One of the government’s first priorities after <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/feudal-federalism">federalism</a> was to bring development to the grassroots. The political leadership concluded that the way to do that was to build a road network. <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/bri-and-trans-himalayan-connectivity">Road connectivity </a>would encourage Nepalis to stay in their villages, connect farmers to market, and stimulate local economies. so they thought. As the roads snaked north into the mountains, Nepalis moved south to the plains along them. Nepal's new roads have become conduits for better opportunities in the cities, the Tarai and abroad. Since 2016, every road that has reached villages in the hinterland has helped empty them. Billions of rupees were spent on roads to improve the lives of people who do not live there anymore. According to the 2021 census, 34 of Nepal’s 77 districts have witnessed a sharp decline in population. More worryingly, there is depopulation in 329 out of Nepal’s 753 municipalities, which is 43% of the country’s geography.&nbsp; It seems there is an inverse relationship between roads and <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/climate-migration-is-already-happening">migration</a>. This is evident in districts like Ramechhap and Khotang, with the highest <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/migrating-males-and-population-decline">population decline</a> as road connectivity spread.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250117050148_18c4f94ff08ab3654d29548d6e87974796ab42b985c64062d04c555f125f051d.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20250117050148_18c4f94ff08ab3654d29548d6e87974796ab42b985c64062d04c555f125f051d" data-rendition-name="original" width="800" height="384" loading="lazy" alt="Khotang"> </figure>  Despite its proximity to Kathmandu, the first motorised vehicle only arrived in Ramechhap in 1998. The district was cut off from the road network until a little over three decades ago, and its population was 188,064 during the 1991 census.&nbsp; By the time unpaved roads were built-district wide in 2001, the population had increased by 1.2%. But in the 20 years since, as paved roads and a bridge across the Sunkosi connected rural Ramechhap to Kathmandu and the Tarai, people began to leave in droves, and the district witnessed a -0.47% decline in population by 2011.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/nepalis-moving-from-mountains-to-plains">Nepalis moving from mountains to plains</a>, Shristi Karki The <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/lessons-not-learned-from-2015-o2etq6zu">2015 earthquake</a> caused extensive damage in Ramechhap, and additional roads were built to facilitate reconstruction. Most rebuilt houses now lie empty.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250117050144_061f4befbeb60790e4139bff187e2d5a4f8097be982409c2212a7102ac31fd98.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="20250117050144_061f4befbeb60790e4139bff187e2d5a4f8097be982409c2212a7102ac31fd98" data-rendition-name="original" width="1200" height="554" loading="lazy" alt="Closed door"> </figure>  By 2021, major road networks connected all the municipalities in the district, and Ramechhap had a population growth rate of -1.67%. Ramechhap currently has more than 4,000km of roads.&nbsp; But while the roads reached Ramechhap, the village did not have enough jobs or indigenous products that they could trade in the newly accessible market. “The road network brought the market to the community, but took our people in exchange,” says Dilli Raj Adhikari of the Manthali municipality. In remote districts like Humla, which are not connected to the highway grid, &nbsp;connectivity within the district has meant that people have begun to move to Simkot,&nbsp; The population growth rate in realatively underdeveloped districts like Kalikot, Jumla, Mugu, and Dolpa is relatively high. On the other hand, Dailekh and Salyan which have more roads, have seen a decline in population as people move to cities.&nbsp; The government conceived of the 1,700km Mid-Hill Highway in 2007 to keep people in the mountains. One of the objectives of this 'national pride project' was to connect 5 million people across the mountains to better facilities. However, the government and politicians did not care how this new road would affect migration. As it stands, the population of all 26 districts connected to this highway has &nbsp;declined steadily for the past two decades. The fast track, which was promised to be the ‘highway of prosperity’ has instead become a highway of relocation.&nbsp; The 1952 census found that 65% of Nepalis <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/those-who-stay">lived in the mountains</a> and hills, while 35.2% were in the Tarai. By 2021, 53.6% were living in the Tarai, while only 40.3% remained in the hills.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/from-nowhere-to-nowhere">From nowhere to nowhere</a>, Basanta Pratap Singh It is not enough for road infrastructure to reach the remotest corners of the country if there are no livelihood opportunities. Development is not just about roads and bridges unless it enables people to fulfill their basic needs and connects them to better health, education, and <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/few-jobs-created-by-nepal-employment-drive">employment opportunities</a>. Otherwise, people will continue to leave for cities which are struggling to manage increased pressure on their limited resources, lowering overall quality of life for all. Chetan Adhikari is a demographic analystic who is pursuing MPhil-PhD on population studies from Tribhuvan University.

