Kathmandu, Dec. 1
The First International
Sustainable Mountain Development Conference 2022 has started in Chandragiri of
Kathmandu from Thursday.
The three-day conference
will discuss various dimensions of mountain and development, including tourism,
farming, vegetation, conservation and education.
Speaking at the inaugural
session of the conference on Thursday morning, Minister for Culture, Tourism
and Civil Aviation, Jeevan Ram Shrestha, called for a global solidarity for the
conservation and development of mountains.
"Mountains are
important for the whole humanity as they are the source of water, natural
resources as well as civilisation and diversity. They have become good sources
for tourism development in countries like Nepal," he said.
However, due to climate change,
snow-capped mountains have turned into black rock mountains and we are losing
the sources of fresh water, he said.
According to Minister
Shrestha, it is extremely necessary to protect the mountains in a sustainable
way, and there is a need of new and innovative measures to protect mountain
biodiversity.
He stated that the single
biggest problem troubling mountains and people living there is climate change
as it has not only impacted negatively the biodiversity, environment and public
health but also disturbed the livelihoods as well.
Mentioning that Nepal has
been implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in preserving
mountains, he said that the country has also been executing development in a
sustainable way.
The Goal 15 of the SDGs
requires to protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial
ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and
reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Dr. Alton Byers, a
geographer, conservationist and mountaineer, has highlighted the importance of
mountains in biodiversity, culture and livelihood.
Addressing the conference
virtually, he urged for greater collaboration among the stakeholders for
sustainable development.
Likewise, IUCN
specialist, Edwin Bernbaum, highlighted the cultural and spiritual aspects from
the mountains.
The conference will
discuss the issues of human-wildlife conflict in the Himalayan protected areas,
vegetation dynamics in watershed, socio-ecology of low mountains, mountain
tourism, hill tourism and sustainability, promotion of geo-tourism for
sustainable mountain tourism and educational sustainability.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 2 December 2022.
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