The Global Forest Coalition (GFC) expresses its deepest sorrow and solidarity with the people and communities affected by the devastating ice-rock avalanche and flash floods that struck the Nepal-Tibet border region on 26 August 2026, causing widespread loss of life and destruction in both Nepal and Tibet.
The disaster has claimed the lives of more than 1,100 people, while thousands remain missing. GFC extends its heartfelt condolences to the families and communities who have lost loved ones and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured. We commend the Government of Nepal, local authorities, security forces, humanitarian organisations, volunteers and local communities for their continuing search-and-rescue and relief efforts.
“At this moment, saving lives must be the highest priority. Affected people urgently need food, medicines, shelter and continued education for children, while every possible effort must be made to find those who remain missing,” said Mr. Bhola Bhattarai, director of the National Forum for Advocacy Nepal (NAFAN), a member group of the Global Forest Coalition.
As the immediate emergency response continues and attention increasingly turns towards providing aid to affected communities and beginning the enormous task of recovery and reconstruction, this catastrophe must also compel Nepal and the international community to confront a deeper question: what kind of development is appropriate for the fragile Himalayan region?
Nepal and its Indigenous Peoples and local communities have contributed very little to historical global greenhouse gas emissions, yet its people are increasingly experiencing the devastating consequences of the climate crisis. The United Nations has described Nepal’s contribution to global emissions as a minimal fraction of a percent, while warning that climate change is intensifying risks from increasingly extreme monsoons, storms, landslides and the rapid melting of Himalayan glaciers. At the same time, large-scale infrastructure development, extensive excavation of mountain slopes, quarrying, mining, hydropower construction, road expansion and poorly planned tourism development are placing additional pressure on fragile Himalayan ecosystems.
Evidence from Nepal and the wider Himalayan region shows that unplanned excavation, quarrying and infrastructure development can exacerbate slope instability, alter drainage and increase vulnerability to landslides and floods. Such interventions can compound the risks communities face from climate-related and geological hazards. The disaster has also severely affected riverbank communities and community-based natural resource management systems, threatening livelihoods at a time when affected families are already facing enormous losses.
“We must rethink the extractive development pursued in the name of progress and fundamentally reconsider the development model imposed on our Himalayan and mountain regions. Mountain development cannot follow the same model applied elsewhere. It must respect ecological limits and the rights, knowledge and priorities of Indigenous Peoples and local communities,” Bhattarai said.
The disaster emerged from a combination of geological and climatic hazards, occurring in a landscape where human development decisions determine how exposed and vulnerable people and ecosystems are.
The disaster has also directly affected members of the Global Forest Coalition in Nepal. Three members of GFC member group FECOFUN were injured in the flash floods, while many members of Community Forest User Groups have lost homes, property and sources of livelihood. FECOFUN is working with affected communities, Community Forest User Groups, and its district and provincial chapters to identify urgent needs and coordinate support.
The Global Forest Coalition calls upon the Government of Nepal, international development agencies, financial institutions and other actors to urgently review development policies and projects in fragile mountain ecosystems. Development must not be measured by GDP alone when it comes at the cost of ecosystems, cultural heritage, livelihoods and human lives.
GFC urges:
- An immediate review of destructive and high-risk excavation, extraction and infrastructure projects in fragile mountain areas;
- Full recognition of the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in decisions affecting their lands and territories;
- Meaningful consultation and participation of affected communities in development and reconstruction;
- Stronger protection and restoration of Himalayan forests, watersheds, glaciers and other critical ecosystems;
- Climate-resilient and community-centred reconstruction that does not reproduce existing vulnerabilities; and
- Greater international climate finance, including loss and damage support, for countries and communities facing climate impacts despite having contributed least to the climate crisis.
The immediate humanitarian response must reach remote and vulnerable communities with food, safe water, healthcare, shelter, education and psychosocial support, while search-and-rescue operations continue wherever people remain missing.
This tragedy must not become an argument for rebuilding the same systems that have increased vulnerability. Reconstruction must be an opportunity to build a different future; one based on ecological integrity, climate justice, Indigenous and community rights, and development within the limits of Himalayan ecosystems.
The Himalayas are not an extraction frontier. They are living landscapes, home to communities, cultures, forests, rivers, glaciers and biodiversity that sustain millions of people. Their protection is a global responsibility.