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The road out of Nepal

I was born in the little village of Chepka on the old trading trail in Dolpo. Even since I was a boy, I used to see the yaks and mules go up and down the path, and an increasing number of foreign trekkers and their porters. I always yearned to see the world beyond the narrow valley to a wider horizon. We started the Gateway Inn located at the night stop point between Jufal airfield and Phoksundo, and business was getting better until the pandemic.&nbsp; I went to Austria to work for two summers at the Gesäuse National Park, and that augmented my income plus gave me a lot of exposure into ecotourism. Trekking traffic is picking up again in Dolpo, so I do not need to go to Europe anymore. Tourist footfall would increase if Dolpo was taken off the restricted area list. Because of this rule, foreign trekkers have to pay $500 per day for a 10-day trek plus $50 for every extra day to the Department of Immigration. That is in addition to the daily $150 for the trek itself, the Rs3,000 Shey Phoksundo National Park fee and the higher air fares for foreigners from Kathmandu to Jufal via Nepalganj. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/time-catching-up-with-timeless-dolpo">Time catching up with timeless Dolpo</a>, Alton C. Byers All this adds up to make Dolpo more expensive than the Everest or Annapurna trails, and only the most adventurous (or well to do) come to Dolpo. Even reducing the Dolpo restricted area fee by half could double the meagre 600 trekkers who visit the national park at present every year. I learnt a lot while in Austria. For example, the signage along the hiking trails are very well laid out so it is impossible to get lost. There is a lot of information along the paths about the animal and plant life, and to identify surrounding peaks and landmarks. There is an effort to minimise the impact of tourism. The Austrians also do not build roads unnecessarily so as to preserve their wilderness. And that is something we could emulate here in Dolpo, where there is a road-building spree going on. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/new-high-way-to-dolpo">New High Way to Dolpo is not good news for trekkers</a>, Sonam Choekyi Lama  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231229091220_e3a6a6c428b25526f4f2831d77ad7a132901df29f1eafd70dc52a526374756d6.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20231229091220_e3a6a6c428b25526f4f2831d77ad7a132901df29f1eafd70dc52a526374756d6" data-rendition-name="original" width="1386" height="800" loading="lazy" alt="Dolpo road network NT"> </figure>  Till recently, Dolpo and Humla were the only two districts in Nepal without motorable roads. Interestingly, Dolpo is better connected to China at the moment than to the rest of Nepal. Dolpo is located on the trans-Himalayan plateau, and is Nepal’s biggest district by area, but has a population of only 45,000. That might change with the Bheri Corridor which has already reached the district capital of Dunai. One can now travel from Surkhet to Tallo Bazar in 12 hours, cross the footbridge over the Bheri, and transfer to another jeep up to Dunai in 6 hours over very rough roads. Despite this being a national pride project, progress is rather slow. Still, for locals, this gives an alternative to the expensive and irregular flights from Jufal to Nepalganj. From Dunai, the Bheri highway is supposed to go on to the Chinese border at Marim La via Dho Tarap and Tinje. Some sections already have motorcycles plying on them, while the already built stretch from Dunai to Laisikap got washed away by floods a few years ago. It used to take a whole day for locals and two days for trekkers to walk from Saldang to Dho crossing the Chyala La and Jyanta La at over 5,300m. On a motorcycle it now takes just two hours. Once the track from Kagbeni via Charkha Bhot is opened, it will be easier to travel to Upper Dolpo via Mustang than up the Bheri highway from Surkhet. Last year, a tractor already climbed up from the Kali Gandaki to Dho, and there are dozers already at work. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/dazzling-dolpo">Dazzling Dolpo</a>, Sonam Choekyi Lama Post-Covid and before international tourism resumed, the trail from Dunai to Phoksundo was filled with Nepali vloggers and TikTok trekkers. This propped up the local economy since the Nepalis tended to spend more money in the villages than foreign trekking groups. If only they did not bring along their loud music, everything would be fine.&nbsp; The view is divided about whether roads are good or bad for Dolpo. They have made it easier and cheaper for the sick to be taken to city hospitals for treatment, or for the annual winter migration south. However, there are worries about the theft of religious objects, as well as the destruction of chorten and mani walls by bulldozers. The road network will inevitably spread in Dolpo in the coming years, so we might as well be prepared to minimise its impact, especially on tourism. The roads more or less follow the former trekking routes, which themselves were once the yak trails used by traders, as depicted in Eric Valley’s documentary Caravan in the 1980s. All these roads also make it less tenable to justify the high restricted area fees. The Shey Phoksundo Rural Municipality is trying to make sure that a road is not built up the Suligad River, so that the lake, the Bon Po monastery in Pungmo and the southern part of the national park will only be for wilderness hiking. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/bon-voyage">Bon voyage</a>, Sonam Choekyi Lama Norbu Lama is an ecotourism operator in Dolpo and runs the Gateway Inn in Chekpa. <a href="mailto:norbulama125@gmail.com" target="_blank">norbulama125@gmail.com</a> Facebook: Norbu O Positive

