Provincial Co-design Workshop Summary: USAID Biodiversity in Pokhara, Nepal

The workshop brought together 157 participants, including members from government agencies, academic institutions, federations, networks, community forest user groups, the private sector, and representatives from USAID Nepal. The overall objective of the workshop was to identify threats to biodiversity and drivers of biodiversity loss, while seeking local solutions. The workshop was jointly organized with the Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forests and Environment (MoITFE) in Gandaki Province. The event was formally started with an inauguration through watering a plant by Hon. Minister of MoITFE. The opening remarks by the guests emphasized the importance of utilizing USAID Biodiversity to enrich society and address the challenges of climate change. USAID Biodiversity is a 5-year initiative that aims to empower the next generation of environmental practitioners, strengthen provincial and municipal government, and catalyze new resources for climate adaptation. The initiative has three objectives: Improve Health of Ecosystems Improved in targeted Landscapes, Strengthen Environmental Crime Control and Natural Resource Safeguards, and Enhance Climate Resilience of Natural and Human Systems. The workshop facilitated the generation of an integrated landscape-level work plan that reflects both community-level and government priorities. The integrated landscape work plan is tailored to stakeholders' needs within the CHAL and Gandaki River Basin and will be aligned with multiple USAID Biodiversity activities. The workshop also achieved several process objectives, including identifying dynamic partners across sectors, ensuring that all stakeholders are incorporated into the decision-making process, and bringing together different stakeholders to share different perspectives and approaches. Participants were divided into 13 different groups, each led by a facilitator to address each of the Priority Areas. Each group was provided with context on the Priority Area and questions to guide their group discussions. Group facilitators guided the participants to engage in a rapid brainstorming session within themselves, followed by discussions and the development of ideas into a series of activities. Through the process, the groups addressed the ongoing context along with the challenges faced, proposed impactful activities to be undertaken by USAID Biodiversity and its partners, and identified potential locations for the activities based on the needs. The workshop provided opportunities for collaboration with the Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forests and Environment (MoITFE) in Gandaki Province, focusing on natural resource management, forest and biodiversity conservation, integrated watershed management, climate change mitigation and adaptation, policy formulation and implementation, and capacity building. The USAID Biodiversity team members, along with participants from government agencies and a local NGO, facilitated the group discussions and ensured the successful implementation of the workshop. The integrated landscape-level work plan generated during the workshop will be used to guide the implementation of USAID Biodiversity activities in the CHAL and Gandaki River Basin. The plan will be aligned with multiple USAID Biodiversity activities and will reflect both community-level and government priorities. The workshop's outcomes will contribute to the improvement of natural resources (freshwater and forest) safeguards and security, ultimately developing Nepal as a stable, resilient, and reliable economic partner.