However, these remote sensing data often need to be combined with ground based observations to develop reliable land cover maps. Also, ground truth measurements are important for validation of land cover maps. Accuracy assessment depends on the sample size, number, and accuracy of validation points. For this, a form called “Land Use” was developed by S4W-Nepal in Open Data Kit (ODK) to collect field land use data. This application coupled with our customized form allows Citizen Scientists (CS) to record GPS and collect pictures and information on land cover. A group of six CS were recruited during September 2017 and April 2018 to collect land use data inside Kathmandu Valley. This paper aims to develop a user friendly, scalable, and easily accessible format to collect these ground truth land use data. It further assesses the reliability of the data generated. Finally, it tried to answer if these citizen science generated land use measurements could be used to build a database for creating, validating, and updating satellite based land cover maps in future.

Keywords: citizen science, ground trothing, land use classification, ODK

Citizen science in hydrology: A case study of Kathmandu Valley, Nepal (PO -CCS -1 -301)

Rocky Talchabhadel1,2, Rajaram Prajapati3, Nischal Devkota3, Jeffrey C. Davids4,5 , Anil Aryal6, Manisha Maharjan7, Amber Bahadur Thapa3

1Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, Government of Nepal, Nepal; 2Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, Japan; 3Smartphones for Water Nepal (S4W-Nepal), Nepal; 4Delft University of Technology, Netherland; 5Smartphones for Water USA (S4W-USA), USA; 6Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Yamanashi, Japan; 7Department of Environmental Engineering, Kyoto University, Japan The participation of non-scientist local stakeholders in scientific processes that involve data collection, interpretation, and analysis is generally known as citizen science (CS). CS is receiving increasing attention in many disciplines. Hydrology remains a highly data-scarce; in many regions, if data exists, the lengths of the time series are not sufficient. To adequately manage water resource, the application of CS in hydrology (observation of water levels, precipitation and water availability etc.) is a great contribution to help reduce hydrological data gap. The increased availability of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) - in particular, mobile phone - opens up new ways of data acquisition and dissemination. Smartphones for water (S4W)-Nepal has started CS utilizing mobile technology for hydrological data measurement. This paper has attempted to analyse S4W-Nepal CS based precipitation data of Kathmandu valley for the year 2017. Altogether 139 stations (volunteer observations) placed at different locations of the valley are utilized. The average number of days with precipitation recorded in a station is found to be 35 days. Almost 40% of the stations shows the


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precipitation recorded days & lt; 10 days. 20 stations have recorded the precipitation for more than 75 days. In any case, huge spatial gaps for local variability are fulfilled by these data. This paper attempts to compare day wise CS data with national hydro-met data (maintained by Department of Hydrology and Meteorology) and satellite-based rainfall product obtained from soil moisture data through the SM2RAIN algorithm (Brocca et al., 2014). This rainfall product has daily temporal resolution, 12.5 Km spatial resolution and is available for the year 2017. The CS data and DHM data will be converted into grid data of 12.5 Km spatial resolution. With this comparison, the reliabilities of these data could be tested. Note: The day wise comparison is still going on. The final results will be shared during the presentation.

Keywords: citizen science, Kathmandu valley, precipitation

Post-monsoon stream, aquifer and spout interactions in the Kathmandu Valley (PO -CCS -1 -425)

Nick Overkamp1, Kate Happee1, Rick van Bentem1, Niek Moesker1, Jeffrey C. Davids1,2

1Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands; 2SmartPhones4Water-USA, Chico, California, USA

Growing population in the Kathmandu Valley (Valley) increases the demand of fresh water. Together with possible influences of climate change (more severe and longer dry season), this can result in shortages of fresh water, most notably at the end of the dry season. Due to high demand and the lack of dry season precipitation the groundwater table is falling, resulting in 88% of the stone spouts running dry during the pre-monsoon 2018. No water can be collected from a dry spout, therefore deeper wells are dug/drilled with the result that the groundwater table lowers even more. The impact of dry spouts and hand-dug wells is most acute for poor and remotely situated residents who struggle to meet their freshwater needs. Not only is this a water quantity issue, water quality is also affected. Infiltration of contaminated surface water into the lower aquifer(s) lead to pollution of the groundwater. During the monsoon season, some spouts are ‘recharged’. We investigated the capability of spouts to be recharged and the situation in and around the spouts during the post-monsoon season. We measured stream level, flow, and quality; groundwater level and quality; and stone spout flow and quality at different locations in the Valley. Gradients between stream level, groundwater level, and spout indicates if a stream is losing or gaining water from/to the aquifer and the spouts. We also explore water quality linkages between streams, groundwater, and spouts.