The road less travelled in Dolpo

In 1973, the writer Peter Matthiessen spent two months trekking in this remote trans-Himalayan region of western Nepal with wildlife biologist George Schaller. The trip was made legendary by his 1976 book, The Snow Leopard.&nbsp; In it, he documented his pursuit of Zen Buddhism at a time of personal loss, Schaller’s pursuit of blue sheep and snow leopards to justify setting up a new wildlife reserve, and a timeless land that hadn’t changed much in 800 years.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231229111220_5539fce28afa4b839fe493c238965417b8e26bb8447e4ab337c35c8c8e88f0c7.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20231229111220_5539fce28afa4b839fe493c238965417b8e26bb8447e4ab337c35c8c8e88f0c7" data-rendition-name="original" width="2800" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Dolpo collage images NT 1/2"> <figcaption>(Left) Ringmo village in 1993. The traditional, flat-roofed, rammed earth houses had changed little in the preceding 800 years when this photograph was taken. (Right) Ringmo village on 30 May 2023. Remarkably, little change has occurred in the interim with the exception of a few more traditional houses. Road access in the very near future will assuredly bring with it new building materials (i.e., concrete), architectural styles, and new hotels to take advantage of the beauty of the nearby Phoksundo Lake. Photos: JOHAN REINHARD (LEFT) / ALTON C. BYERS (RIGHT)</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231229111220_afa4e31e9826f7a974890dbd50b4a6f8b61f2c120b4fb3d32ac1c1eb67e99567.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20231229111220_afa4e31e9826f7a974890dbd50b4a6f8b61f2c120b4fb3d32ac1c1eb67e99567" data-rendition-name="original" width="2800" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Dolpo collage images NT 3/4"> <figcaption>(Left) Chorten near Phoksundo lake in 1971. (Right) The same chorten near Phoksundo lake on 30 May 2023 showing practically no major changes having had occurred, with the exception of a new paint job, in the interim. Photos: JOHAN REINHARD (LEFT) / ALTON C. BYERS (RIGHT)</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231229111228_2f582bd6366a0261a662704958b042b13a7f3be7e31dce5b9128bf7ba16aafed.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20231229111228_2f582bd6366a0261a662704958b042b13a7f3be7e31dce5b9128bf7ba16aafed" data-rendition-name="original" width="1400" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Dolpo collage images NT 5/6"> <figcaption>(Left) Bridge near Ringmo village in 1971. (Right) The same bridge near Ringmo village on 30 May 2023, some 52 years later. Such traditional wooden bridges have been replaced with steel throughout much of the rest of Nepal. Photos: JOHAN REINHARD (LEFT) / ALTON C. BYERS (RIGHT)</figcaption> </figure>  There were no tourist lodges, the trails were primitive and exposed, food was scarce, and given their late November start the weather was unpredictable and uncertain.&nbsp; Shey Phoksundo National Park was established 11 years after Matthiessen's trek. But even though Dolpo had been ‘discovered’ by adventure tourists much earlier, it has still remained comparatively inaccessible and mysterious because of its remoteness, and expense. Only 600 tourists visited in 2022.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231229111224_b01f7a3719daf2834c6b4d31799911df35d3ce7b8128816c9e449b488850685d.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20231229111224_b01f7a3719daf2834c6b4d31799911df35d3ce7b8128816c9e449b488850685d" data-rendition-name="original" width="2800" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Dolpo collage images NT 7/8"> <figcaption>(Left) Bon Gompa near Ringmo and Phoksundo lake in 1993. (Right) Bon Gompa on 30 May 2023, showing virtually no change from the 1993 image with the exception of several structures having been painted in red. Photos: JOHAN REINHARD (LEFT) / ALTON C. BYERS (RIGHT)</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231229111216_1665201aeb35844444707e95b4a02f1e627baf182699275db75ceeaf382a4e02.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20231229111216_1665201aeb35844444707e95b4a02f1e627baf182699275db75ceeaf382a4e02" data-rendition-name="original" width="2900" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Dolpo collage images NT 9/10"> <figcaption>(Left) Bon Gompa in 1993. The purple colour on the distant hillslopes and deep blue colour of the lake are most likely the result of colour saturation of the original slide film, as well as age. (Right) Several new buildings had since been constructed at the Bon Gompa when this photograph was taken on 30 May 2023 that partially obscure the foreground. The village of Ringmo, to the left in the background, appears to be more densely tree covered than it was 40 years ago. Photos: JOHAN REINHARD (LEFT) / ALTON C. BYERS (RIGHT)</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231229111220_1a162841d53fd30941204eb7a28a6cf84ac78b0e8769d6f95aa8bbed3197f9f4.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20231229111220_1a162841d53fd30941204eb7a28a6cf84ac78b0e8769d6f95aa8bbed3197f9f4" data-rendition-name="original" width="2000" height="1400" loading="lazy" alt="Dolpo collage images NT 11/12"> <figcaption>(Left) Four young lamas walk along a trail at the Bon Gompa in 1993. (Right) Photograph taken on 30 May 2023 of new structures built in the interim show parts of the 1993 view partially obscured. All four of the young lamas are now senior lamas in Kathmandu. Photos: JOHAN REINHARD (LEFT) / ALTON C. BYERS (RIGHT)</figcaption> </figure>  &nbsp;This, however, is about to change. Mustang and Dolpo are increasingly being connected by roads, and every major village within Shey Phoksundo National Park will soon be linked Between May-July 2023 my wife Elizabeth and I spent 40 days trekking in upper Dolpo, photographing wild flowers for the Godavari Botanical Gardens (including the first photograph of the rare Primula ramzanae ever taken), making plaster casts of snow leopard pugmarks for the Natural History Museum, and noting the impact of yarsagumba harvesters upon the fragile, high-altitude landscapes.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231229111220_adcf95099774d11f754f7f5a9bf62138fa42885a26a61e9fbc43e1e096512449.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20231229111220_adcf95099774d11f754f7f5a9bf62138fa42885a26a61e9fbc43e1e096512449" data-rendition-name="original" width="2000" height="1400" loading="lazy" alt="Dolpo collage images NT 13/14"> <figcaption>(Left) Porter on the trail above Phoksundo lake in 1971. (Right) Jitendra Rai above Phoksundo lake on 1 June 2023. The lookout point with green roof in the background is the only real change that has occurred since Reinhard’s photo was taken in 1971. The lakeshore region in the background, however, will most likely be converted to a tourist hub with the coming of the new road, replacing traditional architecture with new homes and hotels made of cement, hotel-based as opposed to adventure tourists, automobiles, buses, and other modern amenities. Photos: JOHAN REINHARD (LEFT) / ALTON C. BYERS (RIGHT)</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231229111220_ac2d5bbf8d482f56b547c6ca9ab4332256888bf2149326580fec508561565a5d.