Annapurna Conservation Area Project
Duke Nepal | Kathmandu
Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) launched in 1986 with the initiation of King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation (KMTNC) aims to protect the environment with sustainable community development in the Annapurna area by the local people.
We must pay a fee to get into any national conservation area that falls under ACAP. The fee collected from the trekkers in the Annapurna area is the main source of income for this project. Approximately 25,000 trekkers visit the Annapurna region every year and the trekking fee collected from the tourists supports more than 40,000 local people.
ACAP is a non-profit organization that is supported and sustained by these funds. ACAP is the first and the largest conservation area in Nepal that covering a 7,629 sq. km area. The head office of ACAP lies at an elevation of 2775m in Ghorepani. Its office lies in Kathmandu in a Sanchaya Kosh building in Tridevi Marg, Thamel. Similarly, ACAP has seven unit conservation offices and has branches in 5 districts of the Western Development Region of Nepal covering 55 Village Development Committees. Every VDCs manage, utilizes, and protect all the natural resources within the respective VDCs.
ACAP
ACAP has helped to strengthen the local manpower to manage tourism and conservation activities. It also has been able to increase the standard of living of the local population, protect the environment and develop sustainable tourism. Similarly, The money from the trekkers is mainly used for the following objectives:
- Protect Natural and Cultural Heritage
- Education to Sustain the Economy and Social Benefits of Tourism
Furthermore, other activities of ACAP are as follows:
- Conservation of Resources (i.e, forest management, wildlife management, etc.)
- Community Development (i.e., construction of schools, clinics, study tours and training for villagers, etc.)
- Tourism Management (i.e., informative posts, visitor centers, natural history museums, etc.)
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