Mustang
Conservation Area
In
March 1992, the 'forbidden' kingdom of Mustang was opened to
the outside world. Now, for the first time in recent history,
foreign travelers are able to visit La Manthang, the seat of
an ancient kingdom dating back to the 15th century. The Kingdom
of La is situated along the north central border of Nepal north
of the main range of the Himalayan in the upper reaches of Mustang
District . Lo and the area directly to its south, called Baragaon,
which both fall within Upper Mustang, can be claimed as one
of the most outstanding areas of the Himalaya.
The
people of Upper Mustang are called Bhotias, and those from Lo
are called Lobas.They speak various dialects of Tibetan. Historically,
their art and culture flourished due to contact with traders,
monks and religious masters passing between Tibet and India,
or between Ladakh and Bhutan.
The
climate and geography of Upper Mustang are nearly identical
to those of Western Tibet and as such, they are dramatically
different from the temperate and tropical areas of the south
side of the Himalayas. The dry, wind swept ecology of this Trans-Himalayan
region is extremely fragile, Fuel wood is virtually non-existent,
water is scare, the agricultural land yields insufficient food
grains, and the marginal, and grasslands support only limited
numbers of livestock and wildlife . With the influx of tourists,
the already pressured desert environment risks further degradation.
In
addition, although the culture has flourished in contact with
other religious and cultural center of the Himalays, its sudden
exposure to other worlds beyond its high plateau may create
a negative impact on the society.
In
order to keep the destructive environmental and cultural impact
of tourism in Upper Mustang to an absolute minimum, the Ministry
of Tourism has decided to develop the area as a model eco-tourism
area.
The
Ministry of Tourism, has proposed that part of the revenue generated
from trekking royalties to Upper Mustang ($ 700 for 10 days
and $ 70 for each additional day) be earmarked for use in UMCDP
to sponsor environmental and cultural preservation efforts and
community development works. An Upper Mustang Development Fund
is also being established with the financial support of the
Ministry of Tourism and the American Himalayan Foundation.
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