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="20231229111220_ac2d5bbf8d482f56b547c6ca9ab4332256888bf2149326580fec508561565a5d" data-rendition-name="original" width="2800" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Dolpo collage images NT 15/16"> <figcaption>(Left) Porters on the trail above Phoksundo lake in 1993. (Right) Trail above Phoksundo lake on 1 June 2023. Little appears to have changed in the landscape since 1993, although the dangerous and exposed trails described by Matthissien in 1976 (some of which he crawled over on all fours) have since been improved. Yaks and mules, however, routinely fall to their deaths at certain narrow points. This section from Ringmo, crossing the 6,000m+ pass to Shey Gompa, might remain as a trekking trail. Photos: JOHAN REINHARD (LEFT) / ALTON C. BYERS (RIGHT)</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231229111220_db0d239e5c262395b269309171dade512de245f9b336de5076e838d62d24832f.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="20231229111220_db0d239e5c262395b269309171dade512de245f9b336de5076e838d62d24832f" data-rendition-name="original" width="2800" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Dolpo collage images NT 17/18"> <figcaption>(Left) View to the north-east above Phoksundo lake in 1993. The extremely deep blue of the lake may be a result of colour saturation of the original slide film, and age. (Right) The same view photographed on 1 June 2023, with little evident change having occurred in the interim. Photos: JOHAN REINHARD (LEFT) / ALTON C. BYERS (RIGHT)</figcaption> </figure>  We also replicated 16 photographs of the villages and landscapes taken by noted anthropologist Johan Reinhard in 1971 and 1993 to assess the changes that had occurred. Dolpo is still described as a roadless region by trekking agencies, available literature and websites. But new roads are planned and/or under construction from the Chinese border to Chakra Bhot, across to Saldang, down to Dho Tarap, and on out to Jomsom.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231229091220_e3a6a6c428b25526f4f2831d77ad7a132901df29f1eafd70dc52a526374756d6.jpg" data-media-id="editor_9" data-image-id="20231229091220_e3a6a6c428b25526f4f2831d77ad7a132901df29f1eafd70dc52a526374756d6" data-rendition-name="original" width="1386" height="800" loading="lazy" alt="Dolpo road network NT"> </figure>  Contoured ‘mountain bike’ trails have been excavated by local communities from village to village to help bulldozers, which will link the remotest settlements within a few years. The Shey Gompa monastery featured in Matthiessen’s book will be linked as will Phoksundo Lake.&nbsp; Our original trek route had to be drastically revised as a result, as we played ‘dodge the new road’ to stay on traditional trade and trekking trails in upper Dolpo.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231229111216_1ec923e67778e2f3cdf52e5597e4d9ea3da13394a73026523331b52c2f7a852f.jpg" data-media-id="editor_10" data-image-id="20231229111216_1ec923e67778e2f3cdf52e5597e4d9ea3da13394a73026523331b52c2f7a852f" data-rendition-name="original" width="3000" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Dolpo collage images NT 19/20"> <figcaption>(Left) Trekker campsite near Shey Gompa in 1993. (Right) The same campsite on 10 June 2023. With the exception of a new stupa and several buildings in the floodplain to the right, very little is different from the image above taken 40 years ago. This, however, will change in the very near future when roads connect Shey with the outside world. Photos: JOHAN REINHARD (LEFT) / ALTON C. BYERS (RIGHT)</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231229111220_c236bd4523441f367fa965eddfb8ff70fa4f5bdaabdb789ccefc757a0c162a0c.jpg" data-media-id="editor_11" data-image-id="20231229111220_c236bd4523441f367fa965eddfb8ff70fa4f5bdaabdb789ccefc757a0c162a0c" data-rendition-name="original" width="3000" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Dolpo collage images NT 21/22"> <figcaption>(Left) Scene from above Shey Gompa in 1993. (Right) The same scene on 10 June 2023. Only the red structure in the foreground, with its rectangular roof bordered with willow and juniper fuelwood, is new. Photos: JOHAN REINHARD (LEFT) / ALTON C. BYERS (RIGHT)</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231229111220_fad02525d46b34135fb839504c5663c1a7d0ae57805e3fabc7293d40c9079914.jpg" data-media-id="editor_12" data-image-id="20231229111220_fad02525d46b34135fb839504c5663c1a7d0ae57805e3fabc7293d40c9079914" data-rendition-name="original" width="2900" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Dolpo collage images NT 23/24"> <figcaption>(Left) Shey Gompa in 1993. (Right)  Shey Gompa on 10 June 2023, showing remarkably little change over the past 40 years. Photos: JOHAN REINHARD (LEFT) / ALTON C. BYERS (RIGHT)</figcaption> </figure>  The repeat photographs thus took on an entirely new and unexpected meaning. The photographs actually show how little change appears to have occurred in the villages, monasteries, and landscapes that we replicated.&nbsp; But with the coming of roads, we can expect unprecedented changes within the next few years, such as new cement hotels, lodges, houses, and other infrastructure. Roads can bring positive (improved access to health care) as well as negative impacts (increased landslides, poaching). We left with the hope that the benefits will outweigh the negative, and that the magic and mystery of Dolpo will continue to prevail in perpetuity. &nbsp;&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231229111220_45fdaa2f4fe92fe1c41b265d374a0259e5a81c19f1bdd160455b2e2338400920.jpg" data-media-id="editor_13" data-image-id="20231229111220_45fdaa2f4fe92fe1c41b265d374a0259e5a81c19f1bdd160455b2e2338400920" data-rendition-name="original" width="1700" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Dolpo collage images NT 25/26"> <figcaption>(Left) Tsakang Gompa in 1993. This meditative center near Shey Gompa was featured in writer Peter Matthiessen’s 1976 book The Snow Leopard. (Right) Tsakang Gompa on 11 June 2023 showing that little evident change had occurred in the interim period. Photos: JOHAN REINHARD (LEFT) / LAKPA NORBU SHERPA (RIGHT)</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231229111220_d1df43d7caec38690fa4e0dde53cb109e42600b5063b5e8c6e1b2964d6227ae3.jpg" data-media-id="editor_14" data-image-id="20231229111220_d1df43d7caec38690fa4e0dde53cb109e42600b5063b5e8c6e1b2964d6227ae3" data-rendition-name="original" width="2800" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Dolpo collage images NT 27/28"> <figcaption>(Left) Mother and daughter lodge owners in Yak Kharka identifying photographs of local people taken in 1971 and 1993 by anthropologist Dr Johan Reinhard. (Right) Ladies near Amchii Hospital identifying photographs of their friends taken in 1971 and 1993. Naturalist and mountaineer Lakpa Norbu Sherpa of Family Alpine Trekking and Mountaineering is to the left is holding the photographs. Photos: ALTON C. BYERS</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231229101224_ff6bcc5bb843c6eea3f1f30ae5fbe6e92a5ad8837e92d8003f03e1c9a2a73e17.jpg" data-media-id="editor_15" data-image-id="20231229101224_ff6bcc5bb843c6eea3f1f30ae5fbe6e92a5ad8837e92d8003f03e1c9a2a73e17" data-rendition-name="original" width="1333" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Dolpo repeat photographs NT 29"> <figcaption>Elizabeth Byers (left) and the Head Lama of the Bon Gompa near Ringmo identify changes in landscapes and monastery structures from photographs taken in 1971 and 1993. Photo: ALTON C. BYERS</figcaption> </figure>  The historic and recent repeat photographs should provide a solid baseline for young Nepali scholars to conduct future studies on the impact of roads in Dolpo, one of the last of the remote, hidden, and mysterious treasures of Nepal and the world. Alton C. Byers, PhD is a Senior Research Associate and Faculty at the Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR), University of Colorado at Boulder.

