India, Feb. 21 -- Humans shouldn't be allowed to conquer everything, says Tshering Tobgay, Prime Minister of Bhutan.

In his tiny country on the eastern edge of the Himalayas, more than half the land area is protected as nature reserves. At the cost of tourism dollars, the mountains are left alone. Climbs above 6,000 metres were banned in 1994, because of the damage caused to these delicate ecosystems. Since 2003, mountaineering has been banned altogether.

"These peaks are sacred to us. Why should they be 'conquered'? Just the knowledge that we can do it should be enough, shouldn't it?" Tobgay says. "We need to learn not just to live in harmony with nature, but in harmony with what has always been."

Tobgay, 59, began his second five-yea...