Keywords: climate change, groundwater, spout

Regeneration of Ban Oak (Quercus leucotrichophora A. Camus) in different oak associations (PO -PEC -1 -265)

Anuradha Thakur

Chandigarh University, India Ban Oak is an important component of western and central Himalayan vegetation. Unfortunately, it has become one of the most over-exploited tree species of Himalayas. The primary reason for over exploitation is the high demand for green fodder in dry season and lopping for firewood. The effects of browsing, competition and shade on the establishment of seedlings can adversely affect the success of germination by reducing tree growth and influencing the proportion of species regenerating. The study was conducted to assess regeneration rate under different tree associations. Regeneration status of ban oak was studied regarding average number of recruits regenerated, unestablished and established plants per hectare under different associations. Maximum number (260.41 ind. ha-1) of recruits were found under oak + deodar followed by oak (138.88 ind. ha-1), oak with chir (104.16 ind. ha-1) and oak with other broadleaved (104.16 ind. ha-1). The un-established regeneration found maximum (1666.66 ind. ha-1) in oak followed by oak + deodar (1458.33 ind. ha-1) and oak + Chir (1250 ind. ha-1) while it was minimum (416.66 ind. ha-1) in oak + other broadleaved association. However, the same trends as of recruits were found for established regeneration with minimum in grassland (208.33 ind. ha-1). In context with per cent regeneration (72.92%) and overall stocking (44.53%) maximum were found for oak + deodar. The studies found that maximum regeneration in oak + deodar is due to high soil moisture and organic matter layer as compare to other forest communities.

Keywords: associations, established, regeneration, stocking

Screening of arsenic resistant Bacillus species for possible bioremediation and plant growth promotion (PO -SAM -1 -364)

Ashish Nepal, Rashmi Roka Magar, Pratibha Rauniyar, Sushmita Dura, Pramod Poudel, Santosh Khanal, Om Prakash Panta, Bishnu Marasini

Tribhuwan University, Kathmandu, Nepal Industrialization and anthropogenic activities are the sources of arsenic, a toxic metalloid, in the environment. In recent years, development of modern innovative technologies for the removal of arsenic from soil has become an interesting topic for research. Chemical and physical methods of removal are fast but produce secondary


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pollutants in the soil which may cause more harm and may be effective in the short term but for sustainable and long term results, bioremediation can be the best alternative. Microorganisms like Bacillus spp. may be used for soil amendment to convert toxic forms of arsenic into less toxic forms. The main objective of this study was to isolate arsenic resistant Bacillus spp. and to determine some of its plant growth promoting activities like IAA production, ammonia production and phosphate utilization abilities. In this study, 18 soil samples collected from the agricultural soil of lower Terai region of Nepal (Inaruwa, Biratnagar, Misrauli, Palpa, Parsa, Bara, Yangjakot, Birgunj and Nawalparasi) were processed. Among 54 isolates, 42 were found to be rod-shaped, spore-forming Gram-positive bacteria by cultural, morphological and biochemical characteristics and were identified to be Bacillus spp. while 12 isolates were Gram-negative bacteria. The isolates coded as IN12a, M12a and BG34a showed growth on Nutrient agar supplemented with sodium arsenite and were tested for plant growth promoting activity like IAA production by measuring absorbance by UV-spectrophotometry. NH3 production was tested by Nessler’s reagent, and phosphate solubilization by growing colonies on Pikovskaya’s agar. Sugar utilization test was performed to identify the isolates. Two isolates IN12a and M12a were able to produce IAA and solubilize phosphate. Both the isolates IN12a and M12a were able to utilize the sugars glucose, fructose, lactose, sucrose, galactose, mannose, mannitol, maltose and xylose. Among all the isolates, only M12a developed resistance up to 0.55% sodium arsenite and oxidized arsenite to less toxic form arsenate. These results showed that Bacillus species could be novel way for the sustainable biodegradation of toxic arsenic to less toxic form.

