Comunicado de prensa | 23 Jun, 2008

Sagarmatha Tourism Coordination Forum (STCF) holds 3rd Meeting

Kathmandu, Nepal, June 19, 2008 - On June 20, 2008 the Sagarmatha Tourism Coordination Forum (STCF) held its third meeting in Kathmandu. It was organized by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) and the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) with support from the HKKH Partnership, IUCN Nepal.

Photo: IUCN

The meeting’s objective is to share information on recycling peak fees raised by the Nepal Mountaineering Association, safety awareness about high altitude sickness launched by the Himalayan Rescue Association, Tourism Information Management System (TIMS) promoted by Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal, and civil aviation policies of the Government of Nepal. Similarly, the Hindu Kush Karakorum Himalaya (HKKH) Partnership Project will reveal key research findings of an important tourism survey carried out in the SagarmathaNational Park and its Buffer Zone. The HKKH Partnership will also present new tools such as system dynamic models used to test management options before their implementation.

This third STCF meeting will bring together over 125 participants from Khumbu, Kathmandu, and abroad. STCF is an annual event laid out in the Sagarmatha National Park Management and Tourism Plan (2007-2012).

The first meeting (July 14, 2006) recognized DNPWC as STCF’s secretariat and NTB as its key promoter. The second meeting (December 6 - 7, 2006) discussed issues pertinent to sharing peak fees, coordination among stakeholders, porters’ welfare, alternative energy, community anti-poaching operations, and other key issues pertinent to tourism, environment and conservation.

Recognizing the STCF as a significant platform of friends of Sagarmatha, Minister of Forests and Soil Conservation, Honorable Mr. Matrika Prasad Yadav, expressed that this forum reflects initiatives and enthusiasm to support local people who are under the Republic of Nepal’s prevailing policies. He added that STCF opens up a new avenue to provide wider benefits to people whose livelihoods are linked to the future of the fragile mountain ecosystem, which is more and more vulnerable due to global climate change.

Director General of DNPWC, Dr. Annapurna Nanda Das, stated that implementation of the Sagarmatha National Park management plan will only be successful with active involvement from the local communities along with all other stakeholders.

Officiating Chief Executive Officer of NTB, Mr. Subash Niraula, expressed in order to carry out sustainable tourism development, the Sagarmatha World Heritage Site requires special attention from all concerned bodies, including government and private sectors, as well as the civil society.

Chief Technical Advisor of HKKH Partnership, Mr. Emanuele Cuccillato, remarked that the tourism survey and other research work conducted in the framework of the project are crucial to solve major problems such as overcrowding and solid waste management.

STCF requests all conservation workers, tourism entrepreneurs, travelers, trekkers, agencies, ect concerned with the future of the Sagarmatha region to provide their invaluable feedback and suggestions to the forum.

For more information contact:

Sagarmatha Tourism Coordination Forum (STCF) Secretariat

Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation

Babarmahal, Kathmandu.

Tel: +977 422 0850 or 422 0912 and Fax: +977 1 422 7675

E-mail: dnpwc@bdcin.wlink.com.np

Web: http://www.dnpwc.gov.np and http://www.welcomenepal.com

http://www.hkkhpartnership.org

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Kathmandu, Nepal