KATHMANDU: A four-day regional workshop on innovative tools and experiences in Mountain Ecosystems Management on Hindu Kush-Karakoram Himalaya (HKKH) kicked off here today. HKKH is the most recent mountain in the world spread over Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan.

Peter Shadie, programme coordinator, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Asia Regional Office, said, "The delicate balance between nature and humans in the HKKH region is under increasing pressure from land use change, fragmentation, development and climate change but there are ways to neutral the threats by following the sustainable development approach."

The final version of the Decision Support Toolbox, designed to support the decision making process in social and ecological system management, was released. Experts and practitioners from government agencies, academia and NGOs engaged in the management of mountain ecosystem from Nepal, India, Pakistan, Bhutan, China, Afghanistan, Burma and Bangladesh are participating meet.