Nepal has contributed 19.7% of its total landmass for protection of biological diversity through the establishment of protected area management system, which encompasses 9 national parks (IUCN category II), 3 wildlife reserves (IUCN category IV), 1 hunting reserve and 3 conservation areas (IUCN category VI) expanding over east to west and north to south of the country. The establishment of protected areas (PAs) in Nepal and worldwide groomed in around 1970s, when the role of local communities in biodiversity conservation and protected area management was not considered crucial.
According to the management objectives of (PAs), IUCN has categorized protected areas into six different categories. By its definition, national parks are generally of category II and do not have human settlements inside park. However, national parks in Nepal have human settlements inside the park and in fact, they have been resided there for centuries interacting with the nature and leaving their cultural marks in the landscapes. Accept the Special Site for Scientific Interest (SSSI - IUCN category I), all the protected areas will have human access for recreation, scientific studies and sustainable use of natural and cultural resources.
Due to the outstanding natural qualities and culture of indigenous communities, protected areas in general attract tourists from all over the world. Nepal?s protected areas such as Sagarmatha, Langtang, Chitwan and Annaupurna are of the same example. These protected areas have become unique destinations for national and international tourists and generate much needed income at the local and national level. Usually, the protected areas are located in remote and rural areas where the majority of the local populations are economically backward. However, because of tourism activities in and around PAs, rapid change in their social, economic, environmental and cultural values have also experienced over the decades. The majority of the changes are often positive but cannot be ignored the negative ones as well. Stress on natural environment through soil erosion, trampling of vegetation, litter problem, creation of demand on scarce energy, forest resources, creation of market inflation are few of the negative examples of tourism.