Keywords: arsenic, Bacillus, bio-remediation

Status and economics of cabbage production in Chhathar-Jorpati Rural Municipality, Dhankuta, Nepal (PO -SAM -1 -375)

Sachin Gahatraj

Agriculture and Forestry University, Chitwan, Nepal Cabbage is a most common crucifer vegetable in Nepal. Cabbage production is economically and nutritionally important farm enterprise of Nepalese farmers of Eastern hill. The study was conducted to determine present status and economics of cabbage production in Chhathar-Jorpati Rural Municiality, Dhankuta district of Nepal which has been considering as cabbage hub. A total of 64 cabbage producing households were randomly selected. Primary data were collected through 64 questionnaire survey and 2 focus group discussions (FGDs). The data obtained were analyzed using MS-Excel and SPSS. Average land holding of farmers was 1.45 hectare; the average cabbage cultivated land was 0.58 hectare. Cabbage occupied 67.99% of total land area under vegetables production with 60.06% contribution on annual income from vegetables and 23.69% on total annual household income. Average farm gate price was Rs. 7.61 per Kg. The gross return and total variable cost per hectare were Rs. 195424.66 and Rs. 117566.70 respectively. The average gross margin per hectare from cabbage production was calculated Rs.77857.96; benefit cost ratio was estimated 1.66. Among total variable cost, labor cost (47.52%) was highest followed by nutrient (46.97%), seed (5.31%) and pesticides (0.21%) cost. Majority of farmers (95.31%) were growing Green Coronet and 4.69% were growing Nepal Green-777 varieties. Productivity of cabbage was 26.66 Mt per hectare. There is a huge potential for improvement of yield and benefit of crop, but intervention of government is needed: effective extension services, input subsidy, price regulation, and infrastructure develpoment, especially, storage house.

Keywords: cabbage, economics, extension, farm gate price, price regulation

Exploring Bacillus spp. for inhibiting the growth of toxigenic Aspergillus flavus (PO -SAM -1 -391)

Priyanka Thakur, Pratima Khanal, Salina Dhakal, Sushmita Dura

National College, Tribhuwan University, Kathmandu, Nepal Aflatoxins are the fungal toxins produced predominantly by Aspergillus flavus, occurring in cereal and grain products. The emergences of these toxins are one of the crucial factors responsible for life-threatening disease such as liver cancer. Hence, through the use of microorganisms more commonly Bacillus spp., these toxins can be reduced from highly toxic to comparatively less toxic form. The aim of this study was to isolate and screen Bacillus spp. from soil and compost samples to inhibit the growth of toxigenic A. flavus. Altogether 25 samples randomly collected from different places of Nepal were analysed. The selective growth of spore forming Bacillus was done by pre heating the samples at 80°C for 10 minutes. The isolation of Bacillus was done on Nutrient Agar and identification of the organism was carried out by performing Gram’s staining, spore staining and biochemical tests. Eighty-seven bacterial colonies typically resembling to that of Bacillus were randomly selected. After Gram’s staining and spore staining, only 54 isolates were predicted as spore former Bacillus spp. These isolates were perpendicularly streaked and point inoculated on Potato Dextrose Agar, and only two bacterial isolates and inhibited the growth of A. flavus. The zone of growth inhibition was


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also measured and found to be: 3mm for BH11S and 13mm for B5S. These selected isolates were further subjected to sugar utilization test and found to utilize all of the sugars tested. The above results indicate that these bacterial isolates can be used as antimicrobial agent for inhibiting the growth of toxin producing A. flavus and preventing the emergence of human disease. In future, Bacillus species isolated from soil could be used for the bio controlling the fungal pathogens with possible reduction in postharvest loss.

Keywords: aflatoxins, Aspergillus flavus, Bacillus spp.

