This Natural History Handbook originated as a staff-training manual for the Makalu-Barun Conservation Project on the wild side of Everest around Mount Makalu and the Barun River Valley of north-eastern Nepal. This area represents an intact ecosystem in an area of globally significant biodiversity, the Eastern Himalaya. A sample of the great variety of plants and animals living in this spectacular region are presented in this field guide. The factors that create the range of conditions allowing such diversity are explained in the first two sections. The handbook is applicable to all of the Eastern Himalaya. Co-published with The Mountain Institute.