Annapurna Area Conservation Project The Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) is actually a project started by the King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation, a non-governmental organization funded by various trusts from all over the world. It includes the Annapurna range of the Himalayas with many peaks between 6,000-7000 m. The spectacular beauty of the Himalayan mountains viewed from close range is the main attraction of this area. This has made this area the most favored tourist destination in Nepal. More than 40,000 tourists hike this area every year.

Annapurna Base Camp at dusk. The sacred Machhapuchhare peak stands to the right in the background. Credit: Scott Yost

The increasing numbers of tourists had added more pressure to the area, which already had environmental problems inflicted by the local people. Keeping this fact in mind, this project was started to protect the environment, to raise the living standard of the people and to develop an environmentally- friendly tourism program.

One important step that has been taken is that villagers are given responsibilities to manage their own forest. It is only taking the role of a matchmaker "between local communities and sources of appropriate skills, knowledge, and technical and financial assistance which enables these communities to improve the quality of their lives".

Tourists who visit this area are charged an entry fee. The fee is spent on environmental protection and community development activities. It helps villagers to start seedling nurseries, installs fuel-efficient stoves in the tourist lodges, provides management training for local lodge owners, organizes environmental awareness classes and cleaning programs. It is also helping to install micro-hydro power plants in heavily crowded tourist areas to decrease the use of fuelwood consumption.