Rangelands, covering 23.03% of Nepal's land area, are vital for biodiversity and livelihoods, particularly in Karnali Province, which hosts 34% of Nepal's total rangelands. The rangelands support local economies, biodiversity, and cultural heritage but face significant challenges such as land-use changes, climate change, invasive species, overgrazing, abandonment of pastoral practices, and human-wildlife conflicts. To address the pressing challenges faced by rangelands and to enhance the sustainable use and management of rangelands, Karnali Province the Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forests, and Environment (MOITFE) aims to develop the Rangeland Management Strategy and Action Plan (RMSAP) with support form USAID Jal Jangal and The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). GIIS takes a lead to conduct the status and trends of the socio-ecological dimensions of Karnali’s rangelands, analyse threats to rangelands. This interdisciplinary project aims to analyze remote sensing data, collect perspectives of stakeholders through local, district, and provincial level consultations, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews.

Investigator (s): Uttam Babu Shrestha (Lead), Sujata Shrestha, Bharat Babu Shrestha (Consultant), Pushpa Raj Acharya (Consultant), Shiba Raj Ghimire (Consultant), Uma Dhungel, Suraj Joshi, Tulasa Chaudhary, Nishan Baral, Sunita Rokaya (Field staff)