Sagarmatha National Park

• Pressure and degradation from increasing tourism and mountaineering
• Development of tourism resort and tourism pressure
• Climate change
• Aircraft use
• Mining
• Deforestation for firewood

On 28 December 2015, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/120/documents/ and reports the following:

• The Kongde View Resort is continuing to operate under the interim order to Sagarmatha National Park Authority, which allows the continuation of operations until the verdict of the Supreme Court of Nepal is issued. No verdict has yet been made;
• The draft Sagarmatha National Park and Buffer Zone Management Plan for 2016-2020, and an Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) report of the Management Plan were submitted to the World Heritage Centre on 29 March 2016, for review by IUCN;
• The park zonation map, which was submitted to the World Heritage Centre in 2012, does not correctly define the property and its buffer zone, hence the map is being revised and will be submitted to the World Heritage Centre once completed;

The State Party also reports that waste management is a major challenge, and that climate change and increasing incidences of forest fires pose significant threats to the property. It is additionally noted that there is an increasing number of people illegally collecting wood from inside the property and its buffer zone.

The State Party further reports that a UNDP funded “Community Based Flood and Glacial Lake Outburst Risk Reduction project” has been initiated, which aims to reduce the possible risk of a glacial lake outburst flood on the biodiversity of the property and on local communities living downstream in the buffer zone.

From 1 to 10 May 2016, an IUCN Advisory mission visited the property to provide technical advice on its overall state of conservation and in particular in relation to the Kongde View Resort, waste management, and tourism. The report is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/120/documents.

It is recommended that the Committee reiterates its continued concern over the previously identified threats to the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property. The issue of the Kongde View Resort inside the property since 2006 (Decision 30 COM 7B.15) remains unresolved, and the clarification that the Resort has been permitted to continue its operation is of concern. It is recommended that the Committee urge the State Party to take urgent measures to ensure that any impacts on the OUV of the property from the continued operation of the Kongde View Resort are adequately mitigated.

The progress achieved with the development of the draft 2016-2020 Management Plan for Sagarmatha National Park and its buffer zone is welcome. It is noted that the State Party has requested IUCN to provide a review of the plan. The State Party’s concern regarding waste management in the property is also discussed in the Management Plan, which additionally notes an increase in water pollution. On the other hand, the State Party’s concern regarding illegal wood collection inside the property and its buffer zone does not appear to be adequately reflected in the Management Plan. The 2016 Advisory mission also noted that research on fire ecology needs to be integrated into the management plan, taking into account contemporary scientific principles. In relation to tourism the Advisory mission observed a number of impacts caused by increasing visitation, including a growth in accommodation facilities, poorly regulated use of donkeys to transport goods leading to localized impacts from grazing, and noise and visual impacts caused by uncontrolled and unregulated helicopter use beyond the justified use of helicopters for emergency situations. Solid waste management also continues to be a significant challenge. It is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to include in the Management Plan adequate measures to address these issues, based on the recommendations of the Advisory mission and additional assessments of their impacts on the OUV of the property, as required. The finalized management plan should be submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN.

The initiation of the UNDP funded project to reduce the risk of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) is welcome, especially considering that this threat is likely to increase as a result of climate change. The Advisory mission noted that the Letter of Agreement for this project, which is implemented in collaboration with the Nepalese Army, include strong environmental compliance measures which if professionally implemented would ensure that the construction work would have minimal impact on the OUV of the property. However, the mission considered that project proponents should increase coordination with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC), including by providing financial resources to enable monitoring of compliance with environmental measures. It was also noted that local communities expressed their concerns that cultural and spiritual values were not adequately respected by the Nepalese Army during the construction works. It is therefore recommended that the Committee urge the State Party to ensure that the implementation of this project is closely monitored to ensure compliance with environmental measures and in cooperation with local communities to ensure respect of their cultural and spiritual values and practices.   

It is noted that the State Party intends to submit a revised park zonation map to the World Heritage Centre once completed, and it is recommended that the Committee reiterate its encouragement to the State Party to submit a minor boundary modification to formally recognise the buffer zone of the park as a buffer zone to the property, consistent with the requirements of the Operational Guidelines.