One Day One Tree Project Restore Alpine Ecosystems in Sagarmatha National Park and Buffer Zone, Solukhumbu District

THE PARTNER NEPAL RESTORES THE FRAGILE ALPINE ECOSYSTEMS OF SAGARMATHA NATIONAL PARK AND THE BUFFER ZONE

The Partners Nepal and the people of Khunde, Khumjung, and Pangboche planted over 7000 native trees thanks to funding from Peak Aid Japan, One Tree Planted, Hauser Exkursionen, and Nepalhilfe-Tirol. Sir Edmund Hillary Stiftung Deutschland, Hauser Exkursionen, NepalHilfe- Tirol, Austria, and many others have supported this reforestation project since 2016 to address environmental issues such as unregulated tourism, overgrazing, overharvesting alpine shrubs for fuelwood, poor conservation, global warming, and climate change. As glaciers melt due to climate change, degraded hillsides become vulnerable to erosion and landslides. Despite the danger, deforestation has increased. Climate change threatens the poor, marginalized, and disadvantaged people of the mountains.

Planting native trees in the area has had a significant impact in terms of preserving culture and the environment. The One Day One Tree project assisted in the conservation and restoration of fragile alpine ecosystems above 3900m, which the international conservation community neglected in the upper Khumbu and other mountain regions, prompting this reforestation initiative. Planting trees in degraded areas has not only helped conserve and restore fragile alpine ecosystems but has also provided economic incentives to local people during the off-season for trekking and mountaineering. Locals were hired to collect seeds and fertilizer, dig holes, and plant trees. Aside from financial incentives for the locals, there has been an increase in conservation awareness to protect the forests.

The Partners Nepal (www.thepartnersnepal.org) will collaborate with the local community to mitigate the effects of climate change on alpine ecosystems in Sagarmatha National Park in Solukhumbu and Langtang National Park in the Rasuwa district north of Kathmandu. Partners Nepal has long trusted mountain communities. Following the success of the Sagarmatha National Park and Buffer Zone, Partners Nepal is reforesting with dependable conservation partners.