Himalayan Freshwaters Workshop #3
Assessing the Services and Vulnerability of Freshwater Ecosystems in the Himalayas
Paro, Bhutan
Embedded Files
Workshop Photos
Summary of the workshop
About the workshop
The third workshop in this series is being organized by Royal University Bhutan in collaboration with IIT Roorkee on 12-13 June, 2025. We have set the following objectives for the workshop:
To discuss and understand the status, trends, threats, vulnerability and policies pertaining to the freshwater ecosystem and its services in the Himalayas.
To disseminate the research outputs of the REFRESH project to the concerned stakeholders in Bhutan.
The REFRESH project aims to organize a series of workshops to facilitate discussions, disseminate information, and brainstorm ideas about freshwater ecosystems in the Himalayas. The workshops will engage the project team, students, stakeholders, and experts to share their knowledge, insights, and experiences about the services and threats to these vital ecosystems. Through these workshops, participants will have the opportunity to learn from each other, exchange ideas, and explore potential solutions to the challenges facing freshwater ecosystems in the Himalayas.
The workshops will also provide a platform to foster collaboration and build partnerships between different stakeholders to collectively work toward the conservation and sustainable management of these ecosystems. These workshops will also contribute to capacity building by providing a platform for learning, skill-building, and empowering participants to become agents of change for the conservation and sustainable management of freshwater ecosystems. As such, Himalayan Freshwater Workshop Series-I was successfully organized by IIT, Roorkee on June 6, 2023. Accordingly, the second workshop, Himalayan Freshwater Workshop Series II, was organized in Kathmandu on May 21, 2024.
Join us for:
Keynote talks
Panel discussions
Group discussions
Brainstorming sessions
Workshop Highlights
The workshop brought together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to discuss the status and vulnerability of freshwater ecosystems in the Himalayan region under changing climatic conditions. It served as a platform to share findings from the REFRESH project and to exchange regional perspectives from India, Nepal, and Bhutan on freshwater ecosystem services and management challenges.
The technical sessions began with Dr. Ashutosh Sharma, who introduced the REFRESH project and presented key results on mapping freshwater ecosystem services, monsoon variability, and climate-change impacts across Himalayan catchments. This was followed by Dr. Sumit Sen, who highlighted the research and training role of the Department of Hydrology at IIT Roorkee and shared insights from hydrological monitoring and lake studies, emphasizing water regulation and disaster mitigation functions.
Climate risks in the Himalayas were discussed in detail by Dr. Priyank Sharma, who presented projections on compound climate extremes such as wet-heat and drought-heat events, indicating a shift toward warmer and more intense extremes. Dr. Vivek Gupta complemented this by stressing the urgency of climate adaptation and the importance of climate information services and early warning systems tailored for the Himalayan region.
Ecosystem processes and national experiences were further explored through presentations by Dr. Shivam on sediment transport modeling in Himalayan rivers and by Bhutanese experts including Mr. Ugyen Dorji, Ms. Yeshi Choki, and Mr. Tenzin Khorlo. Their sessions covered freshwater ecosystems in Bhutan, hydrometeorological monitoring, flood and GLOF early warning systems, and water governance and policy frameworks.
The workshop concluded with an interactive group discussion on monsoon variability, ecosystem management policies, integration of traditional knowledge with science, and the need for regional cooperation. A field visit to the National Hydrology and Meteorology Centre provided participants with practical exposure to ongoing monitoring activities and opportunities for future collaboration
Target Audience:
Postgraduate and Doctoral scholars
Early career professionals
Mid - level government officers
I/NGO actively involved in sector of freshwater ecosystem services
Convener:
Ms. Tshering Checki
Lecturer
College of Science and Technology
Royal University of Bhutan
For more information, check out the brochure below -
brochure 1_merged.pdfPage updated
Google Sites
Report abuse