Soil development and soil microbial colonization pattern along the Gangapurna glacier foreland, Manang, Nepal (PO -SAM -1 -401)

Mamita Shakya

Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Nepal The glaciers ‘giant masses of ice’ are the excellent indicators of increasing global warming as glaciation and de-glaciation processes are greatly influenced by temperature and snowfall. The retreating glaciers expose ecosystems and facilitate colonization of microbes and plants. Forelands and retreating glaciers are the valuable sites to study succession and soil development pattern. The objective of this study is to determine the pattern of soil development and soil microbial colonization along Gangapurna glacier foreland. The study site is located in Manang district, within Annapurna Conservation Area, in North-central Nepal. Fifty soil samples were collected to estimate Soil pH, bulk density, SOC, N, P and K. Soil microbes were cultured and determined the microbial colony counts. Staining of bacteria were detected and fungi were identified through adhesive (scotch) tape preparation method. Soil pH was basic in nature ranging from 7.9 to 8.2. SOC gradually increased as the distance increases ranging from 1.17 to 3.67%. Similar trends were followed by N, P and K. Gram positive bacteria dominanted the colonies. Fungal colonizers were Penicillum, Mucor, Rhizopus, Aspergillus, Alternaria and Cladosporium. Culturable bacterial count decreases with the distance increment whereas, fungal count showed positive trend with distance. This study is expected to fill the gap in knowledge related to soil development in response to climate change in the Himalayas.

Keywords: chronosequence, colonizers, glacier foreland, pedogenesis, primary succession

Colorimetric detection of alkaline phosphatase in milk using paper-based analytical stripe (PO-CFS-1-359)

Smriti Shrestha, Basant Giri

Center for Analytical Sciences, Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is a naturally present enzyme in milk. During pasteurization of milk this enzyme is destroyed. Amount of ALP in milk is variable depending on the source of raw milk and minimum permissible limit in pasteurized milk in the U.S. and Europe is 0.35 U/L. Therefore, the enzyme has historically been used to verify pasteurization of milk and other related products. Several methods such as spectrophotometry, electrochemistry, chemiluminescence, immunoassays etc. have been developed for measuring the levels of ALP. Even though these methods are reliable, they are expensive specially for screening large number of samples. Considering the need of low-cost, point-of-need and easy to use method for screening ALP in milk samples, we are developing portable colorimetric paper analytical stripe. The ALP substrate is preloaded on the stripe and when the stripe is dipped in to the sample, it develops a characteristic color. The color is then visualized for qualitative analysis and for quantitative analysis photograph of the color taken using a smartphone is processed. In this presentation, we will present our preliminary data on the characterization of the test stripe in terms of device design, suitability of enzyme substrate and its stability, effect of temperature and enzyme kinetics.

Keywords: ALP, low-cost, pasteurization, point-of-need assay, test stripe

Practice of pesticide utilization at farmer level: Can we control its haphazard use in Nepal? (PO-SAM-1-402)

Dikshit Poudel1,2, Shilpa Adhikari1, Pramod Kumar Rijal2 1Agriculture and Forestry University, Chitwan, Nepal; 2Prime Minister Agriculture Modernization Project, Nepal Nepal is a low pesticide consuming country in global scenario. From the phase after introduction of pesticides in 1952 in Nepal, its use has been increasing swiftly. However various findings support its decreasing trend in the recent years since the year 2002/03. This prospective study is an attempt to portray the risk situation, status at farmer level, probable effects of pesticide use and management aspects that can be adopted to lower its risk. Study was conducted using pre-tested, semi-structured interview schedule from the purposive selection of 40 commercial and 15 subsistent vegetable farmers at Jahada Rural Municipality, Morang district during January-


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February, 2018. Some research articles were reviewed to assess the pesticide poisoning cases at different time histories at different places. The study shows that farmers use excess pesticides for all crops – especially, tomato. The awareness of the color-coding mark pertaining to the pesticide level was significantly different (5.91**, p<0.05) among commercial and subsistent farmers and still 90.90% use the pesticides. People are discouraged using IPM practice because of its confusing procedure and lack of training, but trained ones (21.81%) are more concerned and non-trained are neglecting the method and dose of application. Whilst they felt acute effect, 72% reported the spraying time to be 10 am - 2 pm in the day and 80% reported higher pesticide use during winter season. Finally, this study reveals that training on IPM encouraged pesticide use to the minimum amount necessary and was found significant from the viewpoint of plant and human health.

