Publication: Valuing Green Infrastructure: Case Study of Kali Gandaki Watershed, Nepal
Date
2019-11-01
ISSN
Published
2019-11-01
Author(s)
World Bank Group
Abstract
Watersheds are an appropriate and
effective unit for managing ecological assets, given the
interconnected nature of economic activities and their
impacts within a watershed, locally and regionally, upstream
and downstream. Watersheds are increasingly recognized as a
critical form of green infrastructure that provides a flow
of economic benefits. In mountainous countries like Nepal,
watershed management can contribute to important development
goals and increase resilience to climate change. Watershed
management can refer to a wide variety of practices that
fall under the umbrella of investment in green
infrastructure, such as slope correction using terracing,
planting hedgerows and cover crops, using crop residues,
cover crops, and mulches, trenching and bunding, re- and
afforestation, and revision of grazing practices. Minimizing
the loss of soil and downstream sedimentation is one of the
most visible and immediate benefits of watershed management,
whose positive impact can be felt across many sectors of the
economy, including agriculture, hydropower, and water. This
study focuses on the watershed area that drains to the
Kaligandaki, Nepal. The study presents a systematic approach
to assess where, in what quantity, and through what
processes sediment is being generated in the Kali Gandaki
Basin, identify plausible interventions through investing in
green infrastructure approaches for watershed management,
and evaluate their impacts.
Citation
“World Bank Group. 2019. Valuing Green Infrastructure: Case Study of Kali Gandaki Watershed, Nepal. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/32757 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”