Sacred Himalayan Landscape
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).