Time catching up with timeless Dolpo

The Kangchenjunga region is where modern tourism first started in Nepal. &nbsp; As early as the mid-1800s, the region below the world's third-highest mountain had started seeing foreign expeditions.&nbsp; The English botanist J D Hooker traveled throughout the Tamor, Ghunsa, and Yangma river valleys in 1849. ‘Pundit’ Sarad Chandra Das, one of the indigenous spies trained by the British Raj for clandestine mapping and intelligence work in Nepal and Tibet, visited the region in 1879, following the Chabuk Glacier north to cross into Tibet. &nbsp; In 1884 Rinzing Namgyal completed the first recorded circumambulation of the Kangchenjunga massif. In 1899 the British mountaineer Sir Douglas Freshfield replicated Rinzing’s journey with him, Italian photographer Victorio Sella, Sella’s brother, and other notable mountaineers of the time.&nbsp; But it was not until 1955 that Kangchenjunga was first climbed by George Band and Joe Brown. Since then, more than 350 climbers have made it to Kangchenjunga’s various summits. &nbsp; Trekking tourism began in earnest in 1984 when the region was first opened to foreign groups and has averaged only a few hundred tourists per year since 2010. Till last year, most trekkers said they decided to come here because it was the last mountain area in Nepal without a road. That is changing.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/trekking-in-the-time-of-climate-change">Trekking in the time of climate change</a>, Achyut Tiwari  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230929090912_1456c0d0abe065672ab1ce6eafb47b1b2ced22c22034d5a577c59e4131c0dc72.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20230929090912_1456c0d0abe065672ab1ce6eafb47b1b2ced22c22034d5a577c59e4131c0dc72" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Page 6-7"> <figcaption>Steep switchbacks on a new road from Nepal over the Tiptola Pass up to Tibet.</figcaption> </figure>  The region is actively undergoing more environmental, socio-economic, and cultural changes during the past 10 years, more so than anytime previously in Nepal’s 250-year history as a unified nation.&nbsp; The alpine shrub juniper and dwarf rhododendron throughout the Kangchenjunga Conservation Area (KCA) are in surprisingly good condition, in spite of the hundreds of years of harvesting by yak herders and villagers for fuel, incense, and to increase pasture area. &nbsp; This is largely reflective of low tourism, decreasing livestock numbers, and extremely wet environments found in the KCA. Humid environments tend to be more forgiving of human and cattle disturbances while promoting the rapid re-establishment of protective ground cover such as herbs and grasses.&nbsp; Populations of yaks, dzopkio, and other livestock are rapidly decreasing, as they are throughout much of the Nepal Himalaya due partly to labour shortages because of the outmigration of young people, and also herds being sold for meat in Tibet as well as changing lifestyles. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/participating-to-save-kangchenjunga">Participating to save Kangchenjunga</a>, Ghana S Gurung  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230929090912_57ba334e068885e104dd80e2c039d9b6bbc0d7f03aa4b8f038b661a121e52d51.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20230929090912_57ba334e068885e104dd80e2c039d9b6bbc0d7f03aa4b8f038b661a121e52d51" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="1333" loading="lazy" alt="Page 6-7"> <figcaption>Four dzopkio carried the author's  camping equipment, food, and research gear with Mt Jannu soaring in the distance.</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230929090912_a189ed918701329be149e9005b01f532b69e8ce07428102445326390734eddf9.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20230929090912_a189ed918701329be149e9005b01f532b69e8ce07428102445326390734eddf9" data-rendition-name="original" width="900" height="675" loading="lazy" alt="Page 6-7"> </figure>  Young people have been leaving the KCA for jobs in Kathmandu and overseas since the early 1990s, a process that intensified during the Maoist insurgency between 1996-2006. Most of the remaining inhabitants in villages such as Ghunsa are elderly, with the exception of a few younger lodge owners who can make their living from tourism. Climate change and warming trends are accelerating the glacier melt, processes already noted by Hooker in 1849 and Freshfield in 1899. Since then, the problem has become more acute and potentially catastrophic. Glacial floods, rockfalls and ice-debris avalanches have increased the vulnerability of local populations.&nbsp; Villages need to start thinking about mitigating and preventing the impact of floods by building gabions along river channels, moving structures away from vulnerable areas and monitoring threatening glacial lakes and other dangerous features. Himalayan fir (Abies spectabilis), an IUCN Red List species, is being overharvested, as are many other rare and medicinal alpine plants. This trend will be exacerbated by the construction of the new proposed roads and the easier accessibility to formerly remote regions which they provide. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/tracing-past-glacial-floods-in-kangchenjunga">Tracing past glacial floods in Kangchenjunga</a>, Alton C Byers  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230929090912_5d3c7af6b71ddf163b14d85b6efbbe6fba1960d0d95be0e451cd09e553edab3e.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20230929090912_5d3c7af6b71ddf163b14d85b6efbbe6fba1960d0d95be0e451cd09e553edab3e" data-rendition-name="original" width="1800" height="502" loading="lazy" alt="Page 6-7"> <figcaption>Dozens of glacial lakes like Nangama have formed over the past 25 years as the glaciers melt and retreat. </figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230929090912_a729648e8faf81a3b41e26fe11e229409e84f75e330dc7ce7fa0386198d63ef3.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="20230929090912_a729648e8faf81a3b41e26fe11e229409e84f75e330dc7ce7fa0386198d63ef3" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="1333" loading="lazy" alt="Page 6-7"> <figcaption>Elizabeth Byers stands next to Rheum nobile (padamchal, or lemonade plant) which used to be common in the KCA but are now rare due to overharvesting and increased access to new roads.</figcaption> </figure>  The most striking change in the KCA, and one with social and environmental impact, has been the construction of new roads throughout the Taplejung district during the past 10 years which are now beginning to encroach into the KCA.&nbsp; The perceived benefits of roads have typically included increased access and connectivity for rural populations, employment opportunities and health benefits.&nbsp; Hastily bulldozed roads are also now encroaching into national parks and protected areas, with little concern for old growth forests, wildlife, local economy, traditional cultures, and the future of adventure tourism.&nbsp; Many of these changes are happening throughout Nepal. New highways, transmission lines, irrigation canals and even new railways are crisscrossing national parks and protected areas. Poaching is reduced, but infrastructure is the new threat to Nepal’s conservation.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/including-local-knowledge-to-study-climate-change">Including local knowledge to study climate change</a>, Kunda Dixit  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230929090924_3cd5315c71ccda3cd328954695ec0a158d1928e5ba59f29831c49573fdf4f3d5.png" data-media-id="editor_9" data-image-id="20230929090924_3cd5315c71ccda3cd328954695ec0a158d1928e5ba59f29831c49573fdf4f3d5" data-rendition-name="original" width="783" height="586" loading="lazy" alt="Page 6-7"> <figcaption>The spread of the road network (red lines) in the last 12 years has been rapid, threatening the regions rich biodiversity. Map: MOHAN CHAND</figcaption> </figure>  But it is still not too late for Kangchenjunga. The region differs from others because there is still time to assess the feasibility of new roads and their environmental and socio-economic impacts.&nbsp; KCA could choose to remain a ‘traditional' protected area only for foot and beast of burden travel, thus making it unique in Nepal’s rapidly diminishing roadless protected areas.&nbsp; Increased visitation would directly benefit local cottage industries like handicrafts, fresh vegetable production, milk and dairy products, pack animal rental, and others.&nbsp; A functioning natural history museum and interpretation centre in Ghunsa and elsewhere could educate visitors about the rich and unique flora and fauna of the region. &nbsp; Read also:<a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/page/go-eat-to-kanchenjunga"> Go East</a>, Sudhir Limbu <h2>Land above the trees</h2>  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230929090912_ffc46c7ecd43e1d4d35b1e18ccec7d750d0828b98b3f532c720553aa0ec7bb7e.png" data-media-id="editor_11" data-image-id="20230929090912_ffc46c7ecd43e1d4d35b1e18ccec7d750d0828b98b3f532c720553aa0ec7bb7e" data-rendition-name="original" width="1051" height="457" loading="lazy" alt="Page 6-7"> </figure>  The Kangchenjunga Conservation Area (KCA), established in 1997, is spread across 2,035km² of protected area in easternmost Nepal. It was turned over to local communities in 2006 as Nepal’s first community-managed protected area. It is home to the world’s third-highest mountain, Kangchenjunga at 8,586m, once thought to be the highest in the world because of its massive summit ridge and visibility from Darjeeling. &nbsp; The region is also believed to conceal a beyul, or hidden valley of treasure and immortality containing sacred teachings that will be revealed to the devout in times of trouble.&nbsp; Elevations in the KCA range from subtropical forests below 1,000m, the fir/birch/rhododendron forests in the subalpine, dwarf vegetation of the alpine zone, to the 8,586m summit of Kangchenjunga, all within a horizontal distance of less than 30km.&nbsp; KCA is one of the last remaining refuges for the rare Red Panda, whose remnant populations live in remote conifer-bamboo forests. Himalayan Black Bear, Common Leopard, Red Dog, Palm Civet, and Yellow-throated Martin are more common, inhabiting both forest and farmland where they can often be a problem for local farmers and their livestock and crops.&nbsp; Large populations of Blue Sheep can be found in nearly every side valley encountered and are a good indicator of the presence of Snow Leopards.&nbsp; Alton C Byers, PhD is a senior research scientist at INSTAAR, University of Colorado at Boulder in the United States. In 2022, he and his botanist wife Elizabeth spent six months in the KCA documenting and quantifying contemporary threats to the KCA’s alpine zone under a Fulbright project. Byers has been involved in other initiatives that are still running in the Everest, Makalu-Barun and Peru’s Cordillera Blanca funded by the National Geographic. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/remembering-nepal-s-conservation-heroes">Remembering Nepal’s conservation heroes</a>, Ghana Gurung

