Mountain Justice & Himalayan Livelihoods (HKH Region)

This 13-day field seminar situates students within the Himalayan–Karakoram–Hindu Kush (HKH) region to examine climate vulnerability, glacial retreat, migration, tourism economies, and ecosystem–health interdependence.

Nepal provides a powerful case study in mountain justice. Communities face erratic monsoons, changing snowlines, glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) risk, water insecurity, out-migration, and a rapidly expanding tourism economy. At the same time, biodiversity, sacred landscapes, and fragile ecosystems structure both livelihood and identity.

Students begin in Kathmandu with conceptual grounding in One Health, mountain political ecology, and justice theory. Field immersion in the Pokhara corridor explores watershed systems, tourism–livelihood linkages, remittance economies, and local adaptation strategies.

The program culminates in a Mountain Justice Adaptation Proposal integrating ecological, economic, and public health dimensions.

Students will:

Apply mountain justice and political ecology frameworks to analyze Himalayan vulnerability.
Interpret glacial retreat and watershed change within exposure–sensitivity–adaptive capacity models.
Conduct participatory community mapping and livelihood interviews.
Examine tourism economies as both adaptive opportunity and climate stressor.
Analyze remittance-driven migration as climate adaptation strategy.
Integrate One Health frameworks connecting ecosystem change and public health outcomes.
Produce an evidence-based mountain adaptation proposal grounded in feasibility and equity.

Geography

Development Studies

Public Policy

Public Health

Political Ecology

Anthropology

Sustainability Studies

Disaster Studies

Kathmandu

Pokhara Valley

Mid-Hill Communities

Watershed Systems

Tourism & Governance Offices

Day	Location	Academic Engagement	Learning Emphasis
1	Kathmandu	Seminar: Mountain justice & HKH ecological systems	Conceptual grounding
2	Kathmandu	One Health framework workshop; ecosystem–health linkages	Interdisciplinary framing
3	Kathmandu	Participatory mapping & research ethics lab	Field methods
4	Pokhara Corridor	Watershed systems immersion; river basin mapping	Hydrological systems
5	Pokhara Corridor	Community dialogue: water security & seasonal variability	Resource vulnerability
6	Pokhara Corridor	Tourism–livelihood interviews; economic diversification	Political economy
7	Pokhara Corridor	Migration & remittance analysis workshop	Adaptive strategy
8	Pokhara Corridor	GLOF risk and disaster governance session	Hazard assessment
9	Pokhara Corridor	Public health & climate dialogue	One Health lens
10	Kathmandu	Institutional response seminar; federal–local governance	Institutional scale
11	Kathmandu	Adaptation proposal drafting workshop I	Translation
12	Kathmandu	Peer critique & feasibility lab	Policy realism
13	Kathmandu	Final presentations; departures	Closure