Members of the UNU-IAS ESD team, the RCE network and RCE candidates from the Asia-Pacific region and beyond took part in a three-event marathon lasting six days in Cha-am, Thailand, including the International Conference on “Climate Change, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services for the Sustainable Development Goals: Policy and Practice” (27-29 June, 2016), the 9th Asia-Pacific RCE Meeting (30 June) and finally the 

This year's World Environment Day's theme was ¨Illegal Wildlife Trade¨,a topic which is of great importance in the Himalaya region. WED2016 was used as an occasion to organize an array of successful events across the Himalayas.  The vast demand for products such as wool, fur, leather, and medicines is driving illegal wildlife trade of the already under-threat species of Tiger, Red Panda, Asian Elephant, Greater one-horned Rhinocerus, and the Snow Leopard.

Located in the Northeastern part of India, the state of Uttarkhad shares its boundaries with China in the North and Nepal in the East. The source of both the Ganga and the Yamuna rivers are in this state.