ROAD DEVELOPMENT AND ITS DISCOURSES: A CASE STUDY ON GHANDRUK AND CHOMRONG
Authors
Maharjan, Raj Kumar ; Poudyal, Amit ; Tamang, Karma ; Gurung, Ricky
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2022
Submitted on
2022-05-31
Pages
123
Abstract
Dette speciale undersøger den omstridte etablering af en farbar vej mellem Ghandruk og Chomrong i Nepals Annapurna Conservation Area, et centralt trekkingområde, hvor levebrød skifter fra ressourcebaserede aktiviteter til en turismeorienteret servicesektor. Det søger at forstå, hvordan vejudvikling, præget af magt- og politiske dynamikker, påvirker turisme, sociokulturelle praksisser og lokale økonomiske forhold, samt hvorfor det samme projekt kan skabe inklusion for nogle og eksklusion for andre. Studiet er forankret i debatter om bæredygtighed i beskyttede områder, styring af forholdet mellem bevaring og udvikling, autenticitet, massturisme og samarbejde mellem interessenter. Metodisk anvendes et abductivt, kvalitativt casestudie med semistrukturerede interviews af ACAP-repræsentanter, hoteloperatører, turismefagfolk og lokale beboere, udvalgt via ikke-sandsynlighedsudvælgelse (frivillig- og sneboldmetoder) og suppleret med sekundære kilder. Analysen belyser, at politisk indblanding og magtkampe påvirker beslutninger og udførelse af vejen, at forventninger om økonomiske gevinster ledsages af bekymringer for miljø og kulturelle forandringer, og at goder og byrder fordeles ulige. Overordnet peger specialet på behovet for planlagt, bæredygtig infrastrukturudvikling og inkluderende processer i beskyttede bjergdestinationer; detaljerede resultater præsenteres i den fulde afhandling.
This thesis examines the contested development of a motorable road between Ghandruk and Chomrong in Nepal’s Annapurna Conservation Area, a flagship trekking region shifting from resource-based livelihoods to a tourism-oriented service economy. It asks how road infrastructure, shaped by power and political dynamics, affects tourism, socio-cultural practices, and local economic conditions, and why the same project can produce inclusion for some groups and exclusion for others. The study is grounded in debates on sustainability in protected areas, conservation–development governance, authenticity, mass tourism, and stakeholder collaboration. Methodologically, it uses an abductive, qualitative case study design with semi-structured interviews of ACAP personnel, hotel operators, tourism professionals, and local residents, selected through non-probability volunteer and snowball sampling and complemented by secondary sources. The analysis highlights that political interference and power struggles influence decision-making and implementation, that expectations of economic benefits coexist with concerns about environmental impacts and cultural change, and that benefits and burdens are unevenly distributed. Overall, the thesis underscores the need for planned, sustainable infrastructure and inclusive processes in protected mountain destinations; detailed empirical findings are presented in the full work.
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