Despite
its relatively small area, Nepal has varied geographical features that
include mountains, mid hills, valleys and plains,
etending from the Himalayan range in the north to the Indo-Gangetic lowlands
in the south. The diversity of its physical features ranges from dense
forests and marshy grasslands in the Terai to green paddy terraces
in the middle hills and wind-swept deserts and snow
capped peaks in the high mountain areas. The country is endowed with
hundreds of streams, rivers and lakes, including several glacial
lakes in the Himalayas. The remarkably wide altitudinal variations,
and diverse climatic conditions and vegetation types and wildlife,
support a wide range of habitats with populations and sub-populations of
species isolated by ridges and valleys.
Of
the tourism activities in Nepal, trekking, mountaineering, motor biking and rafting have been the major
cause for pressure on the natural environment. In the early days, tourism
in Nepal was mainly concentrated in the Kathmandu valley and only a few
mountaineers visited the Everest and Annapurna regions. These areas continue
to be popular destinations and a relatively large number of visitors travel
to these areas every year-Annapurna area, Everest
region and Langtang region account for the majority of tourists either visiting for trekking or mountaineering. Out of the total
59,279 trekkers registered in 2002, 38,277 (64.6 percent) visited Annapurna
area while visitors to Everest and Langtang regions accounted
for 13,982 (23.6 percent) and 4,798 (8.1 percent) respectively.
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ACTIVITIES
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Chitwan
National Park is another important tourist destination in Nepal.
Rivers in Nepal offer great rafting opportunities although they are prone
to pollution with the disposal of untreated sewerage and effluent. Rafting
tourism too is concentrated in a few rivers, like Trisuli, Sunkoshi,
Bhotekoshi and Seti. This is a growing segment in the tourism industry-from
a few thousand rafters during 1990 numbers increased to over 30,000 in
2000.
The
excessive concentration of visitors in a few tourist centers or locations
carries with it the risk of eceeding the carrying capacity of the local
ecology. This is sensitive because higher concentration in only some places
increases pressure on resources in that particular settlement and moreover
such tourism does not become salutary as it restricts the flow and spread
of benefits to a few settlements only. Due to the climatic conditions,
tourists in the high altitude areas demand firewood. For instance one lodge
in the Everest region uses
up to four times as much fuel-wood in a single day compared to a farm household.
It also signifies increased pressure on the infrastructure and resources
as well as aggravated environmental problems in tourist centers and along
trekking route.
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