Himalayan region of Nepal is repository of rich biodiversity and home to diverse ethnic
communities. These mountain areas are living landscapes where human – nature interactions can be found
quite direct and intense. In this region, the nature is largely shaped by people and people’s socio cultural
and livelihood systems are shaped by the nature. Although mountain people are considered minorities in
numbers, they are the main custodian of biological resources and their management knowledge.
In order to ensure sustainable conservation of these mountain ecosystems and biological resources,
Nepal has been establishing impressive networks of protected areas of different IUCN categories. Fifty
percent of the protected areas of the country are in the Himalayan region. These protected area networks
include the Mt. Everest National Park and the eastern Himalayan ecosystems – one of the global
biodiversity hotspots. Varieties of conservation governance models have been adopted to ensure
participation of people in conservation. Furthermore, elaborated conservation benefit sharing mechanisms
have been introduced as an incentive and help improve local livelihood opportunities. This paper
discusses and analyses different conservation approaches currently practiced in the Himalayan protected
areas and presents their weakness and strengths in achieving sustainable development and poverty
alleviation objectives. The paper suggests that every conservation approaches have some limitations, and
combination of protective and participatory tools are necessary for sustainable conservation and local
livelihood improvement. Similarly, inclusive governance and equity in benefit sharing are keys to widen
conservation constituencies and participation of marginalised and ethnic communities in conservation.