Effects of tourism pressure on herd composition in the Sherpa villages of Sagarmatha National Park (Everest, Nepal)

Abstract

Tourism represents an increasingly important resource for many countries. We estimated the impact of tourism on local herd composition in Sagarmatha National Park (Nepal). We collected field data (interviews in villages) and searched bibliographic and historical sources. Village structure (lodge building) and animal husbandry (herd composition, male/female ratio) were also examined. We found that economic pressure (tourism income) has led to a change in village structure and livestock composition. Statistical analysis (χ² and Spearman correlation coefficient) confirmed this hypothesis. We suggest that traditional settlements have a positive effect on biodiversity because they increase landscape heterogeneity, while changes in villages due to tourism pressure may exceed the natural limiting factors of the park.

Keywords:

• ECOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF TOURISM
• HUMAN ECOLOGY
• HERD COMPOSITION
• YAK (BOS GRUNNIENSIS)