Project Background       

The Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) was set up in 1986 by the King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation in collaboration with the Ghandruk Village Development Committee in the Mustang District(HMGN/MFSC. 2002). 

Originally 200 km², it has since been expanded and is now the largest protected area in Nepal at 7,629km² (HMGN/MFSC. 2002).  The ACAP is an innovative approach to conservation management – its main policy is to incorporate sustainable community development into current conservation strategies.  

The Annapurna area is very mountainous - the highest peak is 8091 metres high - and includes the Kali Gandaki valley which is the deepest gorge in the world (Saarc Tourism 2009).  Due to the altitude and terrain, very little of the Annapurna area is of any agricultural use, so agriculture is limited to the lower valleys and river basins while forest, shrub-land, barren land and snow make up the rest (GIS Development, 2001).  The snow line is usually between 5000 and 5500 metres (Nepal Mountain News, 2002). 

In the Mustang District total forest area accounts for 4.7 % of the total land area and agricultural land accounts for 0.08% (Central Bureau of Statistics, 2008).   The main threats to the ACA are environmental and cultural deterioration, caused mainly by tourism pressures and deforestation (HMGN/MFSC. 2002).  It is estimated that the current rate of deforestation in the mountain regions of Nepal is 2.3% (Central Bureau of Statistics, 2008).  Causes of deforestation include the expansion of agriculture and use as a fuel for cooking – it is the main source of fuel for around 95% of households in mountainous areas (Central Bureau of Statistics, 2008).

The climate of Annapurna region varies from subtropical to alpine, some of the highest rainfall rates in Nepal have been recorded on the south-facing slopes – up to 3000mm per year - while the north-facing slopes are in the rain shadow – less than 300mm per year (Explore Himalaya, 2009).

The Himalayan Field Mouse, Apodemus gurkha, was first recorded and described in 1924 by Thomas and is considered to be a distinct species from Apodemus flavicollis (Agrawal, 2000).  It is a nocturnal rodent which feeds mainly on insects and plant material, its habitat are the temperate rhododendron and coniferous forests, between 2,400m and 3,500m in central Nepal (Abe, 1970).  It is only known in eighteen locations in central Nepal, but has been mainly recorded in the Dhawalagiri and Gandaki Zones (Pearch, in press).

Various organisations and academic institutions have been contacted in Nepal, and a positive response has been received from the National Institute of Natural Sciences (NINS) and graduates from Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu and the Institute of Forestry in Pokhara.   

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