The Himalajan Times
Solukhumbu, June 2nd 2004
Karma Doma helps conserve forest
By Kripa Sharma
Karma Doma Sherpa's
interest in forest conservation grew some 12 years ago when she
saw that forests in Solukhumbu district were being exploited by
the government officials.
"When I saw the officials responsible for conserving forests, involved
in this illegal act, I could not remain silent," said Karma. Continuous
efforts in conserving the forests has fetched her the Abraham Conservation
Award which was presented to her by the World Wildlife Federation
on June 5, 2002.
Karma, along with other women, started keeping a tab on illegal
activities as wood was being illegally taken to other districts.
She is sad about having less number of Rhododrendon trees.
"We used to have a lot of Rhododrendons before. It was a matter
of pride for us but these days the species has become almost extinct".
Karma, under the Sagarmatha Conservation and Forest Preservation
(SCAFP) project, has been planting 1,000 to 1,500 Rhododrendron
saplings every year.
A mother of
two children, Karma is involved with the Himalayan Community Forest
Users' Group and is also a member of Sagarmatha Conservation Area
Project. She also runs a hotel in Monjo, a small village in Solukhumbu
district.
"In our community,
women are not suppressed," Karma said adding "This may be the reason
for my success. My husband helps me too".
Born in Gangtok,
Sikkim, Karma got married to Tshering Chombi in 1982 and has been
living in Monjo since then. In off seasons, she stays in Kathmandu
with her family. "I have been living in a place where there is no
life during winters. I have to leave this place for several months,
so I stay in the capital," she said.
The 32-year-old
conservationist added: "A lot more needs to be done for the development
in my district". "Tax collected from the tourism industry is not
being utilised properly". She informed that this year alone, the
airline companies made a profit of Rs 20 million from Lukla Airport.
"In normal days,
there are seven to eight flights from Kathmandu to Lukla and during
the peak seasons, it exceeds 80 flights per day and one can imagine
how much money it generates," she said.
With formal
education up till grade four, Karma has travelled to the US and
has recently attended the Mountain Women Conference in Bhutan.
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http://nepalresearch.org/nature/forests.htm
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