The Supreme Court of Nepal, instructed the government to reduce the number of licenses which are granted for the ascent to Everest and on other peaks of the Himalayas, a lawyer who had filed a related request told AFP.

“The court has ordered to limit the number of climbers” on the world’s highest mountain at 8,850 meters, Deepak Bikram Mishra said, as Nepal’s spring climbing season begins.

Nepal currently grants permits to those who want to climb Everest and are willing to pay $11,000. Last year 478 licenses were granted – a record number.

The admissibility of these mountain areas “must be respected” and a maximum appropriate number of climbing permits must be set, the Supreme Court’s summary of the decision stressed, which did not provide figures on the matter.

The decision of Nepal’s Supreme Court was issued in late April, but the summary was made public this week.

Lawyer Deepak Bikram Misra explained to AFP that with this decision the Court responded to concerns of the population in relation to nature conservation in Nepal, in which there are eight of the ten highest peaks on the planet.

Besides reducing the number of climbers, the court recommended taking “measures to manage waste and protect the environment” in the mountainous areas, the lawyer stressed.

Every spring, when the temperatures are milder and the winds generally less, Nepal welcomes hundreds of adventure seekers to its mountains.

A very large human “traffic jam” on Everest in 2019 forced members of the expeditions to wait for hours on Everest in very cold temperatures.

At least four of the 11 deaths recorded that year were due to overcrowding on the mountain.

“We are putting too much pressure on the mountain and we need to give it a little break,” said Deepak Bikram Mishra.