Kathmandu, Mar. 28: Annapurna Conservation Area Project (acap) of the King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation has been registered as the “Expo 2000 project”.

Around 2000  projects from all over the world had submitted proposals for consideration in Expo 2000.

Dr. Christian Ahrens, manager of the projects around the world, Germany, for Expo 2000 said that ‘ the selected projects are the most interesting and most sustainable projects of the present time- really practical examples to take hold of .”

Expo 2000 opens its gate on  June 1, 2000 in Hannover, Germany.

Over 190 nations, international institutions and organisations will be taking part in the Expo 2000. About 50 of them have their own pavilion. Nepal has been crafting the Himalayan Pavilion or Expo 2000. The Expo 2000 will reflect the expo theme of “Humankind- Nature-Technology: A New World Arising.”

Annapurna conservation area is the first protected area in Nepal, which is managed by a ngo, the King Mahendra Trust for  Nature Conservation since 1986. It is the  largest protected area in Nepal covering 7629 sq. km  and it promotes community based conservations programme in 55 village development  committees of five districts in western Nepal.

Acap is considered as one of the most promising  integrated conservation and development  projects in the world.

Annapurna conservation area is home for the endangered wildlife species like snow leopard, lynx, musk deer, Himalayan tahr and Tibetan Argali.

Around 120,000 people live and practice traditional agriculture within the conservation area.

This is also one of the most popular trekking destinations in Nepal attracting some 67,371 trekking tourist in 1999.

Together with acap, biogas programme, Churia forest development, promotion of the  Nepalese Chamber of Industry and Commerce, promotion of improved water mills for energy production in Nepal, promotion of village communities through cotton planting and rural energy development programme have been registered as “ Expo 2000 project” from Nepal.