The 2nd Third Pole Environment (TPE) Workshop held in Kathmandu, Nepal
The 2nd Third Pole Environment (TPE) Workshop concluded on October 28, 2010 in Kathmandu, Nepal. The workshop focused on the regional challenges posed by the changing environment of the Third Pole region. About 90 scientists, researchers, and government officials, from 16 countries participated, including those from the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region and beyond. The three day workshop was a continuation of the 1st TPE Workshop, held in August 2009 in Beijing and Lhasa, China.
The major tasks for the 2nd TPE Workshop were to overview scientific activities in the Third Pole region within the past year, to summarize major scientific achievements of TPE, to explore scientific challenges and new frontiers, and to propose new plans for its implementation. The 2nd TPE Workshop provided an ideal setting for sharing and updating these tasks.
The topics discussed during the workshop followed the road-map laid out during the 1st TPE Workshop, which address six key science questions defined by scientists and program coordinators. Participants of the 2nd TPE Workshop agreed to continue international collaboration and efforts in establishing flagship monitoring stations, an accessible platform for sharing data, and in launching transboundary scientific expeditions. All of this will be carried out with the objective of increasing current environmental understanding of the Third Pole.
The workshop was organized by the Third Pole Environment (TPE) program and supported jointly by the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research (ITP)/ Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the Central Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (CDHM), Tribhuvan University, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD),the Himalayan Cryosphere, Climate and Disaster Research Centre (HiCCDRC), Kathmandu University, Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) and Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, Government of Nepal.
A full workshop report will be distributed to participants and made available on the website in mid-November. In addition, anyone interested in the academic presentations will find them available on the TPE website, thanks to those presenters who generously agreed to share them. For more information please use the 2nd TPE Workshop menu link, or contact the TPE office directly.
