Nepal is endowed with a wealth of natural resources including snow-capped mountains, abundant rivers, sub-tropical forests, significant biodiversity and wildlife, and pristine, diverse landscapes. Yet the potential of Nepal’s protected area network, and its contribution to the country’s economic development is yet to be fully realized.
This situation mirrors that of many countries in which governments value protected areas in conservation strategies but overlook them in economic development plans. This oversight is of great concern, as countries, globally, struggle to contain unprecedented biodiversity losses while trying to address development setbacks inflicted by COVID-19.
This study sets out to strengthen the economic case for the government of Nepal to promote sustainable and inclusive tourism in its protected areas by estimating the direct and indirect benefits to local economies from protected area tourism.
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