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The GPP Bhutan (GPPB) project, led by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), worked over 3.5 years to scale up public demand for environmentally and socially preferred goods and services. The project focused on research, policy support, and capacity building, resulting in the training of nearly 100 civil servants and 57 representatives from higher educational institutions. Key achievements include the official endorsement of GPP recommendations by the Ministry of Finance in 2015, the establishment of a parliamentary working group, and the institutionalization of a GPP curriculum at the Royal Institute of Management (RIM). The project also provided technical assistance for pilot projects with the City of Thimphu and the Ministry of Works and Human Settlements, emphasizing life-cycle costing and green infrastructure criteria.

The document provides a collection of research abstracts focusing on the intersection of climate change and snow leopard conservation. Key themes include the loss of potential habitat due to rising temperatures, the importance of ecosystem-based adaptation for mountain communities, and the role of community-led initiatives in reducing poaching and human-wildlife conflict. It also details genetic research identifying three snow leopard subspecies and explores the economic valuation of ecosystem services in high-mountain landscapes to incentivize conservation.

The WWF Asia High Mountains (AHM) Project has implemented population surveys, GPS collaring, and community-led conservation initiatives to protect snow leopards and their habitats. Key achievements include the first population surveys in Bhutan's Wangchuck Centennial National Park and North Sikkim, India, and the collaring of four snow leopards in Nepal to track transboundary movements. The project also addressed threats through a national jaw-trap removal campaign in Mongolia and the installation of predator-proof corrals in Pakistan. Globally, the project supported the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP) and a TRAFFIC report which found that over 150 snow leopards are poached weekly, with 55% of poaching occurring in five of the twelve range countries.

The AHM project implemented climate-smart strategies in Asia's high mountains to protect snow leopard habitats and improve community resilience. Key actions included conducting climate vulnerability assessments, developing watershed management plans, and diversifying local livelihoods through ecotourism and alternative income sources to reduce pressure on fragile ecosystems.

The Bhutan for Life (BFL) project is a 14-year initiative designed to provide a financial bridge for the sustainable management of Bhutan's protected areas (PAs) and biological corridors (BCs), covering approximately 51% of the country's territory. The project is categorized as 'Category B' by WWF, meaning potential adverse impacts are site-specific and reversible. The ESMF provides a structured process for screening, impact assessment, and the development of activity-specific Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMPs). Key project components include forestry and land use climate mitigation, community-based adaptation, climate-smart conservation, and institutional capacity building. The framework emphasizes Free and Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) for affected communities and establishes a multi-tiered Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) ranging from local negotiation to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests (MoAF).

The report analyzes the climate pledges of 18 Asian countries, finding that while energy and transport are primary mitigation focuses, there are significant gaps in quantified climate finance requirements and the integration of gender and social inclusion. It highlights a regional disparity in disaster risk reduction planning, with South Asian countries generally showing higher levels of integration than their South-East Asian counterparts.

The study assesses LDCF projects in five Asia-Pacific countries, finding that while they improve infrastructural, institutional, and community-based adaptive capacity, they are hindered by convoluted management and uncertainty. The author concludes that LDCF activities generally promote marginal rather than systematic transformations in climate adaptation.

The Global NDC Conference 2017 brought together over 250 participants from 80 countries to exchange best practices on advancing low-carbon resilient development. The report identifies integrated governance, multi-dimensional financing strategies, and the Enhanced Transparency Framework as the three pillars necessary for the successful implementation of NDCs. Key recommendations include the need for high-level leadership to break down sectoral silos, the translation of NDCs into bankable project pipelines to attract private investment, and the institutionalization of data systems to build trust and accountability.

Nepal is addressing its high vulnerability to climate change through a combination of national policies, such as the 2010 National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) and the 2011 Climate Change Policy, and decentralized, bottom-up initiatives like Local Adaptation Plans for Action (LAPAs). The country faces significant risks from increasing temperatures, rainfall variability, and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), particularly affecting agriculture, water resources, and energy. While the Government of Nepal has demonstrated strong political leadership in establishing coordinating bodies like the Climate Change Council, there remains a gap in adaptation efforts for public health and urban settlements. Adaptation is heavily supported by international finance, with a strong focus on community-based projects in the agriculture and water sectors, though private sector participation remains minimal.

The report analyzes six snow leopard landscapes in high Asia, finding that while habitat is often well-protected (averaging 50%), critical gaps in connectivity exist. It highlights that climate change will cause warming of 1.7°C to 3.6°C by mid-century, potentially shifting 60-80% of Eastern Himalayan habitats from alpine grasslands to forest ecosystems. The study also identifies the Central Tien Shan as a key 'water tower' providing essential spring runoff to downstream communities, while noting that all landscapes face risks from permafrost melt and shortened winters.

