Maps for the Himalayan Climate Change Adaptation Programme (HICAP)
The goal of the Himalayan Climate Change Adaptation Programme (HICAP) is to contribute to enhancing the resilience of mountain communities in the Himalaya-Hindu Kush (HKH) region. Focusing particularly on women, the program seeks to achieve this goal through improved understanding of vulnerability, opportunities, and potentials for adaptation to climate change.
To communicate the social situation in the region, Nordpil was contracted by UNEP/GRID-Arendal to prepare a set of maps on human development, poverty and demography in this sparsely populated, mountainous area.
The region covers Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar. It includes some of the world's highest and least accessible mountain ranges, as well as highlands such as the Tibet Highlands.
The Himalaya-Hindu Kush region is experiencing the early impacts of climate change, including melting glaciers and increased flooding, and the area serves as one of the main "water towers" in Asia. It feeds vast rivers such as the Indus, the Ganges and the Brahmaputra.