Global processes are driving changes in the Imja Valley’s (Nepal) social-ecological system (SES). On one hand, climate change has expanded glacial lakes to the point that the lakes are dangerous to the local populations in the glacial valleys. On the other hand, the social system has been transformed by the increased flow of international tourism into the valley. Although pastoralism used to be the main economic driver in the area, it is now a only a marginal contributor. Tourism services (e.g., lodges, guides and climbs to the summit of Island Peak) are now the dominant economic driver in the Imja Valley. The transition from pastoralism to tourism also shows a shift in the services provided by the ecosystem: from depending on pastures and water that sustain livestock herding to depending on the scenic views and trekking landscapes of this SES. Of course, now with larger numbers of people traveling through and depending on this fragile environment, greater efforts must be taken to sustain the landscape so it is not destroyed.
Lodges in Dingboche (Photo by Julio Postigo)
Himalayan Yaks (Photo by Julio Postigo)
- Julio C. Postigo
The University of Texas at Austin & Peruvian Center for Social Studies (CEPES)