Lumbini, the Birthplace of the Lord Buddha, was inscribed onto the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List in 1997. It is situated in the Rupandehi district of Nepal and is rich in cultural, spiritual and religious values. The sacred site is the pride of Nepal and has the potential to become a major source of revenue for the country.
The land use pattern around the Lumbini World Heritage Property (WHP) has undergone a
significant change from agricultural to industrial use in the last 16 years. As a result, the universally outstanding archaeological remains at the Lumbini WHP are being negatively affected by rapid industrial development. Similarly, local people, pilgrims, tourists and agricultural and industrial workers are suffering the ill-effects of industrial pollution. The development of industries at the site has also adversely affected existing fauna and flora and precious environmental resources such as water, soil and air.
In order to address these negative impacts, the Government of Nepal (GoN) decided in November 2009 that carbon-emitting industries would not be allowed to operate in the Lumbini Protected Zone (LPZ), as well as in an 800 metre designated area on both sides of the Bhairahawa-Lumbini Road (B-L Road)1. The GoN also issued a decree that industries operational at the WHP must respect the Environmental Protection Act and those that failed to do so would face compulsory relocation within two years.
Despite the government ruling on sensitive industrial development and environmental
protection measures, adverse environmental and social impacts have been observed in the WHP due to the establishment of industries which do not adhere to the government’s environmental rules and regulations.
With this background, IUCN Nepal was requested by UNESCO in 2011 to prepare an “Environmental Impact Study of Industrial Development around Lumbini, the Birthplace of Lord Buddha and a World Heritage Property”, with the following terms of reference.
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Publisher:
IUCN, UNESCO
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(2012
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Type / Script:
Bulletin or Poster
in English
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Keywords:
CULTURE, CULTURAL HERITAGE, CULTURAL PROPERTY, CULTURAL VALUES, CULTURAL HISTORY, CULTURAL PROPERTY PRESERVATION, HEALTH, FLORA, FAUNA, WATER, PHOTOSYNTHESIS, HUMIDITY, AIR QUALITY, HISTORICAL HERITAGES, HISTORICAL MARKERS, RELIGIOUS PLACES, HISTORIC SITES , MONUMENTS
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Thematic Group:
UNESCO
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Educational, Scientific and Cultural
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Thesaurus:
15.00.00
- Cultural Development
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Reference Link:
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