India, May 28 -- Sustainable tourism, responsible mountaineering and conservation of the Himalayan environment are the defining challenges of the day, Nepal's President Ramchandra Paudel said on Wednesday. Addressing the 'Everest Summiteers Summit - 2026' organised in Kathmandu, Paudel said Mount Everest was not only a geographical identity of Nepal but also the pride, prestige and an invaluable natural heritage of the country. "The country's economy has benefitted from the tourism sector through the conservation, promotion, publicity and balanced use of these assets," he said.

Paudel stated that global warming, the impacts of climate change and the accumulation of garbage in mountaineering areas have emerged as major challenges of the m...