13 September 2024 – WWF Nepal has signed a tripartite Project Implementation Agreement with the Ministry of Forests and Environment (MoFE) and the Ministry of Forest and Environment Bagmati Province to launch the “Managing Watersheds for Enhanced Resilience of Communities to Climate Change in Nepal” (MaWRiN) project. The $9 million initiative, funded through the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) managed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), aims to protect the vulnerable Marin Watershed and enhance the resilience of local communities to climate change.
The project, developed by WWF’s GEF agency under the leadership of MoFE and in coordination with the Ministry of Finance, will be implemented over six years. It will focus on nature-based solutions and livelihood diversification to support local and indigenous communities in adapting to climate-related challenges.
Dr. Ghana Shyam Gurung, Country Representative of WWF Nepal, expressed the organization’s commitment to translating climate discourse into tangible action, building on its successful track record with past conservation initiatives.
The project also seeks to integrate climate change into local policies and plans, enhancing the adaptive capacity of vulnerable households. Provincial and national officials, including Mr. Dhirendra Kumar Pradhan, Secretary of MoFE Bagmati Province, and Mr. Badri Raj Dhungana, Joint Secretary of MoFE, emphasized the importance of this collaboration in addressing climate challenges and fostering sustainable development across Nepal.
