This project focuses on the Hindu Kush Himalayan region, a dynamic part of the world where hundreds of millions of people are facing major socioeconomic and environmental changes. One of the main ones is climate change. These changes challenge the resilience of natural environments and human abilities to adapt. Increased extreme weather events and the magnitude of associated natural disasters, believed to be related to climate change, have high economic and social costs. The Himalayan region and the downstream areas that depend on its water supply and ecosystem services, including the Indo-Gangetic plain – "the grain basket of South Asia" – are particularly vulnerable to these changes.
HICAP is a pioneering collaboration among three organizations – CICERO, ICIMOD, and GRID-Arendal – aimed at contributing to enhanced resilience of mountain communities, particularly women, through improved understanding of vulnerabilities, opportunities, and the potential for adaptation. Women in the region have important responsibilities as stewards of natural and household resources and are therefore well positioned to contribute to adaptation strategies. But they are more vulnerable than men to climate change as they face more social, economic, and political barriers limiting their coping capacity.
HICAP is producing knowledge on how climate change affects natural resources, ecosystem services, and the communities that depend on them, contributing to policy and practice for enhanced adaptation. GRID-Arendal´s role is on communications and outreach. Examples of our work include the development of visual products which communicate the latest cutting-edge science from the region, including on water issues (Himalayan Climate and Water Atlas), food security (The Last Straw) and on gender (Women at the Frontline of Climate Change). We also work closely with journalists, providing training on specific climate-related topics to strengthen the quality and accuracy of media coverage in this important region. Our work is also focused on translating knowledge into action. Much of our focus in 2017 is on working with and supporting selected policy makers in the region.