Keywords: farmer practice, IPM, pesticide use, risk management, status and effects

Author Index

A.R.M. Solaiman, 40 Aalok Sharma Kafle, 19, 26, 35 Abdul Karim, 27 Aleksandra Lewandowska-Duzy, 24 Amber Bahadur Thapa, 46, 47 Anil Aryal, 47 Anil Shrestha, 29, 43 Anita Shrestha, 22 Anjana Devkota, 32 Anjana Shakya, 18 Anju Lamsal, 43 Anju Sharma Poudel, 32 Anna Giorgi, 42 Annamaria Giorgi, 41, 42, 43 Anuradha Thakur, 48 Anurag Gyawali, 47 Anusha Danegulu, 19 Anusha Pandey, 19, 23, 46, 47 Ashish Nepal, 48 Ashok Gautam, 37 B Adhikari, 28 B Karna, 28 Babu Ram Nepal, 25 Baby Babita Das, 33 Balram Pokhrel, 39 Basant Giri, 6, 13, 19, 31, 38, 50 Benjamin Bechtel, 34 Bhanu Bhakta Neupane, 30, 31 Bhanu Neupane, 31 Bharat Babu Shrestha, 28, 29, 30, 32, 33, 45 Bhawani Dongol, 18 Bhawani Nyaupane, 33 Bikash Adhikari, 44 Binaya Adhikari, 22 Binod Pokharel, 19 Bipana Devi Acharya, 33 Birendra Kandel, 18 Bishal Sharma, 20 Bishesh Dhakal, 36 Bishnu Marasini, 48 Camilla Comaschi, 43 Chitra Bahadur Baniya, 23, 25 Chuanfei Wang, 39 Deep Narayan Shah, 17 Deepa Singh Shrestha, 43 Deepak Acharya, 34 Deviram Bhattarai, 29 Dhananjaya Lamichane, 16, 17 Dirgha Jibi Ghimire, 33 E Poudel, 28 Elena Cassani, 42, 43 Elia Cammarata, 43 Eliyah Moktan, 47 Erick Kibet Towett, 25, 28, 39, 40 Eva Louise Posch, 45 Federica Galizia, 43 Filippo Tarenghi, 43 Ganesh Datt Joshi, 30

Gauri Jayaswal, 22 Giulia Borlini, 42, 43 Gloria Brunoldi, 43 Gokarna Bahadur Motra, 37 Gopi Paudel, 22 Hari Basnet, 16, 17, 18 Hemu Kafle, 38 Ilina Bajracharya, 25 Jagdish Krishnaswamy, 16 Jeffrey C. Davids, 19, 46, 47, 48 Jeffrey Colin Davids, 23, 47 Jeffrey Cook Davids, 20, 46 Joel T. Heinen, 16 Johannes Weidinger, 34 John Skartveit, 25 Jonathan Meyer, 19 Jügen Böhner, 34 Jürgen Böhner, 24, 45 Kamal Raj Gosai, 22 Karl-Michael Höferl, 45 Karolina Janecka, 45 Kate Happee, 48 Keshav Basnet, 27, 35 Khageshwar Singh Patel, 25, 28, 39, 40 Kiran Gosai, 21 Kushum KC, 19, 26, 35 Lars Gerlitz, 34 Laxman Poudyal, 16, 17 Lekhanath Kandel, 30 LN Sharma, 28 Luca Giupponi, 41, 42, 43 M Watson, 28 M.K.Chettri, 33 Madhav Rijal, 18 Mahendra Prasad Uprety, 21 Maheshwar Dhakal, 16, 17 Mamita Shakya, 50 Manish Basnet, 16 Manisha Maharjan, 47 Manoj Neupane, 35 Margherita Brambilla, 43 Md Ruhul Amin, 18 Md. Mamun UR Rashid, 40 Megh Raj Yonjan, 31 Menaka Panta Neupane, 16, 17, 18 Mendel Wong, 23 Michela landoni, 43 Michela Landoni, 42 Michele Clark, 33 Milap Chand Sharma, 35 Mohammad Saqib, 33 Mohan Prasad Devkota, 43 Mohan Sangroula, 23 Mohan Siwakoti, 23, 30, 32, 33 Nabin Bhandari, 21 Naresh Nidal, 37 Nawal Shrestha, 24 Neelam Maharjan, 20, 36

