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TAAN
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4th Meeting of STCF concludes |
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4th Meeting of STCF concludes
2010-03-14
The fourth meeting of Sagarmatha Tourism Coordination Forum (STCF) under the Sagarmatha National Park Buffer Zone Management Committee (SNPBZMC) concluded in Kathmandu on Monday.
Inaugurating the meeting, Minister for Forest and Soil Conservation Deepak Bohora said garbage management was the big challenge for tourism in the Sagarmatha National Park. “To preserve our mountain ecology, I have proposed to conduct a march with the theme of ‘Save the Himalayas’ to New York to draw the attention of world community towards the preservation of mountain ecology,” Bohora added. He also said the government was mulling over a proposal to encourage expedition teams on Mt Everest and other Himalayan peaks on the basis of garbage that they bring down with them. Minister Bohora also suggested making a model by fostering proper coordination among stakeholders like National Trust for Nature Conservation, Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation and Sagarmatha Tourism Coordination Forum for proper garbage management in Khumbu region and other Himalayan regions.
Speaking on the occasion, Sonam Gyaljen Sherpa, president of STCF, said infrastructures in the Khumbu region are necessary to promote tourism but infrastructure development has to be carried out under close coordination with concerned stakeholders. “The main challenging part is to make a proper policy in sharing revenue generated from the Himalayas. The policy should clearly state who should get what and by performing what responsibility,” he added. Highlighting issues in garbage management in Island Peak and Mt Amadablam – two of the most popular mountain peaks in Khumbu region, Sherpa said mountaineers might not get opportunity to climb these peaks in the future if the garbage woes are not solved at the earliest. “I am hopeful that this meeting will come up with a resolution on proper garbage management in the Himalayas,” he added. He also regretted that people in the Himalayan region are getting only a nominal share of revenue generated from the Himalayas and facing environment degradation and other impacts due to increasing pressure in the Himalayas. Saying that public participation in SNP buffer zone management is exemplary as compared to other buffer zones management across the country, Sherpa said people in the region are more concerned about their responsibilities than what they expect from the national park.
TAAN President Sitaram Sapkota suggested implementing a provision of taking a single liaison officer instead of many liaison officers from different agencies to facilitate varied activities in the Himalayas. He also said TAAN was committed to spend revenue generated from Trekkers’ Information Management System (TIMS) for the welfare of trekking staff and development and promotion of tourism activities in trekking and mountaineering sector.
Also speaking on the occasion were Constituent Assembly member Ang Dawa Sherpa, Tourism Secretary Nagendra Prasad Ghimire, Director General of Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation Gopal Upadhyaya and NTB CEO Prachanda Man Shrestha.
On the occasion, Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), Himalayan Rescue Association (HRA), Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) and Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) made presentations on their respective activities in the Himalayan region. TAAN 1st Vice President Bachhu Narayan Shrestha made a power point presentation on Responsible Mountain Tourism in Sagarmatha Region.
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