7-9 October 2012

Organizer: Tribhuvan University, Nepal & Hokkaido University, Japan

(First Circular, April 25, 2012)

Background: Tribhuvan University and Hokkaido University organized a symposium in 2000 on mountain environments focusing on the Himalaya. This proposed symposium is a continuous effort to understand the changes of mountain environments, broadening the coverage to Asian Mountains even at global scale. The focus of the area is Asian mountains, but this symposium does not limit the areal coverage in Asia: perspectives of the local, regional and global scales can be discussed if they are related to Asian mountains. This proposed symposium contributes to the International Year of Mountain (IYM)+10 and synthesizing phase of Global Land Project Issues.

Major Focus: The symposium will have two major focuses:

1.  Vulnerability, resilience and sustainability of land system in Asian mountains: This symposium aims to improve our understanding of the critical pathways of change in the land system, how vulnerability and resilience of the land system vary in response to changes in human-environment interactions, and how different institutions influence decision-making and governance for land system sustainability. The agenda includes land use/land cover change, dynamics of land system, consequences of land system changes and integrated analysis and modeling for land sustainability.

2.  Changing mountain environments in Asia: This symposium discusses the state-of-the art knowledge and progress of research after the International Year of Mountains (IYM) on mountain hazards from the Middle Mountain landslides to high Alpine GLOF, climate change and adaptation, tourism and livelihood, biodiversity and nature conservation in Asian mountains.

Program Highlights:

·　 Symposium: 7-9 October 2012

·　 Field Excursion: 10-11 October 2012 (Kathmandu-Chitwan)

·　 Venue: Hotel Himalaya, Kupandole Height, Lalitpur, Kathmandu

·　 Early Registration: 30 May 2012

·　 Late Registration and abstract submission: 31 July 2012

·　 Full paper submission: 31 October 2012

Symposium Fee:

Foreigners: Early registration: Japanese Yen 19,000; Late registration: Japanese Yen 24,000
Foreign students: Early registration: Japanese Yen 13,000; Late registration: Japanese Yen 16,000

SAARC members: Early registration: Japanese Yen 6,000; Late registration: Japanese Yen 8,000

Nepali: NRs. 3,000
Nepali students: NRs. 1,000

Excursion Fee (includes: one night hotel, dinner, breakfast, two-lunches, transportation, and related activities): USD160

Credit Card Payment: Payment can be made by VISA/Master Card for foreigners and SAARC member countries. Bank Transfer (SAARC member countries and Nepali participants only): Refund policy: no refund will be made after the payment process. However, in case of the cancellation of all symposium and field excursion, the paid money will be reimbursed.

Organizing Committee:

• Amber Prasad Pant, Faculty of Law, TU
• Bal Mukunda Bhandari, Executive Director, Centre for International Relation, TU
• Dean, Institute of Agriculture and Animal Sciences, TU
• Dean, Institute of　Forestry , TU
• Hideaki Shibata, Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, HU & Scientific Steering Committee member of GLP
• Kedar Rijal, Central Department of Environmental Science, TU
• Krishna Belbase, Nepal Law Campus, TU
• Madan Koirala, Assistant Dean, Institute of Science, TU
• Motilal Ghimire, Central Dept. of Geography, TU
• Narendra Man Shakya, Institute of Engineering, TU
• Narendra Raj Khanal, Central Department of Geography, TU
• Noriyuki Tanaka, Center for Sustainability Science, HU
• Pitambar Gautam, Creative Research Institution, HU
• Pramod Kumar Jha, Central Department of Botany, TU
• Pushkar Pradhan, Central Department of Geography, TU
• Takashi Kohyama, Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, HU
• Takanobu Sawagaki, Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, HU
• Teiji Watanabe, Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, HU & Executive Director of GLP Sapporo Nodal Office
• Yasuhiro Yamanaka, Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, HU

Advisory Committee

• Bishnu R. Upreti, NCCR North-South South Asia Regional Office, Nepal
• Daene C. McKinney, Professor, Department of Civil, Architectural & Environmental Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, U.S.A.
• Eklabya Sharma, Director of Programme Operations, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Nepal
• Gunanidhi Nyaupane, Rector, TU, Nepal
• Hariharan Ramachandran, Professor, Department of Geography, Delhi School of Economics, Delhi University, India
• Hermann Kreutzmann, Professor, Centre for Development Studies, Geographic Sciences, Free University Berlin, Germany
• Hira Bahadur Maharjan, Vice Chancellor, TU, Nepal
• Jo？lle Smadja, Director, UPR 299, CNRS, France
• Madhav Sharma, Professor and Ex. Vice Chancellor, TU, Nepal
• Martin F. Price, Director, Centre for Mountain Studies, University of the Highlands and Islands, U.K.
• Suresh Raj Chalise, Former Professor, TU, Nepal
• Tirtha Bahadur Shrestha, Lifetime member, Nepal Academy, Nepal
• Tor Halfdan Aase, Professor, Department of Geography, University of Bergen, Norway
• Zhang YiLi, Professor, IGSNRR, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

Supporting Organizations

• The Embassy of Japan in Nepal
• IFES-GCOE Office, Hokkaido University
• National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR North-South) South Asia Regional Office
• International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)

Contact Address:

·　　　　 Email: info@2012mountainsympo.org

·　　　　 Web: http://www.2012mountainsympo.org

Contact Persons:

·　　　　 Teiji Watanabe, Professor, Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, HU, Sapporo, Japan teiwata@mac.com

·　　　　 Narendra Raj Khanal, Professor, Central Department of Geography, TU, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal nrkhanal.geog@gmail.com