Annapurna
trekking has been wildly recognized as a naturalist's
paradise. The upper sub-alpine steppe environment
harbors some of the rare snow leopards and blue sheep.
Other areas of the region protect bird species such
as the multi-coloured Impeyan, kokla, blood pheasant
amongst a multitude of other birds, butterflies and
insects. Many plants native to Nepal are found in
this forest. The conservation area has 100 varieties
of orchids and some of the richest temperate rhododendron
forest in the world.
For thousands of years people of diverse
ethnic backgrounds have scratched a livelihood out
of its steep hillsides. The advent of tourism and
the phenomenal rise in human population has triggered
a process of environmental deterioration. In 1968
Nepal's King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation
launched the Annapurna Conservation Area Project.
With international help, the project
aims to integrate environmental conservation with
development that can sustain the area's reserve base.
The project aspires to improve local living standards,
protect the environment and develop a more "sensitive"
form of tourism. One of its most important function
has been to develop and teach courses on environmental
education in local schools.
