Protecting our Special Places Mt Everest Mount Everest, also known in Nepal as Sagarmatha and in Tibet as Chomolungma, is Earth’s highest mountain. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. Its peak is 8848m (29,029 ft. ) above sea level. The boarder between China and Nepal runs directly across the summit of Mount Everest. The current height was established by India and then confirmed in a subsequent survey by China in 1975. Due to Mount Everest being an amazing environmental feature, it attracts many tourists who are want to experience the Nepalese lifestyle and see the mountainous landscape first hand.
This provides a large portion of Nepal’s gross national profit. It has affected Nepal in many ways especially in increasing the economy, changing the natural environment and integrating European culture into Nepal. The Everest region is very special as it holds great cultural significance to the people of Nepal. It is marvelled at all around the world due to the great magnificence of the mountains and Everest especially. The region has great natural beauty and is one of the most incredible environmental features in the world.
I personally would like to visit the Everest region in Nepal as I fell that the cultural significance and natural beauty of the area is amazing. I would like to experience hiking in the area, I would also like to experience the Nepalese culture and lifestyle first hand. Impacts of Tourism Economic Nepal is economically one of the poorest countries in the world and tourism has added greatly to Nepal’s economy. Tourism has become an economic lifeline to Nepal bringing in over 4% of the country’s total gross national profit. All tourist activity provides approximately $500,000,000 per year.
Tourism has enabled the Everest region to become one of the wealthiest areas in all of Nepal. New job occupations have been created by the increase in tourism; these include trekking agents, tour operators, trekking field managers (Sirdar’s), and high altitude climbing guides, porters, cooks and tradesmen such as builders, plumbers, electricians and roofers. These occupations have been created through tourists wanting more modern facilities where they are staying resulting in many new buildings and other structures to be built.
Successful lodges earn as much money as professional trekking agencies due to the high demand for accommodation in the Everest region. Local people responsible for shops and restaurants have benefited largely as these services are essential when on holiday in another country. To improve the economy further, local workers conditions will need to be improved as they are regularly exploited. Social/ Cultural The injection of money into Nepal’s economy has contributed largely into the building of new schools in the Everest region.
Research has also suggested that all people who are involved in tourism are more likely to achieve more in education. This is due to new skills that they have learned through dealing with tourists. These skills include learning new languages and learning to understand other cultures and people as tourists are from foreign countries. Due to lodges and other tourist companies buying new facilities this have passed onto the surrounding village. This has increased the accessibility of essentials such as food, clean water and shelter, with the introduction of modern technology to the country.
These improvements to society have created inequality throughout Nepal as the wealthier areas have far greater resources and infrastructure. The effects of tourism on religious traditions and monastic life suggest a more complex picture; that many Sherpas have managed to adapt to tourism successfully and without any great loss of culture. They have done this by integrating European foods and Traditions into their own culture whilst still maintaining their own culture. Sherpa religion and culture have evolved from years of myths, stories and religious practice, and have always been subject to a wide range of influences.
Since the expeditions to Mount Everest, Sherpas have become a’celebrated people’ and received a great deal of international fame. The Sherpa themselves are aware of this fascination with their culture and have been able to direct this interest towards the building and repair of local monasteries. Environmental Throughout the late 20th century, tourism has brought major environmental changes about in Nepal. This has changed patterns of land use and resource management. Tourism has also increased pressure on high-latitude resources and the natural environment.
Nepal has lots of natural wealth in resources and has protected and conserved key areas since the 1970s. Currently 13% of Nepal’s land area is protected. The Sagarmatha National Park is one of eight national parks which have been reported as suffering from pollution and deforestation in direct correlation with the increase in tourism in this area. Sherpas, owners of trekking companies and owners of lodges have used up great amounts of the forest in their own sustenance lifestyle and also providing modern facilities for tourists. Forests are also a source of foods and medicines, timber and building material, firewood and grazing.
The two regional uses of forests that have played the greatest roles in forest change are firewood collection and tree felling for the collection of timber used in building of modern infrastructure. Although camping tourists no longer use firewood in the Everest region, porters for many expeditions and trekking groups continue to do so. With the growth of tourism, the number of trekking porters entering the national park has risen and account for more than 10% of tourism-related firewood use. Since the 1970s tourists have been mainly trekkers who, in recent years, have made up more than 97% of all visitors.
Some are independent travellers, others are part of organised parties, but all need permits to enter the mountain regions. This is to preserve the environment and stop pollution. Sustainability The Everest region is becoming one of the largest tourist destinations for all types of tourists with a big focus on trekking and hiking. The culture and lifestyle of Nepal has changed quite significantly in some areas. Children are growing up learning English, eating European food, wearing European clothes, going to European style schools and living in European style houses.
Even adults are beginning to be influenced by European culture as this makes tourists fell more welcome in their lodges and inns. With all people being influenced by other cultures the Nepalese culture may begin to die out. Their lifestyle will not be sustainable if tourism continues to grow exponentially. This is because tourists want the opposite to Nepalese culture. Nepal cannot sustain large numbers of tourists if they wish to continue to live the way they do at current. To stop the Nepalese culture dying out completely the government may need to put restrictions on certain people entering the country at a time.
This would slow down the rate of increase of tourism in Nepal and maintain Nepalese culture. Demand for resources in Nepal has become too great and large strain has been put on the natural resources in the country especially forests. Due to modernisation and the increase of demand for modern products by tourists natural resources are being used unsustainably as they cannot replenish themselves as fast as they are being used up. The Nepalese government is already taking action against this by creating conservation areas and protecting certain forests or mountain ranges.
