The Central Validation Workshop regarding the ‘Basin Level Integrated Site Plan of Gosainkunda and Associated Lakes (GAL),’ a Ramsar Site, has been completed.

We were delighted to inform related institutions and well-wishers that our collaborative effort, of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) and financially supported by the Nago Wetland Fund grant through the Nagao Natural Environment Foundation (NEF), The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, Rue Mauverney, Gland, Switzerland, as well as NEF, with technical support from the Conservation Development Foundation (CODEFUND), successfully reached its final stage. A comprehensive draft plan was meticulously prepared, and a validation meeting among the implementation authority and other relevant stakeholders was organized at Indreni Suites Hotel, Baneshowar, on Monday, August 28, 2023 (Bhadra 11, 2080). The team then prepared for a validation meeting at the field level.

The main objectives of this project were (i) to prepare the Basin Level Integrated Site Plan of Gosainkunda and Associated Lakes (Goal 2, Target 5, Ramsar) and (ii) to establish a Wetlands Platform for the sustainability of GAL (Goal 3, Target 9 of Ramsar, 2nd column indicator). Specific objectives included: (i) conducting consultative meetings in Kathmandu and the Province, (ii) reviewing all available secondary sources of information on GAL, (iii) conducting a participatory assessment and planning of GAL, and (iv) assisting local communities in establishing a Wetlands Platform for the sustainability of GAL.