Qomolangma Conservation Program

Program Area I Accomplishments I Activities

The Mountain Institute’s Asia Program began in the mid-1980s with a vision of preserving the Mt. Everest Ecosystem. In collaboration with the Government of Nepal and Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR-China), TMI helped establish the Makalu-Barun National Park and Qomolangma Nature Reserve. These parks jointly with contiguous Sagarmatha form a protected area about the size of Switzerland in the heart of the Himalaya.

Establishing protected areas alone is not adequate. Their management systems, community involvement, staff training and infrastructure needs to be developed and strengthened. TMI initiated two major capacity building projects, the Makalu-Barun Conservation Project (1993-1997) in Nepal and the Qomolangma Conservation Program (1999-2006) in Tibet-China.

The Qomolangma Conservation Program funded by the Royal Netherlands Government began in 2000 and finished in March, 2006. The project area covered the four border counties of Kyirong, Nyalam, Dingri and Tingkey, covering a total area of 34400 square kilometers. These are one of the world’s most beautiful and fragile ecosystems, yet very difficult and challenging places to live and work.

The following is a detailed description of the work that was conducted during the six years of the Qomolangma Conservation Program.

Program Area    Return to top

The Qomolangma Nature Preserve (QNP) extends from the lush valleys of the Himalaya bordering Nepal to the high, cold dry alpine plateau regions. Five of the world's highest peaks over 8,000 m are inside the Preserve, including Mount Everest (Qomolangma), Lhotse, Cho Oyu, Makalu, and Shisha Pangma. Deep river gorges penetrate southward through these Himalayan massifs providing shelter for lush, biologically diverse vegetation. The juxtaposition of two major biogeographical zones provides habitat for Tibet's only populations of the Assamese macaque, as well as the Himalayan palm civet, Himalayan musk deer and Himalayan tahr, kiang (a wild ass), blue sheep, and the elusive snow leopard.

Approximately 68,000 Tibetans live within the Preserve as sedentary cultivators or nomadic herders residing in scattered villages. Because of the cold arid climate and extensive rangelands, animal husbandry is essential to the overall agricultural economy. Thanks to a long and rich cultural history, there are numerous monasteries, shrines and other sacred sites including the world's highest monastery, Rongbuk, at the base of Mt. Everest, and the "Hidden Valley" retreats used by the Buddhist saint Milarepa during the 11th century.

Accomplishments     Return to top

• Preparation of a Master Plan to integrate nature conservation, socio-economic development, and cultural conservation in QNP;
• Recognition of QNP as a nature preserve of national significance;
• Zoning of QNP, by a special multidisciplinary Task Force, into three land use zones, allowing for the needs of people and protected area management;
• Coordination of trans-boundary natural resource and tourism management through exchanges between TAR and Nepalese protected area managers;
• Community-based solutions resulting from targeted training workshopsfor crop and animal predation problems;
• Joint preparation of a Tourism Master Plan for QNP with United Nations Development Program;
• Training of QNP personnel, local teachers, and county officials; and
• Biodiversity database and computerized maps of the entire area.
• The following activities are carried out at national, county, and community levels under a 12-year agreement between The Mountain Institute and the QNP Working Commission and Management Bureau, with technical assistance from The Mountain Institute and the Institute of Botany in Beijing.

Activities    Return to top

These include both on-going and proposed activities in the current program. Environmental Conservation and Management -- Develop indigenous capacity for participatory community-based resource management of QNP. Activities include: