From May 24 through 26, fifty-five delegates representing 15
different nations conferred with members of the host community
(Namche Bazar, 3350 m) and other stakeholders. After three
days of presentations, workshops, and discussions, a set of
thirteen resolutions were adopted by unanimous assent of the
assembled participants. The resolutions are listed below,
followed by explanatory material. More comprehensive explanations
will be available on our Web site (http://www.namche.info)
within the next week.
The Namche Conference Organizing Committee would like to thank
the residents of Namche (and in particular Ang Dorje and Maya,
proprietors of Hotel Namche, and the family of Ang Purba,
proprietor of Thamserku View Lodge) and Mr. Gopal Bhattarai,
Chief Warden of Sagarmatha National Park; our sponsors, San Miguel
Beer and Hakusan Data Storage; and Nepal Tourism Board,
Nepal Mountaineering Association, and the Mount Everest Golden
Jubilee Celebration Committee for promotional assistance.
Proceedings of the Namche Conference will be published on CD-ROM
by the United Nations University and in a special edition of
the Himalayan Journal of Sciences.
The Namche Consensus
We support and commend:
- Efforts by the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC)
and Namche Youth Group to control waste and pollution and to
educate stakeholders as to the need to protect the natural
environment.
- The introduction of Sherpa language courses in two of the
twelve public schools of Khumbu, and hope that the other schools
will soon follow suit.
- The local initiative to establish a competitive Sherpa-
language private boarding school, as a means of reinforcing
cultural identity and also of stemming the outflow of Sherpa
youth to schools in Kathmandu and abroad.
We recommend:
- That management planning within Sagarmatha National Park (SNP)
and its buffer zones, should be based on an "ecosystem approach." [Explanation]
- That patrolling and enforcement activities within SNP be
revised and significantly upgraded. [Explanation]
- That the provisions of the World Heritage Convention be fully integrated into the management objectives for the proposed SNP Management Planning exercise. [Explanation] Note: This proposal, part of the original set submitted by Bruce and Margaret Jefferies, was inadvertently omitted from discussion at the pertinent Namche Conference session, but will be restored IF there is no objection.
- That the 5-S Conservation Planning process be considered as a
planning framework for the proposed revision of the Management
Plan (including the buffer zones). [Explanation]
- Take measures to reduce firewood consumption and develop
economical and culturally acceptable solutions to resource
limitations in remote mountain areas.
- Establishment of a comprehensive program involving application
of replicate photography, GIS, and other appropriate technologies
in order to monitor changes in the natural environment along the
trails of SNP.
- Establishment of a hotel association in Solu-Kumbu.
- Establishment of a system to facilitate sharing of indigenous
expertise in the field of tourism development among host
communities in remote mountainous destinations.
- The organization of an international symposium of Alpine
and climbing associations to bring reason to Himalayan climbing:
"Everest Summit: Setting the Standard."
- Establishment of "Mountain Legacy," a new association that
will organize future Namche Conferences, continue grant the
"Sir Edmund Hillary Mountain Legacy Medal" on a regular basis,
and undertake other projects in support of tourism and
volunteerism in remote mountainous destinations.
- And lastly (and most urgently in this golden jubilee year
of the first ascent of Mt. Everest) that India and UK be
requested to agree on the granting of UK knighthood to Tenzing
Norgay, so that he and Sir Edmund Hillary may be recognized as
equals.
Explanations of Selected Resolutions
- That the basis for Management Planning within Sagarmatha
National Park, including buffer zones, adopt an “ecosystem
approach.
This strategy aims for an integrated approach to the
management of land, water and living resources and promotes
conservation and equitable sustainable use. Application of the
ecosystem approach is one way to try to achieve a balance
between the three objectives of the Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD) i.e. conservation; sustainable use; and the
fair and equitable sharing of the benefits of biodiversity.
The ecosystem approach is based on the identification and
treatment of appropriate biological organization. These encompass
the essential structure, processes, functions and interactions
among organisms and their environment, and recognize that
humans, with their cultural diversity, are an integral component
of many ecosystems. This focus on structure, processes,
functions and interactions is consistent with the definition
of "ecosystem" provided in Article 2 in the June 1992 Convention
on Biological Diversity (CBD) “Ecosystem means a dynamic complex
of plant, animal and micro-organism communities and their
non-living environment interacting as a functional unit." This
definition does not specify any particular spatial unit or
scale, in contrast to the CBD definition of "habitat". Thus,
the term "ecosystem" does not necessarily correspond to the
terms "biome" or "ecological zone", but can refer to any
functioning unit at any scale.
It also needs to be noted that the ecosystem approach requires
adaptive management to deal with the complex and dynamic nature
of ecosystems and the lack of complete knowledge or understanding
of their functioning.
