ASSOCIATED PRESS In this May 8, 2017, file photo released by Xinhua News Agency, people collect garbage at the north slope of Mount Everest in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.

Tens of thousands of tourists flock every year to the Mount Everest base camp located in China’s Tibet Autonomous Region to catch an awe-inspiring glimpse of the world’s tallest peak. But China is reportedly putting a stop to this human deluge, limiting annual access to the popular site to just a few hundred mountaineers and researchers.

A growing garbage problem on the mountain has been pinpointed as impetus for the change.

Local authorities in Tibet’s Dingri County have reportedly been posting notices in the region informing tourists that they will no longer be able to access the “core area of Mount Qomolongma National Nature Reserve” (“Qomolangma” is Everest’s Tibetan name). These notices first made an appearance in December, ABC News reported this week, but have only recently been widely reported.

Gesang Droma, the reserve’s deputy director, told the news outlet that only people with mountaineering permits or those conducting scientific and geological disaster research will be able to access the base camp.

Citing Chinese authorities, BBC reported that only 300 climbing permits to access Everest’s summit on the Chinese side will now be issued every year.

But travelers who still want to enjoy a view of Everest from the Chinese side shouldn’t despair. According to Droma, tourists can still access Rongbuk Monastery, located just below the base camp at about 16,400 feet. From Rongbuk, tourists can still see “the dramatic north face” of the mountain, he said.