Saving Kangchenjunga

With Saturday's deadline on Malaysia’s announcement of new criteria for selecting private recruiting agencies for migrant workers having lapsed, Nepal and Bangladesh have rejected the conditions.
The Malaysian move three weeks ago came in the aftermath of deadly GenZ riots in September, when Nepal’s interim government does not have designated heads in the Foreign Ministry and the Labour Ministry.
Interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki instructed the Labour Ministry to examine the implications of the standards and recommend appropriate steps to address them, but it has said it cannot send Nepali workers to Malaysia based on those criteria.
“In line with Nepal’s foreign employment policy and regulations, we are currently unable to accept or implement the proposed criteria,” says Pitambar Ghimire, spokesperson at the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security in Kathmandu.
In response to the government’s request for their opinion on the Malaysian stipulation, the Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies (NAFEA) has also flatly rejected the criteria, saying it could create a harmful syndicate and restrict fair competition, violate Nepal’s Constitution and laws, and increase recruitment fees that workers must pay.
On 25 October, the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent letters to the governments of Nepal, Bangladesh, Burma, Pakistan and India with 10 criteria meant to ‘rationalise the number of licensed private recruitment agencies permitted to facilitate recruitment and placement of workers to Malaysia’.
The proposed criteria include: at least five years of operating experience, deployment of 3,000 workers in the past three years of operation, experience sending workers to at least three countries, valid licenses and good conduct certificates, five employer testimonials, operating their own training and accommodation centres, and even a requirement for the staffing agency to have a 10,000 sq m office maintained for three years.
“We have communicated our views to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and have proposed discussing various labour related matters with our Malaysian counterparts diplomatically through bilateral dialogue and negotiations including renewal of the Nepal-Malaysia labour agreement,” Pitamber Ghimire said.
NAFEA has urged the government to prevent this measure from moving forward using diplomatic channels, and has held &nbsp;several gatherings and press conferences opposing the proposal since the Malaysian letter was received three weeks ago.
“We have taken commitment letters from members that they will not be engaged in activities related to the syndicate,” said Sujit Shrestha of NAFEA. “And if they break the commitment, they will face consequences including the revocation of their NAFEA membership. These letters also send a strong message to the government that this is irrevocably and collectively rejected by the industry.”
Bangladesh has also not accepted the proposal despite the 15 November deadline to send a list of recruiters that meet the criteria. That in itself would have been an impossible task to complete to begin with even if the government had accepted the proposal.&nbsp;
According to media reports, Bangladesh has sent a letter to the Malaysian government requesting that three of the proposed criteria be relaxed. This includes flexibility regarding the requirements for a 10,000 sq ft office, a dedicated training center, and the condition of having deployed 3,000 workers in the last five years. Despite the official request to Malaysian authorities, the Bangladeshi Government has also been collecting applications from recruiters who meet Malaysia’s proposed criteria, raising confusions about the contradictory stance.&nbsp;
Just like NAFEA, the recruitment association in Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) has also outright rejected the proposal including in a letter to the Bangladeshi government, calling the criteria ‘unprecedented and exclusionary, unreasonable, discriminatory and syndicate-driven &nbsp;that would effectively disqualify 99% of legitimate agencies from participation’.&nbsp;
Now that the ball is back in Malaysia’s court and the proposal has not gained much support from two of the major origin countries, it will be interesting to see how they respond.

Nepal, Bangladesh reject Malaysian conditions

Nepal’s September protests and regime change created two major unexpected costs that Prime Minister Sushila Karki’s interim government is scrambling to deal with: reconstruction of destroyed government buildings, and holding elections on 5 March.
The buck stops at the desk of economist and former bureaucrat Minister of Finance Rameshore Khanal about where and how to spend limited resources.
“Rameshore-ji is a fresh face and the right person for the role. He is capable and interested, and he knows the system,” says Kalpana Khanal of the Policy Research Institute (PRI).
But Minister Khanal has to grapple not just with the immediate budgeting needs for elections and reconstruction, but also initiate longer term measures to restore investor confidence badly dented by arson and vandalism of 9 September, and mend the economy.
Immediately after taking office, he had set up a three-member task force to cut programs and free up budget to meet immediate expenses.
“We have to hold elections and we have to reconstruct. Both need money, and they are equal priorities for us,” said Ministry of Finance spokesperson Tanka Prasad Pandey. “It is important to find these funds internally, and not look to aid from abroad.”
But Minister Khanal flew into heavy flak last week for his decision to restore investor confidence by giving a strategic capital gains tax break to Nepal’s only foreign private equity fund.
The Mauritius-based Dolma Impact Fund has invested venture capital into Nepal’s hydropower, construction and biotech sectors as well as solar farms and hospitals. It said in a statement that its capital gains are only taxable in Mauritius as per its double-taxation avoidance agreement with Nepal, which predates and overrides the Income Tax Act of 2002 subsequent to the Treaty Act 1990.
“When you have investors from all over the world, you have to choose a domicile and Mauritius is probably the most popular for development finance institutions due to strong governance, AML, and treaties with developing countries like Nepal,” Tim Dolma Investment told Nepali Times on the phone from London.
He added: “Last June we applied for the government to uphold its treaty with Mauritius which under all country laws including Nepal treaty act supersedes any disagreement with domestic laws. But there were delays. It was when the new government decided to uphold the treaty that the whole hoo-hah started.”
Leaks to the media possibly by bureaucrats fearful of being hauled over the coals by the CIAA has set financial circles abuzz for the past week. The Internal Revenue Office refused to grant the exemption, citing the 2002 Act.
Prime Minister Sushila Karki asked Chief Secretary Eaknarayan Aryal for clarification, and learnt that the Cabinet’s decision was not official since it was not recorded in the minutes.
“We were raising a fund that could have brought $1 billion in for energy and we had to stop it due to the reputational damage to Nepal by not upholding an international treaty,” said Gocher.
Gocher added: “Under Nepal’s Treaty Act, if there is ever disagreement between an international treaty and domestic law, then international treaty takes precedence so it is crystal clear and the way international treaties are dealt with all over the world.”
Some experts worry that gifting the fund such perks can set a dangerous precedent and a loss in tax revenue. Professor and economist Pushkar Bajracharya says: “The most important thing is to have a consistent policy about tax cuts and not do it piece-by-piece. Besides, the evidence just isn’t strong that tax cuts lead to higher investment, or more jobs.”
Others hark back to the capital gains dispute of the sale of Ncell ownership, which went to the Supreme Court and all the way to the international tribunal in The Hague.
Khanal has said privately that he is responding to the damage to Nepal’s investment climate from the dramatic visuals beamed worldwide of an international hotel chain and government buildings set ablaze in September. Western embassies are also said to be lobbying to allow Dolma tax exemption and smooth profit repatriation.
There are tradeoffs. Private equity funds like Dolma could funnel foreign funds more efficiently towards successful Nepali companies than the government, which is slowed down by many layers of bureaucracy. The downstream multiplier effect of such investments would outweigh taxes to the government since much of it is misused and wasted.
For example, the government is not taxing income in FY 25/26 generated by the US-funded $697 million Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) projects to build transmission lines and upgrade highways.
Strategic tax exemptions do provide incentives to investors, to make sure these projects are carried out effectively, which in turn helps Nepal’s development which has been affected by corruption and mismanagement.
The main demand of the GenZ protests that led to the downfall of the government coalition two months ago was to control corruption and make government more efficient so there is investment and job creation. The interim government seems to be responding to that sentiment.
The Dolma issue has distracted from the larger and longer-term need to reform the country’s financial systems and streamline public expenditure. How to reduce corruption and spur development is going to be the main agenda for elections, and the criteria by which voters will select candidates and parties.
TASKED FORCE
Shortly after Rameshore Khanal was appointed he set up a three member task force made up of the heads of Budget and Program, Foreign Aid, and Revenue Management Divisions. The team sent through the budget culling items DOGE-style — projects deemed ‘inadequately prepared,’ ‘fragmented,’ or ‘included through political pressure.’
Khanal hoped to save up to Rs100 billion by cutting all projects less than Rs30 million. However, such a slash and burn method would hurt rural and remote area projects for health and education more, and much bigger corruption-ridden infrastructure projects would be unscathed.&nbsp;
Says Bajracharya, “There are thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of low-return programs in the budget that are there because of political or personal influence. But the criteria for cutting them needs to be properly defined. Doing it arbitrarily is unacceptable.”&nbsp;
Kalpana Khanal of the Policy Research Institute was involved in the taskforce, and explains: “The decision to mobilise internal funds is a pragmatic move to fund elections and reconstruction.”
However, she also singles out the massively-funded Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport as being particularly problematic: “Time and cost overruns are historically the norm, and many are ‘vote bank’ projects that are politically motivated rather than done for return on investment.”
For example, politicians use their influence to build roads to their home districts to secure popularity even if the funds would have been better spent elsewhere.
“Another problem is the amount of funds that are transferred randomly for things that outside the budget,” continues Khanal.
Bajracharya adds, “While reconstruction and elections are big financial commitments, Nepal could easily find the funds. Cancelling low impact programs is a good move by the ministry of finance, and another option could have been to raise customs or taxes by a few percent. The main problem is that a huge amount of funds are lost to corruption.”
Kalpana Khanal and Dilli Raj Khanal co-authored a technical report last year titled Improving Public Expenditure System in Nepal: Critical Areas of Reform which did a forensic examination of such wasteful projects.
The conclusion: recommendation to have stricter accountability measures in place to check the actual use of funds and merit-based appointments in the National Planning Commission, Ministry of Finance, and the CIAA.
The technocrats in Prime Minister Karki’s cabinet resonate with the latter point. Nepal is so entrenched in the ‘afno manche’ culture of nepotism and connections that it has become the norm.
The report also refers to the well-known off-budget ‘re-allocations’ of big outlays during the seventh and first months of the fiscal year that undermine in-built check and balance. Almost a quarter of the budget is spent in the last month, which results in low quality and low impact work.
The authors call for reward and punishment systems to prevent these practices. The CIAA could also be supercharged to build transparency into the digital Line Ministry Budget Information System, instead of being an agency for political vendetta.

