Ecological Impact on the Nanda Devi Area. It appears that many expeditions that enter the Garhwal leave the campsites, both on the march in and on the mountains, in a mess. There is no reason why a campsite on the march in should not be left clean. We burned a large quantity of litter and cans with Japanese and Czech labels on them. Burned cans soon rust away. Expeditions going to the Garhwal (and other places too!) should give real thought to the garbage and sanitation problems they cause by their presence. Large camp fires are causing destruction in many areas. The porters seem to be the main culprits. I was shocked at the number of trees that had been felled at Deodi since 1975. 1978 was apparently the first year that goats and sheep have entered the Sanctuary which is supposed to be a wild-life sanctuary. Having seen the damage done by sheep in the Valley of Flowers, I am apprehensive for the future of the Sanctuary. I hope that pressure can be brought to bear on this latter problem by the Indian authorities. Large expeditions should be discouraged since they are disruptive in terms of the number of porters required and in general impact on the area.

Michael D. Clarke