PROJECT TITLE                                                                                                                                                                                         

“Towards protecting the Cultural Heritage of the High Himalayas of the Shey Phoksundo National Park in  Dolpo”                           

PROJECT AREA

Province: Karnali Province

Rural Municipality: Shey Phoksundo Rural Municipality

Wards: Ward 3, 4, 5 and 8

FUNDING AGENCY

The British Council in partnership with the Department for Culture, Media and Sports, UK

PROJECT LEAD

Sampada Samrakshyan Samaj Nepal (ICOMOS Nepal)

PROJECT PARTNER

Shey Phoksundo Rural Municipality

ABOUT CPF

The Cultural Protection Fund (CPF) is led by the British Council in partnership with the UK Government Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). It was launched in 2016 to protect vital cultural heritage at risk in conflict-affected regions. In 2019 the fund expanded its remit to protect cultural heritage at risk because of climate change and natural hazards. The overarching objective of the fund is to help create sustainable opportunities for social and economic development by building capacity to foster, safeguard, and promote cultural heritage. The CPF awards funding to projects that keep cultural heritage sites and objects safe, as well as supporting the recording, conservation, and restoration of cultural heritage. It also provides opportunities to local communities for training and education, enabling and empowering them in the long term to value, care for, and benefit from their cultural heritage. Since 2016 the Cultural Protection Fund has awarded nearly £50m to 138 projects across 17 countries. 

In 2023/2024 the CPF piloted the scoping activities in Nepal and in 2024/2025 four projects were awarded the grant to support the protection of the cultural heritage of Nepal. 

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Dolpo, located in the high Himalayas, is defined by the rugged beauty of the landscape and its rich cultural heritage which is directly linked to the identity of the local communities living in various isolated valleys. The traditional settlements and built heritage reflect the harsh climate of the location and the socio-cultural life of the people living in the area. Climate change has greatly impacted the Himalayan region, including Dolpo, where it has created havoc on the traditional pastoral lifestyle and to the traditional buildings and structures. In addition, with the increased threat of armed robbers looting the monastic complexes in the isolated areas, many of these sites remain abandoned during large parts of the year. These external factors have affected the upkeep of the built heritage in the Dolpo area.

In this pilot project we have examined the built heritage of Ward 3, 4, 5 and 8 within the Shey Phoksundo Rural Municipality which lies within the National Park. Through local engagement programmes with diverse community groups in terms of ethnicity, age and gender, we were able to gain insight into their values and the risk on the built heritage. With the establishment of an inventory system for the built heritage, documentation methodology and outlining the actions, procedure and requirement for the protection of the built heritage in Dolpo, the project has provided technical support and capacity building activities to attain the objective which are also outlined within the Five-year Plan of the Shey Phosksundo Rural Municipality. 

The project “Towards Protecting the Cultural Heritage in the High Himalayas of the Shey Phosksundo National Park of Dolpo” under the Cultural Protection Fund was funded by the British Council in partnership with the Department for Culture, Media and Soprt, UK. The project was implemented by Sampada Samrakshyan Samaj Nepal (ICOMOS Nepal) in partnership with Shey Phoksundo Rural Municipality in 2024-2025.

BASELINE

The national policy under the Department of Archaeology suggests the protection of heritage all over Nepal, however, considering the challenges of the remote location and the harsh climate, local policies for the protection and management of built heritage are also required.

In the five-year periodic plan of Shey Phoksundo Rural Municipality prepared in 2023 AD, documentation and preparation of policies concerning the protection and management of tangible and intangible cultural heritage have been mentioned. So far no resources have been allocated by the rural municipality for these activities as they lack the required capacity. 

No inventory has been prepared of the built cultural heritage spread across the project area. Some architectural documentation has been done by individual researchers and institutes, but no risk mapping has been done and the information is not available for use by the public and the authorities. 

Interaction events on the protection of culture and nature have been arranged between the local authorities and the national authorities, but no formal agreements have been established to jointly protect the rich heritage of the Dolpo region. 

PROJECT ACTIVITIES

Capacity building activities

Training

For the inventory of built heritage, eight local youths (two each from four wards) were identified in consultation with the local partners who were provided with training on inventorying the built heritage. On-site exercise were done during the field visits with each of the trainees in their respective wards. They then took on the responsibility as social mobiliser to fill out the inventory forms through site visits and consultation with the concerned stakeholders. 

In addition, two emerging professionals from ICOMOS Nepal were provided training and guidance on documentation of the built heritage. They implemented the methodology developed during the site visit to document the Historic Settlement of Tsho. 

To ensure the continued updating of the information of the inventory form and to use this information for the restoration and management of these built heritage, it has been uploaded on a GIS mapping system. To ensure the continuity of these activities, two staffs from the Shey Phoksundo Rural Municipality, three local youths from Dolpo and one emerging professional from ICOMOS were provided with basic GIS training. 

Workshop

With identification of the value of the built heritage and the impending risks, as well as the existing challenges of managing the built heritage, two workshops were conducted with participation of the local community, local authorities and national authorities to propose actions, procedures and requirements for the management of the built heritage in Dolpo.

In addition, a workshop on Heritage Management was also conducted in the village of Tsho. 

Local Engagement activities

Focus group discussion 

To perceive community resilience in protecting cultural heritage, seven focus group discussions were conducted, engaging participants from diverse backgrounds. These discussions brought together representatives from women’s groups, the older generation, youth, teachers, and lamas, ensuring a wide range of voices were heard and documented.

Intergenerational exchange 

Through individual interviews carried out to fill the inventory forms, there was knowledge transfer on cultural heritage between the local youths and the older generation. In addition, the workshops provided opportunities for the youth and older generation to interact and discuss each other’s roles for the future protection of the built heritage in Dolpo. 

Public awareness

Three schools in the Upper Dolpo area were visited by the project team to interact with the students on cultural heritage and its values. Posters were prepared and then  presented by the students, and the quality of their work clearly indicated how the people of Upper Dolpo participation in religious and cultural activities already from a young age.  

The outcome of this pilot project was exhibited through a three-day exhibition at the Dolpo Society Community Hall from 21 February to 23 February 2025, mainly targeting the Dolpo-pas, who are in Kathmandu for the winter. During the event, two panel discussion were also conducted. The first panel brought together responsible authorities at various levels of government to discuss the required coordination for the protection of the rich cultural heritage of Dolpo. The second panel, comprised of representative of various international agencies, discussed what modality of international involvement might be appropriate for a place like Upper Dolpo in respect to the protection of natural and cultural heritage.

OUTCOME

An initial inventory with 302 entries of built heritage from Wards 3, 4, 5 and 8 of Shey Phoksundo Rural Municipality has been prepared. During this process eight local youths, two from each ward, were provided training.

Three heritage sites, including the two monastic complexes of Samling and Thasung Chholing and the historic settlement of Tsho have been documented.

A Heritage Resilience Plan has been prepared that identifies the categories of built heritage and the risks they are facing, and outlines and the actions, procedures and requirements for their protection.