Mt. Everest Conservation Project Receives Funding

Mt. Everest Conservation Project Receives Funding

American Alpine Club and The Mountain Institute Join Forces to Mitigate Human Impacts

The American Alpine Club (AAC) announced it will financially support a major new conservation initiative in Nepal’s Sagarmatha National Park, home of Mt. Everest. “Community-Based Conservation and Restoration of the Mt. Everest Alpine Zone” will address the increasing impact of trekkers and climbers on the high altitude alpine landscapes, the “land above the trees”.  The project will be implemented in partnership with local Sherpa communities, Nepal’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, and The Mountain Institute (TMI).

Launched during the 50th anniversary of the first ascent of Mt. Everest, it will be one of the first projects of its kind that combines community driven management and action with the results of extensive scientific research. AAC and TMI expect the program to set a precedent for similar projects in affected alpine regions throughout the mountain world.

As a yearly visitor to Nepal, Jim Frush, Vice-President of the AAC, and leader of a successful American expedition to Everest in 1988, said, “Since Mt. Everest was first climbed, it is obvious visitors have played a major role in the degradation of the Khumbu alpine zone. This excellent project is a substantial step toward reversing that trend. It provides a long-term, grass-roots solution to fixing the problems attributable to our use of this beautiful place." 

Dr. Alton Byers, Director of Research and Education at TMI, suggests that, “Our primary concern is the continued over harvesting of slow growing shrubs and high altitude plants for fuel. Local people call many of the hill slopes in the region “growing glaciers” because of the increased erosion and instability that has resulted from these trends.  The Everest alpine zone simply cannot endure this kind of pressure much longer.” Both the National Geographic Society and Royal Geographic Society magazines have recently published information on this issue based on the extensive research conducted by Dr. Byers since 1984.

The five-year project will be based on solutions proposed and directed by local Sherpa communities. Activities will include strengthening community planning and implementation skills through training; the restoration of high impact areas; and increased education of both local people and tourists. Other examples include forming local Alpine User Groups; building porter shelters on trekking routes and stocking them with alternative fuels; constructing enclosures that protect the hillsides from overgrazing while promoting plant re-establishment; and establishing restrictions on the harvesting of juniper shrubs.

“This project will strengthen the capacities of local people to protect and restore their fragile landscape and will serve as a model for conservation in alpine zones throughout the world,” said AAC International Conservation Chair Peter Ackroyd. “We are excited that this action, taken by the membership and leadership of the AAC, will encourage others to invest in protecting these mountain environments that so many people enjoy”.

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