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The Kangchenjunga region lies in the north-eastern corner of Nepal, in the valley below Mt Kangchenjunga, and encompasses unique environmental characteristics: home to some of the last healthy populations of several threatened species of wildlife that include the snow leopard, (Panthera unica), blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur) and serow (Capricornus sumatraesis) and Himalayan black bear (Selenoroctos thibetanum). More needs to be discovered about habitat and population status of the Himalayan Musk deer (Moschus chyrsogaster), Red Panda (Ailrus fulgens) or large birds of prey or pheasants that inhabit the area.

A combination of exquisite natural beauty, unique flora and fauna, and a sparsely populated and culturally diverse indigenous people that enjoy historically significant religious sites, has resulted in the Kangchenjunga Region being declared a tri-national protected area.

Sustainable Development

The approach adopted to implement plans to protect this area is termed sustainable development. Local people are encouraged to become involved in making key decisions on how they manage available natural resources. Gaining co-operation at a grass roots level is considered the key element to the long term success and viability of developing a protected zone.

Villagers are encouraged to modify certain practices, such as random wood cutting, poaching of threatened species, rampant harvesting of medicinal herbs, and substitute these activities for more sustainable practices, such as gaining employment as nature guide for visitors or farming medicinal plants for commercial purposes. In return, the community benefits overall from improved techniques in forest management, better access to health-care and schools, and a more equitable share in the profits the natural beauty and rich resources of the region generated from eco-tourism.

The basis of a sustainable approach is that people living in the extremes of poverty cannot begin to conserve their environment until their basic needs are met. Historically, it has also been shown that without local cooperation, a long, costly and ultimately futile battle ensures to keep poachers out and force control over activities.

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