The Annapurna Region of Nepal

Nepal

The Kingdom of Nepal, with an area of 147,181km², is a land of ecological contrasts. Within a short span of 200km, the altitude varies from less than 100m to 8850m. This is Sagarmatha (Mt Everest), the highest peak in the world. The tropical monsoon forests, temperate evergreen forests and arid steppes of the Tibetan plateau are a result of these changes. For centuries the landscape has also been carved by large numbers of Indo-Aryan and Mongoloid people representing more than 45 ethnic and tribal groups. This peaceful land of unexcelled beauty and cultural heritage, generally known as ‘Shangri-La’, is also one of the least developed countries in the world.

More than 90% of the population are subsistence farmers and more than 40% live below the poverty line. These people depend on depleted forests for fuel, fodder and timber. Currently more than 87% of the entire country’s energy requirement comes from fuelwood. The dependence on firewood as a source of energy in rural areas is more than 93%. Forests are being destroyed at a rate of nearly 3% annually. This loss of forests, combined with overgrazing by livestock and cultivation of crops on marginal land, has triggered processes of soil erosion and landslides during the monsoon season.

Annapurna

Ecological and cultural issues in the Annapurna Region are not too different from those in other Himalayan regions – except that they are greater in magnitude. Within a short distance of about 120km, the altitude varies from less than 100m to 8091m at Annapurna 1, the eighth highest peak in the world. Due to its geographic features and terrain, it provides many micro-climates supporting sub-tropical lowlands and forests in the plains and the valleys, lush rhododendron and temperate evergreen forests in the South of the Annapurna, and alpine steppe and arid environments to the North of the Annapurna region. This area contains over 100 species of orchids and many of Nepal’s 700 medicinal plants. The region also serves as excellent habitats for rare and endangered species such as the snow-leopard, the musk deer and the blue sheep. It is also the habitat of five of the six species of pheasants found in Nepal.

The Annapurna Conservation Area (ACA) encircles the major peaks of the Annapurna Himal with an area of 2600km². Catchments of three major river systems are roughly bordered by the major trekking route. It is also home to over 40,000 people of different ethnic and tribal backgrounds with various religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Bon Po, Shamanism and Animism represented. Gurung, Magar, Thakali and Manangi are the dominant groups. Generally, these people are subsistence farmers who depend on the forests for fuel, fodder and timber.

The Annapurna Conservation Area

The Annapurna region is by far the most popular trekking destination in Nepal attracting over 60% of the total overseas trekkers in Nepal.

The natural environment, resources and cultural integrity of this region are deteriorating due to over-grazing, intensive agriculture, poverty and a high population growth rate, and the influx of this large number of trekkers. Rational forest management for a sustainable yield of timber is not common. These factors mean that the cultural and natural environments of the region are in jeopardy.

In view of this environmental deterioration in one of the most spectacular regions of Nepal, His Majesty King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev of Nepal issued directives in the Spring of 1985 to investigate the possibility of giving protected status to the Annapurna region. The directive required a management plan that would help to strike a balance between the basic needs of the local inhabitants, tourism development and nature conservation.

The Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) began in 1986 to address the problem of maintaining a crucial link between economic development and environmental conservation. It recognises that protection of critical habitats and maintenance of species diversity cannot be achieved without improving the economic conditions of poor villagers who inhabit the mountains. Unlike national parks and wildlife reserves, it regards humans, and not any particular species of wild animals or plants, as the focal point of every conservation effort.

Source: Adapted from Gurung, C.P. (1990) People’s participation in conservation: Annapurna Conservation Area Project, Proceedings of the International Conference on Tropical Biodiversity, Kuala Lumpar, pp. 74-85.