COP19: Pasang Dolma Sherpa on relationship between forests and Nepalese indigenous people

COP19: Pasang Dolma Sherpa on relationship between forests and Nepalese indigenous people

COP19 (20/11/13) – Pasang Dolma Sherpa from the Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities talks about how climate change has impacted Nepal.

As a mountainous country, the indigenous people are suffering from deforestation from the melting of ice from mountains and overflowing lakes.

She says the government needs to implement a satisfactory loss and damage mechanism for these people who are mostly forest-dependent communities to ensure they do not lose their identity and spiritual relationship with the forest.

Sherpa admits some progress has been made at COP on issues relating to forestry, but the Parties need to work out how this will be implemented on the ground and to engage indigenous people as they play a large role in ensuring biodiversity.