Nepal needs to use its money better

At the opening plenary of COP30, which stands for the convolutedly named 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), in Belém on Tuesday, Nepal brought up the threats to the Himalayan watershed. Nepal’s delegate Rajendra Prasad Mishra, Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also spoke on behalf of Bhutan and Bangladesh after the three countries formally called for tripling grant-based adaptation financing from 2015 levels to at least $120 billion per year by 2030, and to ensure a more simplified, scaled-up access to finance their National Determined Contributions (NDCs) to reduce emissions and adapt to climate impacts. “Bhutan has already graduated from Least Developed Country (LDC) status, while Bangladesh and Nepal are in the process of graduation,” said Mishra. “Graduation reflects development progress, but does not reduce our climate vulnerability nor the scale of support required to safeguard development gains.” The Loss &amp; Damage Fund is also finally coming into effect, so countries can now apply for $5-20 million to make up for damage from climate impact. But claiming damage and linking disasters to climate breakdown has not been an easy process. “When a 200MW hydropower plant is destroyed by a glacial flood, it is a big loss for Nepal’s GDP. Every megawatt costs us $20 million to build,” says energy entrepreneur Kushal Gurung. “Our lobbying should be top-notch, and hydropower can make a good case for us.” Belém marks the tenth anniversary of the Paris Agreement that brought the world together to pledge to keep global average temperature to ‘well below’ 2°C above pre-industrial levels and limit it to 1.5°C.&nbsp; COP has also returned to Brazil after 30 years of the Rio Conference in 1995. Since then there have been numerous summits, which have been criticised for being just hot air and being hosted by fossil-fuel exporting countries like UAE and Uzbekistan. Belém was selected because it is a gateway to the Amazon, but Brazil has now also become a major oil producer after new offshore finds. A recent report shows that compared to 2019, the world is set to reduce its emissions by 12% in 2035 if countries are to implement their Nationally Determined Contributions even though the figure needs to go up to 40% to meet temperature targets. There has been progress. Before the Paris Agreement the world was on a path for 4°C increase during this century, and this has now come down to 2.5°C because of the clean energy transition. But a lot more needs to be done to meet the Paris 1.5°C target. “This progress is proof that multilateralism is working, it is delivering,” Manjeet Dhakal of the Climate Analytics South Asia told us from Belém. “Having said that, it is simply not enough. Emissions need to go down much further, and a lot of it is tied to developed countries providing climate finance to do so.” Many developing countries have adopted ‘conditional NDCs’ which means their emission reduction targets cannot be met without international climate finance. In its third NDC, Nepal set a target of a 17.1% reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions and 26.8% by 2035. But achieving that has a price tag of &nbsp;$73.74 billion, with much of it from international climate finance. UNDERFINANCED However, the climate for climate finance is getting worse. The United States has exited from the Paris Agreement for the second time under President Trump, and there are cutbacks in foreign aid by European funders. Even so, the EU has committed to reducing its emissions by 90% in the next 15 years, 85% of which will be domestic emission cuts. The silver lining in all this is that the leadership in climate action is increasingly being taken by Nepal’s neighbours China and India with both investing heavily in renewable energy. China is the world leader in solar panels, wind turbines and electric vehicles, and Nepal has already taken strategic advantage of this.&nbsp; With expensive hydropower plants increasingly at risk from glacial lake outburst floods, experts say Nepal must diversify its energy mix and invest in solar power which has 10 times more potential than hydropower at 432 gigawatts with over 300 days of sunshine a year. Solar farms can also power pump storage, which are cheaper and quicker to build.&nbsp; China has drastically reduced the cost of photovoltaic cells, making such schemes more feasible. Nepal just needs to ease up its restrictive domestic energy policies, boost investment and resist geopolitical pressure on electricity generation. “First, we need to increase the cap on solar energy from 10% to 30%, and next, the bidding process should be made easier, or just have the first past the post system like that for hydropower,” says Kushal Gurung. The disadvantage of solar power is that it generates only daytime energy, but this can be solved with grid-scale battery storage or pump storage. But first, the government needs to fix the rate for solar purchase so that entrepreneurs are incentivised. “This is not happening because our government officials and engineers are comfortable dealing with hydropower, and are not just updated about the latest advances,” says Gurung. “As a result, we have no clear policies when it comes to solar.” Hydropower has become one of the biggest industries in Nepal with an installed capacity of over 3,400MW and the government’s target is to produce 28,500MW in the next ten years. But the recent climate disasters have made it clear that relying only on hydropower alone is too risky. The Nepal-Tibet glacial flood in July destroyed and damaged four hydropower plants and substations along the Bhote Kosi, and last September’s floods slashed the country’s total generation by half. Nepal now needs to build on the widespread adoption of battery-powered vehicles by extending it to electric public transport and for household appliances like stoves, rice cookers and refrigerators. Not only would this reduce Nepal’s per capita carbon footprint, but it would also reduce the country’s annual Rs300 billion petroleum import bill. At global platforms like UNFCCC, it is easy even for individual developed countries to get lost without an alliance. Now that Nepal is graduating from LDC status, it needs to have strong partners with a common goal to move forward in international negotiations. Says Kushal Gurung: “We won’t have privilege that came with LDC status anymore, which means climate finance will be even more limited. But there are a few things we can urgently do on our own like regulating the carbon credit market.”&nbsp; This article is brought to you by <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/" target="_blank">Nepali Times</a>, in collaboration with <a href="https://inpsjapan.com/en/" target="_blank">INPS Japan</a> and <a href="https://sgi-peace.org/" target="_blank">Soka Gakkai International</a>, in consultative status with UN ECOSOC.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20251118101116_30c3782f9c09219bf1c249b51483a3cfb7a53a06d117d2aebd23ca7080d12758.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20251118101116_30c3782f9c09219bf1c249b51483a3cfb7a53a06d117d2aebd23ca7080d12758" data-rendition-name="original" width="680" height="103" loading="lazy" alt="Nepali Times SDG"> </figure>

