Posted on January, 12 2006

Spread over an area of 1,148 sq km of the Himalayan ecological zone of the Khumbu region of Nepal, the Sagarmatha National Park (SNP) includes the upper catchment areas of Dudhkoshi and Bhotekoshi rivers and is largely composed of rugged terrain and gorges in the high Himalayas.

Nepal's protected areas are major tourist destinations and, as far as the number of visitors is concerned, SNP is next only to Royal Chitwan National Park and Annapurna Conservation Area. While the lowland protected areas are famous for viewing endangered wildlife species such as the Bengal tiger and Greater one-horned rhinoceros, mountain protected areas offer scenic splendors and a rich cultural heritage. Despite the slump in tourism following the insurgency in the country, 21,960 tourists visited SNP this fiscal year.

Although tourism contributes significantly to earning foreign currency and providing job opportunities to local people, the visitors along with as many support staff exert tremendous pressure on the slow growing scarce forest resources of protected areas like SNP. The biotic pressure is particularly high in the Pharak area, accelerating loss and degradation of forests and wildlife habitat.

The Sagarmatha Community Agro-forestry Project (SCAFP) is a multifaceted community based conservation project initiated in July 1996 to address the issue of deforestation in the Sagarmatha region.