Abstract Type: Independent oral presentation
Abstract TitleEstimation of environmental impact generated by mountaineering activities on Mt. Everest in the Himalayas
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Abstract
High mountain areas, such as the Himalayas, are the areas most affected by climate change and have a low capacity to adapt to the effects of climate change. Ecosystem services generated by high mountain areas provide various benefits to local communities and tourists. Among the Himalayas, Mt. Everest is the highest mountain in the world, and therefore, high-altitude mountaineering is also popular and continues to attract climbers from all over the world. High-altitude mountaineering is in intensive use due to the limited duration of mountaineering activities, which causes environmental degradation of trails and the glacier areas around trails. The generation of waste at high mountain base camps and other sites has long been recognized as an impact of tourism (mountaineering) on high mountain areas. However, while many studies have been conducted to assess the effects of climate change in mountain areas, such as glacier retreats and melting in biophysical aspects, there is still insufficient research to elucidate the synergistic effects of climate change and tourism use and their effects on the environment. This study presents a study to assess the adverse environmental impacts of mountaineering activities at base camps on both the Nepalese and Chinese (Tibetan) sides of Mt. Everest. The proposed approach is based on the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing imagery, in addition to field surveys, and addresses the lack of data affecting this area. By identifying the mechanisms and the amount of environmental impact on the mountain environment caused by mountaineering use on Mt. Everest, it should be possible to calculate the environmental carrying capacity needed to consider sustainable mountain environment conservation measures.
Related Conference Topic Area
(5) Environmental management and global change ----------
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Presenter Information
First Name HIJIRI |
Last Name SHIMOJIMA |
Affiliation Tokyo University of Agriculture |
Author(s) Information
Author | First Name | Last Name | Affiliation |
1 | HIJIRI | SHIMOJIMA | Tokyo University of Agriculture |