Global warning bell in Belém

As people move out of Nepal’s trans-Himalayan districts, their faiths migrate with them to the cities and all over the world. The ancient animist faith of Bon Po predates the advent of Buddhism in Tibet, and its last remaining priests and devotees are found in villages like Lubra in Mustang and Samling in Dolpo. But as those villages empty out, Bon centres can now be found as far afield as Kathmandu, New York and Tokyo. The first Triten Norbutse Monastery was founded in Tibet in the 14th century by the Bon Master Shen Nyima Gyaltsen. Its monastery in Nepal is below the forested hills of Ichangu on the western outskirts of Kathmandu.&nbsp; Many are surprised to hear that there is a Bon centre in Kathmandu, and that it is located so close to Swayambhu. This Triten monastery was established by Yongzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche only 40 years ago to cater to adherents of the faith who lived in the capital. True to its reverence for nature, the shrine is verdant, with plants and flowers amidst a contrasting backdrop of Kathmandu’s ugly urban sprawl below. The monastery practices Bon culture and passes on teachings to students as well, who after completing 15 years of study graduate to become ‘Gese’.&nbsp; It is believed that Bon Po was brought to Nepal from Tibet by Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche. Over the centuries, Bon and Buddhism have become syncretic in Dolpo and Mustang, despite the differences in their belief systems. Followers worship nature and consider the human body, speech and mind as jewels. The human body is said to be composed of five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and the cosmos.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20251113111148_ce5d50db6757c4f5a7259c10d2879ee5f5b7b990e987bf3734378ba464afc9d5.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20251113111148_ce5d50db6757c4f5a7259c10d2879ee5f5b7b990e987bf3734378ba464afc9d5" data-rendition-name="original" width="5712" height="4284" loading="lazy" alt="The Bon Po way of life NT"> </figure>  The Bon faith was much more widespread during the reigns of Nyathi Chenpo, the first king of Tibet to Namri Srongchen, the 32nd king. But it was after King Srongchen Gompo that Buddhism started making inroads on the plateau, and spread also in the Himalayan rimlands. There are also Bon followers in Humla, Jumla, Baglung, Mugu, Kaski and Chitwan, as well as in the United States and 50 other countries, indicating the movement of people within Nepal and outside.&nbsp; The Bon religion believes in reincarnation and that everything, including positive and negative thoughts are a result of past life karma. Buddhism focuses more on attaining Nirvana, a state of no suffering, where the subject is released from all his/her karmas. Bon has also inducted some Tantric practices and rituals, some of which are in parts similar, yet still different from Buddhism.&nbsp; “In Buddhist culture, circumambulation of shrines is clockwise, but in Bon culture, circumambulation is in an anticlockwise direction,” explains Chhiring Lama of Triten Norbutse Monastery. “The main Bon mantra is Om Ma Tri Mu Ye Sa Le Du, while followers of Buddhism chant Om Mani Padme Hum. Buddhism emphasises enlightenment by meditation and moral behaviour, while Bon beliefs centre on nature and ancestor worship, and placating the spirits. In religious texts, it is mentioned that there were 1,008 Buddhas throughout time. Tonpa Shenrab is believed to be the 8th Buddha, and Bon practitioners are guided by his teachings contained in 140 sacred writings known as Kangyur and 300 more scriptures known as Katen.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20251113111152_9813ce72805941af4b3bfb3c80c7e45ffc8aca4f2612eb967e84204f3a28bc07.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20251113111152_9813ce72805941af4b3bfb3c80c7e45ffc8aca4f2612eb967e84204f3a28bc07" data-rendition-name="original" width="4032" height="3024" loading="lazy" alt="The Bon Po way of life NT"> </figure>  “We worship nature and its elements and the prayer flags contain religious texts and when the wind blows through it we consider it a prayer,” says Chhiring Lama. “We also worship ponds for the water and consider fire as a sacred element as well. We also consider snakes sacred, therefore worship ponds, considering them as the place of residence.” The interdependence between human beings and nature is clearly depicted through such traditions and practices which carry relevance today as the planet faces the crisis of climate breakdown.&nbsp; Important gods worshiped include Satrig Ersang, Shenlha Okar, Sangpo Bumtri, and Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche. But what is similar to Buddhism is an offering known as ‘torma’, a cone shaped ritual offering made from flour dough. Many Bon faithful are vegetarian, or abstain from meat during festivals.&nbsp; Over time, the rise of Buddhism in Tibet and beyond overshadowed Bon, pushing many of its practices to the margins. Yet, the tradition continues to live on, carried by those who see in it a deep connection to nature, the spirit world, and the roots of Tibetan culture.&nbsp; In many ways, the endurance of Bon is a reminder that even the quietest faiths hold timeless truths, waiting to be remembered and valued. Followers of Bon today are far fewer, and the knowledge about its traditions is not as widespread.&nbsp; “As time goes on, people adopt rituals and cultures that are more convenient to their daily lives,” says Chhiring Lama. “But that means forgetting or leaving behind one’s indigenous and ancestral roots.”

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