Co-creating a Shared Vision for a Regenerated Landscape: A Case Study of a Sub-urban Wetland in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal
- Anu RaiDetails
18 August 2024/२ भदौ २०८१ (आइतबार, दिउँसो ३ बजे)
Research Seminar Series
Co-creating a Shared Vision for a Regenerated Landscape: A Case Study of a Sub-urban Wetland in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal
Anu Rai, President, Sustainability and Environmental Studies Endeavor (SENSE)
Abstract
Defining a problem is probably the first stage before planning any project. The presumed solution can feel top-down and directive. But appreciative inquiry flips this narrative head on and instead focuses on the positive. Guided by the assumption “in every society, organisation, or group, there is something that works”, appreciative inquiry instead focuses on the positive. While first making its mark in organizational change and later gaining popularity amongst social researchers and development professionals, appreciative inquiry can provide a way for the co-creation of regenerative landscape as well. We set out to implement this in Nagdaha, a sub-urban wetland in southern Kathmandu Valley. We utilized a multi-stakeholder appreciative planning process called Appreciative Participatory Planning and Action (APPA). We involved different groups in the community, conservation groups, farmers, tourism entrepreneurs and local governments. Our work involved possibilities for nature-inclusive farming, and engagement of the different groups in the regenerative development of the Nagdaha area.
About the Speaker
Anu Rai is an environmental researcher working in freshwater studies, nature-based solutions, biodiversity conservation, and geospatial analysis. Combined these two, she has written about pertinent environmental issues in both academic journals and blogs. Apart from her scientific undertakings she has an interest in promoting local stewardship of natural resources, striving for a holistic conservation approach by involving local communities and youth groups in combating the problems of sedimentation and proliferation of invasive species in wetland along with promotion of nature-inclusive farming practices for both livelihood upliftment and landscape regeneration.