SNPBZ mapping handed over to DNPWC

KATHMANDU, Nepal --The Hindukush Karakoram Himalayan region (HKKH) Partnership handed over the results of a significant land cover research of Sagarmatha National Park and its Buffer Zone (SNPBZ) to C (DNPWC) on Wednesday.

Speaking at a program, Emanuele Cuccillato, chief technical officer, HKKH Partnership, said handing over these important documents to DNPWC is a way of sharing knowledge and expertise in protected area and tourism management.

Birendra Bajracharya, GIS Specialist with ICIMOD said, "The land cover initiative generates up to date land cover data using international standards for harmonization across the region".

According to Bajracharya, land cover maps provide knowledge about landscape patterns and their changes, which are essential to assess human induced problems and their impacts on the ecosystem.

Meanwhile, Cuccillato handed over the decision support toolbox Software (v. 2.0 beta) and hardware to operate it to Annapurna Nanda Das, director general of DNPWC.

Addressing the ceremony, Das said immediate action is required to implement the management project in SNPBZ and other protected areas of the country. "We aim to put our young, energetic officers into training programs, so that they can use this knowledge and help to apply it throughout the country".