3. Workshop on biodiversity data managment in the Hindu Kush Himalaya

My second week at ICIMOD began with a three day workshop on biodiversity data managment and capacity building for research institutions across the HKH region.

That might sound a bit abstract to the non-biologists among you, so here comes some background information: In reseach (and biological research in particular), there has historically been a tendency to keep data private. For example, a botanist collecting plant samples over years in a certain area would publish findings based on that data— but the data itself often remains inaccessible to others. That is unfortunate, because this kind of data can be incredibly valuable for many different types of scientific studies and conservation work. Luckily, this has started to change. There is a growing movement toward open data and open science, which encourages researchers to share their data and collaborate more openly. And this was also the focus of this workshop. It was organized by GBIF Nepal (again for the non-biologists: GBIF is an important open access biodiversity platform where researchers and citizen scientists can share and access species data worldwide). The workshop brought together researchers and representatives from governmental institutions and NGOs from Bhuthan, Pakistan, India, China, Nepal and Bangladesh.

Group photo on the first workshop day

On the first day, we heard a range of perspectives from the participating countries on the key challenges in biodiversity conservation across the HKH region. A major theme was the lack of coordination and structure in how information on biodiversity is managed. Although, lots of important data on biodiversity exist across the countries, it is often not organized in way that allows for efficient sharing and data use. Many of the presentations also highlighted one critical issue: reseach on HKH biodiversity is often conducted by foreign (primarily western) institutions and published in foreign (again primarily western) journals —often without accessible results or recogniction for local collaborators. This points to the clear need to better support local institutions working on biodiversity conservation across the HKH countries.

Throughout the talks (and coffee breaks) I learned about alpine plants in Pakistan's Hindu Kush and their role in regulating glacier meltwater, about a national biodiversity platform in Bhuthan developed for researchers and citizen scientistis to upload and use data, about forest conservation programmes that engage local communities in India, and about the creation of a mushroom monitoring and community network across the HKH (some mushroom-picking friends in Bergen might find this interesting...😉).

The second and third days focused on practical training in data cleaning, managment and publishing using tools and platforms that support open and accessible science. I learned a lot, and it was very inspiring to meet so many dedicated researchers working to protect biodiversity in their countries. There was a strong sense of agreement among the participants that this kind of infrastrucutre and training is urgently needed and timely now to help building networks between biodiversity institutions of the HKH.

This week also made me reflect on the many advantages we often take for granted at European research institutions —especially when it comes to funding, training opportunities and access to open publishing formats. It is easy for us to advoacte for open science when we have all the resources to support it. These days also highighted how disconnected much of the Western research still is from the realities of institutions in other parts of the world. There is clearly still a long way to go toward building truly global and inclusive research networks in biodiversity science. But gatherings like this feel like an important step in the right direction :).

Later in the week, I shifted back to my project work, had meetings with our collaborators from the GMBA (Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment) based in Switzerland, and presented an overview of our project to one of the strategic group leaders at ICIMOD.

I finished the week with a short trip to a village near Nagarkot (about 2500 m and two hours drive from Kathmandu). I stayed in a very cozy homestay, which is a common type of accomodation in Nepal where families rent out rooms and often serve homecooked meals. The host was incredibly welcoming. We had long conversations in which he told me about Nepal's history and current politics, his life and family in the village, and the cultural traditions he grew up with and how they are changing nowadays. On saturday, I went for a hike through the surrounding hills, passing through several small villages. The area is largely agricultural -people keep chickens, cows and goats, and grow vegetable and fruits on terraced fields that are carved into the often very steep hillsides. It took me almost the entire day to get back to my homestay because I was invitied to sit, have tea, food and a chat three times along the way. Of course I accepted and was served milk tea, Anda Chyua (flattened rice with egg, onions, peanuts and chilli pepper) and cookies. I really enjoyed those days in the villages. I spotted and heard so many birds like the Rufous bellied Niltava and Verditer Flycatcher and all different kinds of beetles, spiders and some huuuge butterflies. Sadly, I was too slow with my camera to catch them.

More updates coming next week - stay tuned!

Eating veg Thukpa (a Tibetan noudle soup) while writing this blog post ;)