NEPAL will use a $3.3 million grant from the Global Environment Facility to conserve the unique ecosystem of the Barun valley on the southern slopes of Mount Everest.

The valley lies in the Makalu-Barun National Park and conservation area and is believed to be one of the Himalayan kingdom's richest and most diverse pockets of natural life. Trekkers will not be allowed into the heart of the park, which will be made a prohibited zone -- the first in Nepal.