GLIMPSES OF NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES OF LANGTANG NATIONAL PARK

Forests are essential sources that provide life-sustaining materials such as food, firewood, building materials, fodder, medicines, and many other things to more than a billion people living in extreme poverty worldwide. They also play an essential role in soil and water conservation, maintaining a healthy atmosphere and biological diversity. Forests are home to more than 80 percent of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity and help protect watersheds critical for the supply of clean water to most of humanity. 

In Langtang National Park, we found the people, wildlife, and livestock compete to utilize the natural resources despite the forests being deforested due to overgrazing, firewood use, the demand for building lodges and hotels, and also from natural hazards like the 2015 earthquake and Forests are essential sources that provide life-sustaining materials such as food, firewood, building materials, fodder, medicines, and many other things to more than a billion people living in extreme poverty worldwide. They also play an essential role in soil and water conservation, maintaining a healthy atmosphere and biological diversity.

Trees and forests also play an essential role in sustaining a healthy environment. They keep the air and water clean, prevent erosion and flooding, enrich the soil, make homes for birds, animals, and plants, provide shade, and make our communities beautiful. Today, forests worldwide are threatened by uncontrolled deforestation and conversion to other uses because of increasing human needs. Climate change, however, poses enormous challenges to these important forests worldwide.

Today, forests worldwide are threatened by uncontrolled deforestation and conversion to other uses because of increasing human needs.

They keep the air and water clean, prevent erosion and flooding, enrich the soil, make homes for birds, animals, and plants, provide shade, and make our communities beautiful. Today, forests worldwide are threatened by uncontrolled deforestation and conversion to other uses because of increasing human needs. Climate change, however, poses enormous challenges to these important forests worldwide. In Langtang Valley, we found the people, wildlife, and livestock compete to utilize the natural resources despite the forests being deforested due to overgrazing, firewood use, the demand for building lodges and hotels, and also from natural hazards like the 2015 earthquake and frequent landslides and erosion. 

Nevertheless, this valley’s people have begun introducing solar heating systems, LPG gas for cooking and heating, and yak dung as a substitute for firewood.

Text and Photos: Ang Rita Sherpa, The Partners Nepal