How TRANSMIT Works
Figure 1. The Mahakali/Sharda River forms part of the India–Nepal border, and its basin is transboundary, spanning western Nepal and northwestern India. The consortium members remain neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims depicted on published maps.
Project Area: Mahakali/Sharda River Basin
TRANSMIT is implemented in the Mahakali/Sharda River basin, a transboundary landscape between western Nepal and northwestern India, covering approximately 15,260 km². The basin spans a steep altitudinal gradient—from tropical lowlands to high Himalayan environments—resulting in diverse climatic conditions and vegetation types. Around 2 million people live in the basin and depend heavily on forests for livelihoods, energy, and ecosystem services.
The region faces increasing pressure from climate change, including more frequent droughts, forest fires, floods, and landslides. At the same time, forest management is shaped by diverse governance systems, particularly Community Forest User Groups (CFUGs) in Nepal and Van Panchayats in India. Despite its ecological and socio-economic importance, the basin remains underrepresented in research—an important gap TRANSMIT addresses.
Work Package Structure
TRANSMIT is structured into five interconnected Work Packages that combine scientific research, scenario development, and on-the-ground implementation. The project links the analysis of past and current forest dynamics with the exploration of future pathways and the co-development of adaptation measures, while capacity development and project management support all components. The Work Packages are closely connected and continuously inform each other in a transboundary context.
Contact:
Dr. Simone Pfeiffer
Head of project
Buesgenweg 1, Room 0.105
37077 Goettingen
E-Mail: email
Phone: +49 (0)551 39 23909