"US announces $30 million Nepal conservation plan" :: AFP
KATHMANDU — The United States announced on Tuesday the launch of a $30 million programme to combat the severe threat climate change is posing to the people and the diverse wildlife of Nepal. The five-year Hariyo Ban programme, funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), will aim to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by one million tonnes, improve the management of 50,000 hectares of forest and pay local communities to protect endangered animals. "This ambitious project recognises that forests are the true wealth of Nepal as forests not only support the livelihoods of millions of people and provide a safe haven for endangered species but also are vital to combat the impacts of climate change," said Hariyo Ban chief Judy Oglethorpe. Nepal is facing increasingly frequent forest fires, floods and landslides while the retreat of ice in the Himalayas has increased the risk of glacier lake floods which threaten downstream communities and wildlife. M...