- That patrolling and enforcement activities within SNP, which
are widely recognized as primary functions of park management,
be revised and significantly up-graded.
Patrolling and en-
forcement activities in SNP are currently extremely limited.
Consequently, a number of illegal activities are taking place on
a regular basis. The main undertakings of an active programme of
patrolling and enforcement include inspections to:
- ensure that various park related legal instruments are being
observed;
- confirm that specific areas where visitors and local people are
not permitted to enter are observed and to check that visitors
have proper permits;
- make sure that there are no illegal activities or use taking
place.
As well as the above, patrol schedules need to include monitoring
and routine survey functions. For example, patrols should
integrate a standard approach for monitoring changes, and can
collect monitoring data in a form that is consistent with the
requirements of management plan monitoring procedures.
Patrolling procedures that provide for irregular schedules, visit
different places (both within and on the park boundary) and
during different seasons are essential management actions.
-
"That the provisions of the World Heritage Convention be fully integrated into the management objectives for the proposed SNP Management Planning exercise."
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) at its General Conference in Paris, France, adopted the World Heritage Convention (WHC) on 17 November 1972. Articles 1 and 2 of the WHC provide definitions for Cultural and Natural Heritage while Articles 3, 4, 5 & 6 provide useful and functional statements that establish a precise setting as well as a helpful philosophical basis for the convention.
The Operational Guidelines provide the General Principles that guide the establishment of the World Heritage List. These include a statement of particular significance which emphasizes the real importance of designating Sagarmatha National Park a World Heritage Site:
That the Convention provides for the protection of those cultural and natural properties deemed to be of outstanding universal value. It is not intended to provide for the protection of all properties of great interest, importance or value, but only for a select list of the most outstanding of these from an international viewpoint. [Section I. A. 6 (i) Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention - March 1999]
The World Heritage Committee received from the Government of Nepal, which is recognized by UNESCO as the State Party, a nomination for Sagarmatha National Park (SNP) as a duel (Natural and Cultural) World Heritage Site. Formal inscription took place in 1979.
Since its inscription on the World Heritage List some 24 years ago, the environmental, social, economic and political landscape within Sagarmatha National Park, and in Nepal generally, has altered dramatically. The park’s fragile alpine environment continues to be stressed by overuse, arguably as much or more than when the park was established. Tourism has brought affluence and lifestyle changes within the Sherpa community. These changes and the recent politically motivated activities of the Maoist movement are other factors providing sources of stress.
It is, therefore, important that the management planning process take into account the obligations, costs and benefits of the WH convention and provide strategies that ensure that this important international convention is taken into account.
- That the 5-S Conservation Planning process, which has the
potential to help park management deal with the formidable job
it faces to restore, maintain and conserve the natural and
cultural heritage of SNP, be considered as a planning framework
for the proposed revision of the Management Plan (including
the buffer zones).
The basis for this type of planning is known
as the ecosystem approach (see previous recommendation). Some key planning considerations:
- The main thrust of the planning process is to provide:
- a relatively straightforward and proven process for
developing conservation strategies;
- monitoring methods for measuring the effects of those strategies;
- defined links to annual operational work plans.
- An advantage of the planning process is that it can be applied
regardless of the spatial scale of the site or the types of
biodiversity or cultural attributes that are targeted for
conservation management action. The conceptual framework and
practicality of the process has been tested and refined
through on-the-ground application by experienced conservation
practitioners in a number of different countries. The end result
of the planning process is a Site Conservation Management Plan
(SCMP). In this context the DNPWC and the park management team
are in a position that could contribute significantly to the
ongoing adaptation and refinement of the planning process.
- A SCMP is the:
- product of the process of planning, which is at least as important
as the final plan.
- visible result of planning.
- Planning is not something that commences only when a new SCMP is
required. In a well-managed protected area the staff is
continually planning at different levels, and this culminates from
time to time (typically every five years) in the production of a
new Site Conservation Management Plan. This should build on the
previous plan, so as to maintain continuity of effective management.
It should also include the experience and knowledge that has been
developed during the previous period of active management
and implementation.
- In a co-management situation planning is a participatory process.
Before other Stakeholders can participate effectively in the
planning process they also need to be supported and helped, so
that they too have a good understanding of the Systems, Values,
Purpose and Objectives of the park and, of prime importance, of
their role in its management.
- Stakeholders will include local communities and park committees,
but also other government agencies with responsibilities relevant
to management.
- A lot of thought and work is needed in terms of defining
- who the Stakeholders are and
- what their roles are.
- Until park staff, communities, government agencies and other
stakeholders reach sufficient levels of awareness and capability
to play a meaningful role in the planning process, each draft of
the SCMP needs to be regarded as an interim document.
|
