The Sacred Himalayan Landscape (SHL)
is a trans-boundary conservation area covering 39,021 square
kilometers, of which about 73.5% falls in Nepal, 24.4% falls
in Sikkim and Darjeeling of India and the remaining 2.1% falls
in Bhutan. The SHL builds links with the three major trans-boundary
conservation areas in China, India and Bhutan. The landscape
is contiguous with one of the largest protected areas in Asia,
the vast Quomolongma Nature Preserve in Tibet (China) to the
north. In the east, the SHL-Nepal maintains continuity with
Kangchenjunga Landscape in India, linking further to the Bhutan
Biological Conservation Complex that has the natural connectivity
to Toorsa Strict Nature Reserve of eastern Bhutan. SHL Nepal
includes four protected areas – Langtang National Park,
Sagarmatha National Park, Makalu Barun National Park, Kanchenjungha
Conservation Area - covering about 22% area (HMGN/MFSC. 2006).
Although SHL is presently sparsely populated with about 5
million people, its inhabitants face abject poverty. Forestry,
agriculture and tourism are dominant livelihood strategies
adopted by over 80% people in the SHL. In terms of species
diversity, the SHL supports remarkable assemblages of flora
and fauna, which include several endemic species. A total
of 85 mammal species, including charismatic species such as
Snow Leopard, are known to occur in the SHL. Other mammals
include Red Panda, Musk Deer, Tibetan Wolf, Blue Sheep, and
Clouded Leopard. Over 440 species of birds have been recorded
from the SHL.
Degradation of large tracts of agriculture, forest and pasture
lands in the hills and mountains of the SHL seem to have considerably
increased in last 2-3 decades. The predominant agro-pastoralist
livelihood such as slash and burn or shifting cultivation
or ‘khoriya’ practices in the mountains are associated
with the land degradation. Croplands are characterized by
increasing soil erosion, landslides, slope failure, poor fertility
and reduced cropping intensity. The mountains in the SHL are
prone to natural disasters due to unstable geology and extreme
climate. Landslides are the most common natural disasters
in this region, caused by intense seasonal precipitation during
monsoons. The SHL strategic plan set different strategies
on 22 targets and 15 outcomes (HMGN/MFSC. 2006).
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