KATHMANDU, 30 September 2026

Government representatives, municipal authorities, academia, development partners and UN agencies came together in Kathmandu to discuss opportunities for integrating Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) into urban planning and development in Kathmandu Valley. The consultation brought together stakeholders working across urban development, environment, climate resilience and disaster risk reduction to review urban ecosystem assessment findings, discuss policy recommendations and strengthen collaboration.

The discussions highlighted the growing pressure on natural ecosystems from rapid and unplanned urbanization, contributing to rising temperatures, urban heat islands, flooding, water scarcity and landslide risks. Ms. Sunita Shrestha, National Project Director at the Kathmandu Valley Development Authority (KVDA), highlighted the impacts of recent floods across Nepal and emphasized the importance of nature-based solutions and sustainable urban development in addressing these challenges.

The workshop presented findings from pilot urban ecosystem inventories conducted in Madhyapur Thimi, Tokha and Budhanilkantha municipalities. Municipal technical officers from UN-Habitat shared the assessment results, including Ecosystem Health Report Cards, a data-driven tool to assess the environmental condition and evaluate climate adaptation potential of public and open spaces.

The findings highlighted limited tree canopy and vegetation cover in many surveyed public spaces, reducing their capacity to regulate local temperatures and mitigate urban heat. Densely urbanized wards also faced significant shortages of open spaces, while forest areas performed strongly across environmental indicators. These findings underscored the importance of protecting existing green infrastructure, improving public spaces and integrating ecosystem health and climate resilience considerations into urban planning and development.

Policy experts Top B. Khatri and Santosh Khanal presented the project's policy review and briefs, consolidating findings and recommendations across urban development, environmental management and climate policy. Discussions focused on strengthening policy coherence, translating Nature-based Solutions (NbS) into practical approaches for municipal implementation, addressing institutional coordination challenges and building local technical capacity. Participants also highlighted opportunities to strengthen community forest management to support local livelihoods and enhance groundwater recharge.

Representatives from government institutions, including KVDA, relevant ministries, the National Planning Commission, the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction, and the National Academy of Science and Technology, alongside municipal leaders, academic institutions, civil society organizations and development partners, contributed perspectives on advancing EbA in urban planning and practice.

Tokha Municipality Mayor Prakash Adhikari highlighted the importance of a “One Ward, One Park” approach, emphasizing the need to balance urban infrastructure development with the provision and protection of safe public spaces. KVDA Development Commissioner Suraj Shakya called for the revival of traditional Nepali architectural practices, including thick walls and clay-tiled roofs, to help regulate indoor temperatures. He also cautioned against excessive paving of open spaces with impermeable materials that can increase surface temperatures and highlighted the importance of active open-space management.

Ms. Pragya Pradhan, Habitat Programme Manager at UN-Habitat Nepal, emphasized the importance of integrating green and grey infrastructure through locally relevant policies and practical, replicable approaches that strengthen urban climate resilience.

In her closing remarks, Ms. Sunita Shrestha highlighted plans to translate the project documents into Nepali to improve accessibility and support wider uptake. She also outlined plans to establish a model municipality pilot to demonstrate effective EbA practices and inform their wider application across Kathmandu Valley.

The consultation was organized under the Urban Ecosystem-based Adaptation for Climate-Resilient Development in Kathmandu Valley project, jointly implemented by KVDA and UN-Habitat, with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and support from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The project aims to strengthen the integration of urban ecosystems into planning and policy processes, supporting more climate-resilient and sustainable urban development across the Valley.