Nepal is a small landlocked country in the central Himalayas between India and China What does landlocked mean Overview Nepal is located in a subtropical climate zone but has a varied climate due to its varying altitudes ID: 380725
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Slide1
Communities in NepalSlide2
Nepal is a small landlocked country (in the central Himalayas between India and China)
What does landlocked mean?
OverviewSlide3
Nepal is located in a subtropical climate zone but has a varied climate due to its varying altitudes.
Overview
Lowest Point (
Terai
Plain) – 50m
Highest Point (Mt Everest) – 8848mSlide4
Nepal is divided into 3 landform regions:
The plains region: 50m-900m
The hills region: 900m-3000m
The Himalayan region: 3000m-8848mUsing the “Flora and Fauna of Nepal” info sheet draw and annotated diagram of Nepal
OverviewSlide5
The hills region was formerly forested due to Nepal’s increasing population (and lack of land) the steep slopes have been terraced and are now farmed.
The land has been degraded due to pressure on the land.
What does terraced mean?
The Hills RegionSlide6
This is primarily an agriculture region.
Rice is the main crop (grown up to 2000m)
Other crops include: wheat (planted after the rice), mustard (for cooking oil), corn (grown up the hill) and potatoes (grown up to 4000m)
The Hills RegionSlide7
Crops
Mustard
Potato
Corn
Wheat
RiceSlide8
The average size of land is about half a hectare (5000 sq.
metres
)
Around half the farmers are tenants and are in debt to moneylenders and forced to farm on poor landMany farmers clear their land to a 50 degree gradient (the government recommendation is 30 degrees)
This causes frequent landslides and deforestation is a problem.
What is deforestation?
The Hills RegionSlide9
DeforestationSlide10
Many former hill dwellers have migrated to
Kathmandu
(Nepal’s major city)
Kathmandu: Population: 800000 – Elevation: 1300mHowever, uneducated rural migrants find obtaining employment difficult and normally find “unskilled” jobs e.g. selling handicrafts, working in hotels (cooks, cleaners, waiters), day
labourers
for the wealthy or menial work in construction
What are unskilled jobs?
The Hills RegionSlide11
The increased urban population is putting pressure on the human and physical features of the environment
What might be some examples of this?
The Hills RegionSlide12
This is the main region for mountaineering and trekking in Asia
Mount Everest is locally known as
Khumbu
People who live in this region are Sherpas
Who are
Sherpas
?
The Himalayan RegionSlide13
Khumbu consists of high altitude rock, ice and snow
Fewer than 1% can be farmed, but other land is suitable for pasture
What does the term pasture mean?
Water is plentiful in this areaAbout 3000
Sherpas
live here in eight villages and in seasonal settlements at altitudes between 3000-5000
metres
The Environment and PeopleSlide14
The air at these higher altitudes is thinner than at sea levels and contains less oxygen, this makes it harder to breath
Sherpas
have adapted to this environment, they have a shorter and lighter physique and larger lungs and heart (that pumps more blood)
The Environment and PeopleSlide15
Sherpas’ land is
used for
crops and livestock that can handle higher altitudes
E.g. buckwheat, barley and potatoesIn summer Sherpas
take their Yaks up to the summer pastures for grazing
Sherpas
have also traded with people as far as northern India and Tibet
Land Use and EconomySlide16
The Mt Everest environment has some of the most spectacular alpine scenery in the world
The number of trekking expeditions that visit this region has increased
The
Sherpas have adapted their lifestyle around tourism, many have tourism based jobs as guides, cooks or porters
Work is seasonal but many
Sherpas
have full time positions
TourismSlide17
Many Sherpa homes are converted to lodges to cater for tourists
The increased income from tourism has helped
Sherpas
to maintain their traditional customsSherpas income
orginally
came from farming but in recent times it now comes primarily from tourism
This extra money has allowed for modern houses being constructed with electricity, TV, telephones and the internet
TourismSlide18
The Nepalese Government has developed schools, better transport and a hydro-electric power station
TourismSlide19
Sherpas
use timber from the Himalayan forests for fuel in their cold climate, tourism has increased this demand
Concern by the Nepalese Government about deforestation has lead to the creation of the
Sagarmartha
National Park (1976)
Conflict Over the EnvironmentSlide20
Originally the
Sherpas
resisted this attempt to conserve forest timber
In 1978 the government gave back management and control to the local Sherpas
The community responded by participating in a
reafforestation
program, the Nepalese Government has insisted on:
Trekking and mountaineering parties being self-sufficient in fuel, not relying on local timber
A ban on cutting of green timber for firewood around villages
Conflict Over the EnvironmentSlide21
A form of community based ecotourism is currently being
trialled
where villagers are actively involved in natural and cultural heritage conservation
The government aims to minimise the impact of tourism while still
maximising
on the benefits
“Sacred Sites Trial to
Khumbu
” (2003) was an initiative launched aims to integrate conservation needs while spreading the benefits of tourism to the wider community
Future Ecological Sustainability