Neeshant Modak, 16, 17 Neha Bisht, 29 Nick Overkamp, 48 Niek Moesker, 48 Niels Schwab, 24, 45 Nischal Devkota, 19, 20, 46, 47 Nishant Modak, 18 Om Prakash Panta, 48 Prabhat Raj Dahal, 17 Ping Gong, 39 Prabhat Raj Dahal, 16 Prakash Chandra Aryal, 20 Prakash K. Paudel, 44 Prakash Sharma, 38 Pramod Kumar Jha, 32 Pramod Poudel, 48 Pranil Pradhan, 17 Pratibha Rauniyar, 48 Pratik Shrestha, 46 Pratima Khanal, 49 Pravin Kumar Sahu, 28, 39, 40 Pravin Pokhrel, 31 Prem Bahadur Budha, 45 Priyanka Thakur, 49 Rainer Bell, 45 Rajaram Prajapati, 19, 20, 47 Ram Chandra Paudel, 27 Ram P. Chaudhary, 24, 45 Raman Solanki, 38 Rashmi Paudel, 32 Rashmi Roka Magar, 48 Rick van Bentem, 48 Rija Manandhar, 33 Ritikshya Poudel, 41 Robert Steiger, 45 Roberto Pilu, 42, 43 Roberto Salvatore Pilu, 42 Rocky Talchabhadel, 47 Rojina Duwal, 31 Ronald Macatangay, 38 Ryszard J. Kaczka, 24, 45 Sachin Gahatraj, 49 Sajeev Wagle, 31 Salina Dhakal, 49 Sandesh Neupane, 20

Sandip Tanu Mandal, 35 Santosh Khanal, 48 Sarah Whitaker, 43 Saraswati Pandeya, 30 Sarkal Jyakhwo, 26 Saroj Karki, 37 Saroj Maka, 46 Scott Edmunds, 23 Scott Yabiku, 33 Sean Murphy, 33 Seerjana Maharjan, 32 Serm Janjai, 38 Shaopeng Gao, 39 Sharon J. Hall, 33 Sherin Hassan Bran, 38 Shishila Baniya, 44 Shobha Rawat, 45 Shree Kanta Khatiwada, 44 Simon Wang, 19 Smriti Shrestha, 50 Srijana Joshi, 29, 43 Suchana Acharya, 37 Sudipti Parajuli, 44 Sujan Khanal, 18 Sumaman Buntoung, 38 Sunil Thapa, 29 Surabhi Upadhyay, 47 Suraj Shah, 41 Suresh Marahatta, 19 Suryakant Chakradhari, 28, 39, 40 Sushmita Dura, 48, 49 Tandong Yao, 39 Tej Bahadur Thapa, 21 Tempa Gyaltsen Zamlha, 37 Thiranan Sonkaew, 38 Thomas Scholten, 24, 45 Tom Wielickii, 26 Torgen Soderlund, 20 Udo Schickhoff, 24, 45 Vanisa Surapipith, 38 Vichawan Sakulsupich, 38 Xiaoping Wang, 39 Yaman Kumar Sahu, 25, 28, 40 Yasushi Yamaguchi, 36

About #MoChWo Mountains are a part of global biodiversity repository and play a vital role in maintaining global ecosystems and supporting millions of people. In the mean time they are the most vulnerable to rapid environmental change. The international conference on “Mountains in the Changing World” (MoChWo) is an annual event organized by the Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences (www.kias.org.np). It aims to provide a forum for international/national scholars, researchers, policy maker and students with opportunity to share their research findings and knowledge related to various aspects of mountains. We are sure that this conference can be an effective and insightful for the benefit of people depending on mountains. The first #MoChWo conference was held from 1 to 2 October, 2016 in Kathmandu, which was attended by more than 150 participants and had 110 presentations from 10 countries. The second#MoChWo conference was held from 27 to 28 October, 2017 in Kathmandu, which was attended by more than 185 participants and had 120 presentations from 18 countries. Focus areas: Disasters, resilience, and adaptation; Biodiversity conservation; Climate change; Environmental pollution; Forest management; Soil, water and atmospheric research; Agriculture and agro-ecology; Sustainable livelihood; Policies for mountain resources and livelihood. Event highlights: Plenary sessions, symposiums, workshops, excursions, best presentation awards, scholarships to students

Photo 1: Group photo of MoChWo 2017 participants

Photo 2: One of the technical sessions during MoChWo 2017 conference in Kathmandu, Nepal

Kathmandu,NEPAL www.kias.org.np

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