In the Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) National Park (SNP), Khumbu, Nepal, TMI’ research since 1984 has concluded that alpine land cover within the park is rapidly changing as a result of contemporary, unsustainable uses that include burning, overgrazing, increasing numbers of packstock, and the accelerated harvesting of slow-growing shrubs for fuelwood. The bulk of this landscape degradation is largely linked to the recent and significant growth of unregulated 'adventure tourism', where the alpine zone is either a destination in itself (e.g., by trekking groups) or passed through en-route to the higher base camps (i.e., by climbing expeditions). Lodges, trekkers, mountaineers, and their porters continue to use tons of juniper shrubs and alpine cushion plants annually as fuel, in spite of regulations designed to encourage the use of imported kerosene. Especially during the last 20 years, the removal of these soil-binding shrubs from the fragile and thin alpine soils has not only contributed to dramatic increases in soil erosion, but also to accelerated landscape denudation that local people refer to as 'growing glacial moraines'. Substantial anecdotal evidence also suggests that similar processes are occurring elsewhere in the Himalayan alpine, such as the Mera Peak/Hinku Khola region to the south of SNP, Mt. Makalu basecamp and pastures to the east , Rongbuk valley in Tibet to the north, and Himalaya/Hindu Kush region in general.

The goal of 'Community-based Conservation and Restoration of the Everest Alpine Zone' is to protect and restore the fragile alpine ecosystems of the Mt. Everest National Park and adjacent regions through the strengthening of local management and conservation capacities. The project is based on years of detailed scientific research; follows a strategic approach already outlined by local Sherpa people; and will contain an innovative monitoring and evaluation component that will measure the project’s actual social and biophysical impacts. It will be implemented and directed by local Sherpa communities in partnership with government agencies, non-government organizations (NGO)s, international NGOs, donor agencies, and the trekking and climbing communities. The pilot program in the Khumbu, launched with a seed grant of $21,000.00 from the American Alpine Club in May, 2003 (the 50th anniversary of the climbing of Mt. Everest) is expected to set a precedent for similar projects in affected alpine regions throughout the mountain world, including the Andes and East African Highlands, within the near future. In October, 2004, Marcel Bach (Switzerland) and Sandra Cook (U.S.A.), trekkers who met with Field Manager Ang Rita Sherpa in the Khumbu, provided contributions to the project totaling $11,000.00; and in May, 2004, the National Geographic Society's Conservation Trust awarded the project with a grant of $19,505.00! We would like to express our sincere thanks to these organizations and private individuals, while also encouraging our internet visitors to help the program continue to grow by sending their donations as well.

Project Objectives include:

• Develop local community "alpine conservation and restoration committees" to (a) increase local awareness of the problem, (b) develop protection plans, and (c) strengthen traditional patrol mechanisms, such as the Sherpa shingo nawa system .
• Ban harvesting of all shrub juniper and Arenaria (alpine cushion plants) for fuel; develop subsidies for providing birch/tree rhododendron substitutes from the lower elevations; develop plans to use park entrance fees to finance needed interventions, including tourist donations.
• Replicate Kunde village's ban on the harvesting of juniper to twice yearly, and find substitutes for the juniper branches burned daily as incense.
• Build shelters for porters at major trekking villages (porters are often guilty of harvesting the shrub juniper since they have no other alternative for cooking and warmth); develop policies where either the trekking companies pay for kerosene or the more plentiful birch/rhododendron is brought up from below.
• Construct enclosures of appropriate sizes (1 to 10 ha) on alpine hillslopes, modeled after the successful afforestation exclosures above Namche Bazaar established in the 1980s, to help protect and restore impacted areas. Rapid restoration, herb and shrub re-growth can be expected within one season if left alone by cattle and people.
• Develop tourist, visitor, and local people educational programs on the need to protect and restore fragile alpine lands; produce and display new educational exhibits and brochures .
• Increase national park awareness for contemporary problems in the alpine

How you Can help

Please consider making a contribution that will help to protect and restore the fragile Mt. Everest alpine ecosystems, strengthen local capacities for project implementation, and improve the livelihoods of porters! Send your tax deductible contribution to:

Press releases and associated publications:

http://www.yetizone.com/wwwboard/messages/17217.shtml
http://outside.away.com/news/headlines/20030602_1.html
http://www.climbing.com/news/restore/
http://www.thedailystar.net/2003/06/20/d30620180274.htm
http://www.grida.no/inf/news/news02/news41.htm
http://www.cia.com.au/ianj/wwwboard/messages/17217.shtml

Visit our web presentation of the Sagarmatha National Park Exhibit