Our lives are intimately connected to forests, rivers, mountains, and seasons. We are part of nature and nature is part of us – it shapes our values, our perspectives, our livelihoods, and our relations to other people and the environment around us.
Over the years, I have had the privilege of travelling across mountain regions and ecosystems around the globe. Whether in the Himalaya, the Arctic, or other fragile landscapes, I have seen a common truth: where nature thrives, communities thrive. When ecosystems are degraded, the consequences are felt first and most deeply by people.
The Labandaha River: Vanishing Under Encroachment and Pollution
This is why the World Environment Day 2026 theme, "Inspired by Nature. For Climate. For Our Future.", resonates so strongly with me. It reminds us that the solutions we need are often already present in the ecosystems around us. If we are willing to learn from them, invest in them, and create the conditions for them to thrive.
The Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) sustains the lives and livelihoods of more than two billion people. Protecting its ecosystems is therefore not simply an environmental imperative; it is one of the smartest investments we can make for our collective future. To achieve this, we need enabling policies, innovative financing, and incentive mechanisms that reward communities for their stewardship of nature and encourage investments in green enterprises and sustainable development.
Women, as key stewards of nature, are at the heart of a greener future. ICIMOD has worked with governments to support women-led businesses, making restoration work inclusive while strengthening livelihoods. When we turn ecosystem restoration into real investment opportunities, we unlock private sector support and help governments pursue green growth. Investing in nature is truly investing in our future.
One example close to our work at ICIMOD is springshed management. Across the mountains, springs are often the lifeline of communities, yet many are drying up due to changing climate and land-use patterns. By restoring recharge zones, promoting sustainable land-use practices, and empowering communities to become stewards of their natural resources, springs that once ran dry can flow again. Such approaches not only improve water availability but also enhance biodiversity and rebuild resilient ecosystems.
The HKH is also blessed with immense clean energy potential, estimated at 3.5 terawatts. Yet only a fraction of this potential has been harnessed. Accelerating the transition to clean energy offers an opportunity to strengthen livelihoods, improve energy security, and build a low-carbon and climate-resilient future for the region.
Realising these opportunities will require more than good intentions. It will require policies that reward environmental stewardship, financing mechanisms that value ecosystem services, and investments that enable communities and local enterprises to become active partners in conservation and climate action. Farmers, herders, medicinal plant collectors, entrepreneurs, local governments, and policymakers all have a role to play, and all must share in the benefits.
At ICIMOD, we are working with our Regional Member Countries and partners to help build these enabling conditions. Through our work on the land-water-energy nexus, nature-based solutions, climate resilience, and sustainable mountain development, we seek to demonstrate that environmental protection and economic progress can and must advance together.
Nature has inspired generations before us. Today, it is also showing us a pathway forward.
On this World Environment Day, I encourage all of us to see nature not merely as something we conserve, but as a source of innovation, resilience, and opportunity. If we learn from it and invest in it wisely, nature can help us build a future that is more prosperous, more secure, and more climate resilient for all. Therefore, let us be there for nature just as we expect nature to be there for us.