Managing Ecosystem Services for Enhancing Climate Change Adaptation in the Hindu Kush Himalayas - Impact of Global Changes on Mountains: Responses and Adaptation - page 221

identifying. Existing protected areas will require constant monitoring to
document changes in vegetation, identifi cation, and census of indicative
species (to monitor population dynamics as a function of changing climate
impacts). The effectiveness of protected area management will have to
be central to all research and feed into evolving responsive management
approaches and technologies. Findings and conclusions from the above
should provide insight into adaptive responses and into resilience of natural
systems; and these will become critical elements in evolving decision-
support systems and hence require priority. Research on institutional
frameworks and their effectiveness in governance and assessments of good
practices with examples of community-led conservation have to be central
to formulation of an effective and responsive governance system. Strong
emphasis has to be placed on indigenous knowledge systems, particularly
in regard to natural resource management approaches and institutional
frameworks, drawing upon traditional practices of management and
governance especially in regard to sacred landscapes.
Policy analysis on climate change, adaptation and coping mechanisms;
and relevant adjustments to existing policies
In order to support and strengthen community efforts to cope with change,
an enabling policy environment is essential. Documentation and assessments
indicate the need for policy dialogues focussing on areas identifi ed. Policy
dialogues would need to focus on areas where adjustments in existing
policies are required, particularly in regard to economic benefi ts, governance
frameworks, and local-level policy adjustments. A clear concern was the
multiplicity of policy actors governing natural resource management
and livelihood support and the need for convergence of different (often
confl icting) policies under one forum for ease of implementation. Dialogues
need to focus on this required convergence before moving on to sectoral
details. There is a critical role for scientifi c institutions in regard to policy
formulation concerning natural resource management, livelihood support
and climate change. Policy makers require authentic data inputs and, more
often than not, these are not available or not in a comprehensible form.
Scientifi c institutions need to fi ll this gap so that policy making can be
based on scientifi c fi ndings.
Conclusion
Ecosystem services are benefi ts people derive from ecosystems. These
services are critical to the functioning of the Earth's life support system and
are intricately linked to human wellbeing. However, they are witnessing