Author(s):
Alton C. Byers - The Mountain Institute
Abstract:
An integrated analysis of landscape change in the Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) National Park, Nepal is presented based on the results from five separate research expeditions conducted between 1984-2004. Collectively, research results suggest that (a) humans may have been modifying the Khumbu landscapes for at least 5,000 years prior to the arrival of the first Sherpa settlers in the 1500s, (b) that subalpine forests, shrub/grasslands, and surficial processes below 4,000 m are relatively stable throughout the park, and that (c) alpine ecosystems (4,000-5,200 m) within the Imja and Gokyo valleys have been significantly impacted during the past 25-30 years as a result of poorly controlled tourism. Impacts within the alpine zone include the overharvesting of fragile alpine shrubs and plants for fuel, corridors of overgrazing, accelerated erosion, and uncontrolled lodge building. Anecdotal evidence suggests that similar scenarios related to adventure tourism are occurring elsewhere around the Everest massif, and the alpine zone is highlighted as a comparatively neglected landscape that is in need of greater protection, conservation, and restoration. The paper stresses the importance of integrated, applied research to the clarification of problems, the design of remedial projects, and monitoring of their impacts. “Community-based Conservation and Restoration of the Everest Alpine Zone,” a Sherpa-led project established in May, 2004, is provided as an example of how the paper’s research results are currently being utilized by local communities.
