Nepal's Supreme Court has ordered the government to limit the number of mountain climbing permits for Mount Everest and other peaks.
The country is home to eight of the 10 highest peaks in the world and it welcomes hundreds of climbers every spring during peak climbing season.
Nepal currently grants permits to all who apply to climb Mount Everest for a fee of US$11 000 (R203 250).
Last year, the country issued a record 478 permits.
However, after reports of pollution and degradation of the mountain's environment, and the sale of 403 permits already this year, the proposed limit was approved.
