Question

CASE STUDY: The Nepalese Himalayas, A Protected Ecosystem?

In May of 2007 some 43 expeditions totalling 470 climbers summitted Mount Everest from both the Nepalese and Tibetan sides of the mountain. At one stage over 60 climbers were on or near the summit waiting (in some cases up to 1–2 hours) in order to get their chance to stand on the highest point in the world. If those 470 climbers had been asked why they chose to climb Mt Everest, somewhere in their answers would have been sentiments expressing a desire to experience one of the wildest places on earth. Technological innovations in mountaineering equipment, such as advanced clothing, bottled oxygen and the growth in the popularity of commercialized expeditions where clients are charged between US$40,000 and US$50,000 to be guided up the mountain will continue to attract hundreds of climbers as they attempt to fulfill a desire to experience one of the wildest places on earth. Research carried out in Sagarmatha (Mt Everest) National Park indicates that ecosystems above 4000 metres have been significantly impacted by tourism in the past 30 years. Impacts include the overharvesting of fragile alpine shrubs and plants for expedition and tourist lodge fuel, overgrazing, accelerated erosion, and uncontrolled lodge building. The present Nepalese government will continue to encourage tourism, as it is the country’s highest income earner.

YOUR ARGUMENT FOR OR AGAINST: A drastic reduction in expedition numbers and call for the complete banning, for 1 year, of climbing on all peaks over 8000 metres high. This reduction is necessary in trying to mediate a compromise between the conflicting needs of access, availability and presentability of an environmental or ecological product – wilderness – with those of the local population and the regenerative capacity of the ecosystem.

SUPPORT YOUR ARGUMENT WITH FACTS.

Answer 1

For:

I stand with the argument for complete banning of climbing on all pics over 8000 for one year.

Ecosystem has been hampered by overcrowded population in various means. Ozone layer depletion global warming are are the most visible forms of depletion of ecosystem through humans directly. Mountains are also facing various problems in surviving and maintaining themselves due to various human activities like tourism, harvesting,etc. The Mount Everest is also facing such problem because of being one of the greatest attraction of the world.

In order to maintain such a beauty in the ecosystem in its purest form, it is almost impossible, because one cannot completely shut down the visits of such places.

Tourism being one of the most earned sector of the economy the government can also not shut down it forever. But doing it for one year is a good break for the mountains to rejuvenate itself. Just like human beings if your system needs to take a break as well to repair itself. The less number of human interaction or hindrance the more the repairing will be done. And regarding the accessibility for needs of human beings from those areas, they can be substituted easily from other places.

Hence, giving Mount Everest year break from tourism and other harvesting or other activities is a must done task by the government. Search break should be taken in specific intervals for the environment to be healthy and wealthy.