Speaking at an interaction on Wednesday, Dr Siddhartha Bajracharya, executive director of NTNC and member of the study team, said, "Given the outstanding mountain biodiversity, vibrant cultural heritage and high tourism potential of the area, we have proposed Gaurishankhar to be developed as a conservation area along the ACAP model." [break]
While a national park curtails the extractive use of resources and a wildlife reserve is taken as habitat of a particular animal species only, he argued that it is ideal to turn Gaurishankhar into a conservation site.
"Conservation area will have people´s participation in resource management, there will be benefit sharing from sustainable tourism development, community forests will have larger role and socio-economic aspirations of the local community will be addressed," Bajracharya said.
Besides Mt Gaurishankhar (7148 m), this area is an important wildlife corridor and is a vital connection between Langtang and Sagarmatha national parks.
GCA was announced by the cabinet meeting held at Kala Patthar. It spreads across 2,179 sq km of land and covers 22 VDCs -- six in Sindhupalchowk, 14 in Dolakha and two in Ramechhap districts. These VDCs have a total population of 63,000.
With 16 forest types, Gaurishankhar area harbors some of the threatened species like Burmese rock python, Musk Deer, Red Panda, Grey Wolf and snow leopard. Pit viper snake species is found only in Simigaun of Gaurishankhar. Moreover, it is habitat of 565 species of plants and endangered birds like Ibis, Wall Creeper and Firetailed Myzorins.
However, community representatives and some Constituent Assembly members present in the program expressed serious objection to the proposal to set up the conservation area arguing that it is "incomplete" and will "hamper" development of the region.
CA member Jit Singh Lama pointed the need to formulate "new regulations" that would secure the rights and privileges of the people living in the 22 VDCs.
Similarly, Dibya Dhoj Karki, local-level coordinator of Upper Tamakoshi, said the GCA proposal is unacceptable to the locals as it will affect the 456 MW Upper Tamakoshi hydro project. "People need development, so NTNC should stay away," Karki said.
Also speaking at the program, Chief whip of Nepali Congress and member of Natural Resources and Means Committee, Laxman Ghimire, said, "I urge NTNC to formulate a working plan through stakeholders´ participation. Only then will we be in a position to endorse NTNC´s plan."
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