ONE DAY ONE TREE Project assessment in Sagarmatha National Park and Buffer Zone, Solukhumbu, August 2022

The Partners Nepal team, Ang Rita Sherpa and Bhala Kaji Rai have visited our ONE DAY ONE TREE project in Sagarmatha National Park and Buffer Zone of Solukhumbu District. This field update is the outcome of our field visit to the reforestation sites from 11th August 2022 to 22nd August 2022. Peak Aid Japan had agreed to support the reforestation program in Khumbu based on the current environmental situation in the region.

Plantations in Pangboche in 2017-2021

Alpine ecosystems worldwide, including the Mount Everest Region in Solukhumbu, have been heavily impacted by human activities, especially during the past 20 years due to overgrazing, fuel wood use, timber, fodder, and trekking, mountaineer and adventure tourism to remote mountain regions like Solukhumbu. In response to those degraded environments in the region, The Partners Nepal (TPN) launched the One Day One Tree project in 2016 to protect and restore the world’s alpine ecosystems by planting native trees in the region.

To complement our continued effort to conserve and restore the fragile alpine ecosystems, Peak Aid Japan has agreed to support this community-based conservation project, i.e., conservation and restoration of the fragile alpine ecosystems above 3900 meters in Sagarmatha National Park and Buffer Zone from 2022 to 2024. The reforestation sites agreed to support by Peak Aid Japan are Khunde, Khumjung, Phortse, and Pangboche. The following sections outlined the field update from Peak Aid Japan and supported the project from Sagarmatha National Park and Buffer Zone.

The main purpose of this trip to Sagarmatha National Park and Buffer Zone was to assess the recent One Day One Tree Project plantation carried out in Khunde with funding support from Peak Aid Japan and also conduct coordination meetings with the local community, the buffer zone users committee, and explore the future potential sites for plantation in 2023-24 with funding from Peak Aid Japan.

Plantations in Khunde in June 2022 with Peak Aid Japan’s support

Likewise, the other purpose includes assessing the plantations carried out in Pangboche, Phortse, and Khunde with various donor agencies, including Hauser Exkursionen, Sir Edmund Hillary Stiftung Deutschland, followed by Nepal Hilfe-Tirol, Aero Telegraph, Engage Nepal, Light Development Education (LED), and many individuals had generously contributed to our reforestation initiatives established since 2016.

Plantations were carried out in Khunde, Phortse, and Pangboche 2017-22 from other Donor agencies.

The Partners Nepal and the local community from Khunde village of Khumbu Pasanglhamu Rural Municipality-4 had planted 2000 native seedlings in the region. The four species of native seedlings, including fir, juniper, birch, and rhododendron, were planted in Khunde village, where the area has been denuded due to overgrazing and fuel wood harvest for fuel wood for cooking and heating purposes. The plantation was carried out inside the enclosures of 100 x 100 meters of gabion wires, angle poles, and wires to prevent animals from entering.

The Partners Nepal is very grateful to our respected donors, institutions, and individuals who have shown keen interest in supporting the conservation and restoration of fragile alpine ecosystems that will make a big difference in protecting the alpine ecosystems in the mountainous regions of Solukhumbu. It also provides a great opportunity to plant the memory of your loved ones and yourself in the very remote Sherpa community.

If you’re interested in supporting TPN established One Day One Tree project, please consider sending mail to Ang Rita Sherpa ([email protected]), Bheem Raj Rai ([email protected]), and Bhala Kaji Rai ([email protected]).

Thank you

Text, Photos, and Concept: Ang Rita Sherpa (The Partners Nepal)