The Transboundary Landscape Programme of ICIMOD and its member countries comprise conservation and development initiatives such as the Hindu Kush-Karakoram-Pamir Landscape (HKPL), Kailash Sacred Landscape (KSL) Kangchenjunga Landscape (KL) and Far Eastern Himalayas (HI-LIFE). It is implemented by ICIMOD and its national partners to promote conservation and the sustainable use of natural resources at the scale of larger landscapes defined by ecosystems. The Transboundary initiatives essentially builds around transboundary cooperation that adds value to livelihoods at scale, while securing ecosystem services and enhancing both social and ecological resilience. The Landscape Initiative for the Far-Eastern Himalayas (Hi-LIFE) is a jointly developed and implemented by the partners from three countries- China, India and Myanmar and ICIMOD.

The Hi-LIFE includes seven townships in Northern Myanmar (Namyun in the Sagaing Region, and Tanai, Sumprabum, Putao, Machanbaw, Nawngmun, and Khaunglanphu in Kachin District); the Namdapha Tiger Reserve, including the Namdapha National Park and adjoining buffer areas in Changlang district in Arunachal Pradesh, India; and three Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve segments and adjoining areas between them in the North-west Yunnan, China. The landscape is extremely rich in biological diversity ranging from genetics and species to ecosystems and landscape level, which makes the landscape a globally important area for conservation. At the same time, the landscape also represents the most underdeveloped regions and marginalized communities (indigenous groups) of the respective countries. Integrating conservation and development goals is therefore a challenging task for the governments, development agencies, conservation groups and local communities.

The HI-LIFe seeks to: i) mainstream landscape planning and management that brings both conservation and livelihoods co-benefits and increases communities’ participation for resources management, and ii) strengthen regional cooperation among the three countries in addressing some of the key transboundary conservation and development issues.