KATHMANDU, NOVEMBER 27 Following the interim government's decision on Monday, conservationists have warned that it could lead to mass destruction of biodiversity and disruption of the ecosystem. On November 24, the PM Karki cabinet made 14 decisions, one of which is to move forward a process for the consent of environmental studies for projects that have already received survey licences for power production and hydropower projects that have signed power purchase agreements before July 8, 2024 in conservation areas or buffer zones. The government has decided to approve environmental assessments for pipelines, drinking water projects, roads, bridges, public transportation, and power transmission lines that are directly connected to residents within the protected area. The government has also decided to forward a process either to give land to the national forest or to acquire replacement land for the construction of this infrastructure. However, environmentalists and conservationists have called the decision a big blow to the government's stance. According to them, the decision refers not only to protected areas but also to national forests. 'And it's all without any research on repercussions. There is no evidence of long-term or short-term effects, and this is in a country known for its carbon money,' said Shristi Singh Shrestha, a conservationist and animal welfare activist. 'Thus, this is a blow. The decision will have a significant impact on human-wildlife conflict and various forms of pollution. This will create a mayhem on biodiversity and ecology.' She also lamented, 'It is completely anti-national and anti-conservation. It is hypocritical and dangerous and serves only a handful of corporations, agencies and middlemen.' Another animal rights and environmental activist, Pramada Shah, stated that the decision will lead to biodiversity loss, ecosystem disruption, and climate change as a result of deforestation and fragmented habitats, as well as species loss. 'If just building roads through some jungles and destroying animal corridors, particularly elephant corridors, has resulted in so much human-wildlife conflict, imagine what would happen if hydro plants, roads, bridges, and everything else mentioned in the government's decision number 10 were actually permitted to operate,' she questioned. She also emphasised that people should be talking about the economic impact that this decision will have on the tourism industry and the many lives that depend on it. 'Tourism will be severely hampered,' she said. 'We also realise big business is at play here. They have to be if they are talking about petroleum, hydro, irrigation, public roads and the like. They will entice the locals with micro projects, and individuals will reap benefits from the major ones. The losers will always be the locals and indigenous populations, the thriving wildlife and the entire biodiversity.' She described the decision as destructive, saying, 'I don't know what the council of ministers were thinking when they made this destructive decision.' She highlighted that the previous government was responsible for drafting this bill. 'But I would have thought the Gen Z government would have been more sensible and scrapped it entirely,' she added. Meanwhile, Minister for Energy, Water Resources Kulman Ghising, and Irrigation, stated today at the Nepal Youth Entrepreneurship Summit, 2025, co-hosted by the National Youth Council and the Nepal Business Institute: 'In the name of protecting ecology, we are decaying our resources. We're importing wood from China and Malaysia because it's more difficult to cut down a tree than a person here. As a result, the next leadership will change these laws.' He further said, 'It does not imply that the environment will be neglected; rather, we must make use of it. In certain protected areas, we have enormous resources in the form of stones and sand, which are worth the money that we need. These could play a pivotal role in developing the economy.' Shah, upon hearing Ghising's speech, stated that she was shocked to hear such remarks from him. 'Because it is an apparent move for businesses.'