The Nepal government has unveiled a new five-year action plan (2025–2029) aimed at protecting the Himalayan mountains from growing pollution and waste by limiting the number of climbers and improving environmental management, according to official sources.
Under the initiative, issued by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, authorities will introduce legal and policy measures to regulate how many climbers are allowed on popular peaks, including Mount Everest, and when expeditions can take place. These measures are intended to reduce overcrowding in short climbing seasons and to prevent further accumulation of trash and human waste across high-altitude routes.
The action plan comes in response to a Supreme Court order requiring the government to specify climber numbers before issuing permits for expeditions. Officials cite concerns that excessive climbing activity has overwhelmed waste management efforts, especially on Everest and nearby peaks.
According to data from the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC), more than 83 metric tonnes of waste were collected from Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse during the 2025 spring climbing season alone — a sign of how urgent the cleanup challenge has become.
As part of the plan, teams of trained and experienced mountaineers will be assigned clear waste collection and monitoring duties above base camps. Climbers and expedition teams will be required to prepare detailed equipment inventories before departure, and items must be checked upon return to ensure compliance with waste-management rules.
The measures also include standards for classifying and managing waste, with stricter requirements on materials brought into high camps. Decorative items such as banners and prayer flags must be biodegradable or otherwise carried back by climbers at the end of their expeditions.
Officials are weighing additional steps such as the use of ropeways and drones to retrieve waste from higher elevations, and the plan calls for feasibility studies into relocating Everest’s Base Camp to help reduce environmental strain.
The government’s move aims to balance environmental protection with income from climbing permits. It reflects growing global concern about the impact of mountaineering tourism on the fragile Himalayan ecosystem.
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