Upper Dolpa's Ancient Monasteries and Phoksundo Lake on Path to UNESCO World Heritage Recognition

Dolpa / Upper Dolpa: Preparations have been stepped up to include it on the World Heritage List. The process is underway to list the ancient religious, cultural, natural, and historical heritage sites within the Shey-Phoksundo, Dolpo-Buddha, and Charakata-Tsongo villages.

An initiative is underway to include the heritage sites of Dhok Tarap in Upper Dolpa - Phoksundo Lake, the ancient She Gompa, Yangjer Gompa, Samling Gompa, Rap Gompa, and Bon Gompa on the Mixed World Heritage List.

For the past two years, Ecomas Nepal has been working on preparing the necessary documentation. "Upper Dolpa is a region rich in natural and historical heritage. Since 2018, there have been discussions about inscribing the area on the World Heritage List," said Annie Joshi, project head of Ecomus Nepal.

"Currently, documentation for listing is underway. Continuous discussions are being held with key stakeholders, including the Department of Archaeology, the Department of Forest, UNESCO, the Monastery Management Committee, and the local government. Everyone is positive about this." Joshi said that only 900 ancient heritage sites have been identified in Shey-Phoksundo Rural Municipality so far, and there are plans to submit an application to UNESCO for listing this year.

She said that including Upper Dolpa in the World Heritage List would make a significant contribution to Nepal's tourism sector and create employment opportunities for locals. Ecomus Nepal stated that the British Council, an organization that has long been working in the field of archaeological heritage conservation, has provided support for this effort.

Shey-Phoksundo Village, which is significant from natural, religious, and historical perspectives, should be included on the World Heritage List for proper protection, said the village's vice chairperson, Pemma Wangchen Gurung. "Efforts are underway to include this area on the Mixed World Heritage List. We are also seeking the opinions of district stakeholders. The local government itself is taking the initiative and carrying out the work," said Vice Chairperson Gurung.

He said that field research on this subject has been underway for some time. Since it encompasses all areas natural, religious, and historical, he said that necessary steps are being taken through the Government of Nepal to initiate action with UNESCO. He added that stakeholders in Kathmandu even held discussions on the matter.

Most of the natural and ancient heritage sites are located within Shey-Phoksundo National Park. Phoksundo Lake, the park's main attraction, is also on the Ramsar List, and the park is known for its ancient monasteries and rare wildlife, including the snow leopard, which has one of the highest densities in Nepal. "This issue has been raised for a long time. In the meantime, a team from the Department of Archaeology also came to the park office for coordination," said Nurendra Aryal, the park's chief conservation officer.