The report 'Beyond the Stripes' by WWF International demonstrates that tiger conservation serves as a catalyst for broader environmental and human benefits. It highlights how protecting tiger landscapes safeguards biodiversity hotspots, secures water for millions, mitigates climate change through carbon storage, and supports local economies and traditional cultures across Asia.

The report analyzes six snow leopard landscapes in Bhutan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, and Pakistan, finding that while many habitats are protected, critical gaps in connectivity and significant vulnerabilities to climate change persist. Key risks include treeline shifts reducing alpine grasslands, permafrost melt, and increased flood risks from glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs). The study emphasizes the necessity of transboundary management and adaptive planning to maintain metapopulation connectivity as warming temperatures shift ecological zones and human land-use patterns.

The report identifies significant gaps in the EU's implementation of the Nagoya Protocol, which differs from provider countries' laws by triggering obligations at the point of physical access rather than utilization. This creates legal uncertainty and allows for the potential misappropriation of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge, particularly through an 'import loophole' where products developed outside the EU are sold within it. The authors suggest that provider countries should strengthen their national laws and Mutually Agreed Terms (MAT) to protect their resources and the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities.

The document argues that sustainable public procurement is essential for deploying infrastructure that optimizes value for money (VfM) across the entire asset life cycle. It details the roles of governments, development banks, and private investors in managing environmental and social risks, and examines the legal instruments—such as UNCITRAL and EU directives—that enable the integration of sustainability into tendering. The paper also discusses the importance of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and the use of financial incentives like green bonds and accelerated depreciation to encourage green innovation.

The report highlights that while global wild tiger populations increased to approximately 3,890 by 2016, this progress is threatened by an estimated 11,000 kilometres of planned roads and railways across tiger landscapes. Linear infrastructure causes habitat fragmentation, increases human-tiger conflict, and facilitates poaching. Through case studies in the Dawna Tenasserim Landscape, the Terai Arc Landscape, and Sumatra, the document demonstrates how infrastructure projects can isolate populations and degrade ecosystems. WWF calls on governments and investors to adopt long-term spatial plans, protect critical habitats as inviolate areas, and implement wildlife crossings to maintain connectivity.

The report provides the first systematic assessment of snow leopard abundance in Wangchuck Centennial National Park, identifying breeding populations in the Central and Western Park Ranges. Using camera traps and SECR models, it found mean densities of 2.74 individuals/100 km² in the Central range and 3.36 individuals/100 km² in the Western range, while the Eastern range showed very low activity. The study highlights a correlation between snow leopard density and the availability of blue sheep, noting that WCNP densities are low compared to similar regions in Nepal and India, likely due to high co-predator richness and limited prey. The authors recommend satellite telemetry to study habitat connectivity and community-based conservation to mitigate human-wildlife conflict.

The report projects warming across all six studied snow leopard landscapes in Central Asia, with varying seasonal precipitation changes. Eastern Nepal, Sikkim, and Bhutan are expected to experience winter warming and wetter monsoons, while South Gobi and Central Tienshan/Sarychat will see summer warming and minimal precipitation increases. The Karakoram-Pamir region is projected to have consistent warming and increased winter precipitation. These shifts are expected to exacerbate risks to snow leopards, including habitat fragmentation, shifting tree lines, and increased human-wildlife conflict.

The ADVANCE Approach is a partnership between the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Columbia University Center for Climate Systems Research (CCSR) designed to move away from short-term consultant-based climate science engagement. It employs a seven-step co-generation process—analyzing context, developing learning questions, gathering data, obtaining feedback, revising information, providing integration guidance, and evaluating outcomes—to ensure climate risk data is fit-for-purpose and usable for local decision-makers. The approach focuses on identifying specific climate thresholds and variables relevant to stakeholders, such as maximum temperature in tropical regions or upland precipitation for mangrove conservation, and builds local capacity to interpret and apply this information to build resilience.

Bhutan has a constitutional mandate to maintain 60% forest cover and manages a connected network of 10 protected areas covering 5 million acres. However, this system faces threats from poaching, illegal logging, human-wildlife conflict, and a declining youth population in rural areas. Additionally, the region is highly vulnerable to climate change, experiencing melting glaciers and intense rainstorms. To address these challenges and a decrease in foreign aid, WWF and the Bhutanese government have launched 'Bhutan for Life', a funding initiative with a goal of $35 million to $45 million. This fund uses a project finance model to support enforcement, wildlife monitoring, and community job creation, transitioning the country toward a self-sustaining conservation business plan over 15 years.

The Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP) conducted a two-part workshop in Kathmandu from 20-27 April 2016. The first part focused on 'climate-smart' landscape management planning using the 'Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation' framework, integrating climate scenarios to identify threats and prioritize strategies. The second part focused on coordinating geospatial mapping across the snow leopard range, establishing standardized definitions for habitat and climate refugia, and developing data-sharing protocols. Participants from nine range countries worked on templates and GIS shapefiles to support the GSLEP goal of securing 20 landscapes by 2020.