<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2023020814028/63e39f539c7e80680e0d6fe6jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="768"/><figcaption>All photos: HEMANT OJHA</figcaption></figure>Nepal's <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/who-now-owns-nepals-forests/">community forestry success story</a> has been praised internationally. Other developing countries have tried to emulate it, and in November even The New York Times noticed this success, running <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/11/world/asia/nepal-reforestration-climate.html">a story titled ‘How Nepal Grew Back Its Forests’</a>.The Times reported: ‘Large swaths of national forest land were handed to local communities, and millions of volunteers … were recruited to protect and renew their local forests, an effort that has earned praise from environmentalists around the world.' it went to cite emerging issues including increased wildlife and rural migration.Read also: <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/editorial/climate-climax,3651" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Climate climax</a>, EditorialHowever, what The New York Times missed out on was how community forestry is now facing a multi-faceted and systemic crisis from dysfunctional local groups to regulatory recentralisation that I observed during my recent fieldwork in Kavre, Sindhupalchok and Lamjung districts. Kavre and Sindhupalchok were where Nepal's community forestry concept was first piloted in the 1980s, with support from an Australian aid program.“No one attends the meetings for the community forest anymore. The forest has become a jungle of weeds and unwanted shrubs, increasing the risk of fire,” a community forestry leader in Kavre told me. “Twenty years ago, people used to pay for small tree branches and even leaves, but today, people are not interested in receiving any forest products even when I offer free delivery.”Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/who-now-owns-nepals-forests/">Who now owns Nepal's forests?</a> Sonia AwaleThis 80-year-old Kavre resident has experienced a systemic institutional decline in his community forest, so much so that he is the only member of the village committee running and keeping the group afloat.In another community forest in Kavre, mature trees had fallen and were lying on the forest floor, left there for months or perhaps even years.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2023020814028/63e39f579c7e80680e0d6fe7jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="768" height="1024">“These trees have good commercial value in the market, but the forest user group is not interested in investing time and effort to clear complex regulatory requirements for sale,” explained Sarada Tiwari of ForestAction Nepal. “And they don’t need fuelwood as they buy LPG from local shops.”Indeed, in almost every site I visited, I found that community forests had become dense jungles, increasing the fire hazard. Restrictive regulations prevent communities from harvesting trees, leading to a decline in the interest of local user groups in managing forests. As a result, good market value trees are left dying.After 40 years of glorious history, community forestry in Nepal is facing a new generation of problems which threaten to undermine past gains.Perhaps the primary source of this crisis is the significant shift in people’s dependence on forests. With increased road networks and the flow of remittance from family members working abroad, people have shifted from using fuel wood to fossil fuels.  With the decline in farming, the use of other forest products has also significantly dropped. But this new forest-people relationship is yet to be reflected in plans and policies of community forestry.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/protecting-nepals-parks-by-saving-buffer-zones/">Protecting Nepal’s parks by saving buffer zones</a>, Teri D AllendorfPolicymakers in Kathmandu believe that community forestry is mainly a source of subsistence livelihoods, a proposition that was true two decades ago. That is why they continue to impose restrictions on harvesting and marketing of forest products.A forest official told me: “We are careful not to encourage commercial harvesting of timber from community forest areas”.This is what happens in practice, despite formal laws being open to marketing forestry products side-by-side with what is seen as progressive community forestry policies at the federal level. <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=19042#.Y7QEuexBzDJ">Nepal’s Forest Law 1993</a> was one of the world’s strongest forest legislations to devolve power to local communities willing to take control of an area of forest in their locality. The same spirit continues through the Forest Act 2019.Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/villagers-step-up-to-protect-nepals-tigers/">Villagers step up to protect Nepal’s tigers</a>, Teri D AllendorfHowever, in actual practice, regulatory enforcement hardly follows the policies and legal provisions in letter and spirit. A senior community forestry activist once said: “In Nepal, forest laws are undermined by rules; rules by working procedures, working procedures by written notices, and written notices by oral instructions. How can you then comply with all of them?”What’s worrying is that even community forestry activists seem to have an orthodox attitude that denies more active and sustainable use of community forests.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2023020814028/63e39f599c7e80680e0d6fe8jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="768">“We are worried that some projects aim to promote marketing of forest products which can jeopardise community forestry,” said one community forestry activist working at the national level. He seemed to have settled on the idealistic narrative of community forestry, and believed it was not necessary to think of ways in which communities could benefit from the growing market values of forest products.Even when trees are harvested as per the sustainable use plans and with necessary approvals, the wider public and the media portray it as destruction of protected woodlands. This has prompted forest officials to take a risk-averse approach, further reinforcing regulatory restrictions in marketing surplus products.To be sure, felling trees may sound synonymous with the act of deforestation. But our research has reconfirmed some of the existing scientific knowledge and community wisdom that it is possible to undertake sustainable forest harvesting without jeopardising the forest ecology. Indeed, active use of forest can also protect the forests from fire hazards and foster good ecosystem health.Read also: <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/community-forest-comes-in-handy-earthquake-reconstruction,2927">Seeing both forest and trees</a>, Om Astha RaiProven techniques exist to facilitate forest regeneration after harvesting mature trees. However, operational regulations and the mindset of policymakers and community leaders that forests are for subsistence farmers, prevent innovation for more active and equitable use.Nepal’s community forests are an <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/community-forest-comes-in-handy-earthquake-reconstruction,2927">important natural capital for locals</a>. Forests make up nearly 45% of Nepal’s land area and there are over 500 commercially tradable products, with 150 species already in trade. Across the country, over 22,000 forest user groups manage 34% of the total forest area, but only a small fraction of community forests are under active management.Yet Nepal is spending billions to import timber because domestic forests are under-utilised. Clearly, local communities as well as the national economy cannot afford this crisis in community forestry.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2023020814028/63e39f5d9c7e80680e0d6fe9jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="768">There is no one solution to tackle this impending crisis. The absence of marketing is not the only problem. What is required is a holistic socio-ecological solution that empowers communities to take action, with incentives accruing to them as per the ecologically sustainable levels of natural capital use.In a research project funded by the Australian Centre for Agricultural Research, we are analysing the political and economic roots of this crisis to inform an exploration of actionable ways to revitalise community forestry institutions at the local level. Our focus is on Kavre and Sindhupalchok where we are also tracing historical evolution of community forestry from the days of Australian project in the 80s.Read also: <a style="font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 15.36px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: normal; background-color: #ffffff; outline: 0px;" href="http://nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=12130#.VuEeTX197Dc" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The greening of Nepal</a>, Marty LoganBut a problem of this scale is not solvable by a research initiative alone. It is crucial to foster critical dialogue among policymakers, communities and research groups. Every aspect of community forestry should be brought in the table for new policy discussion – from resource rights to local organisational models, from financial governance to social equity, and from business models to market linkages. How local governments and community groups can work together should be a key dialogue agenda.But dialogue without practice-based insights and research-based evidence is pointless. Moreover, change cannot happen without key policy actors appreciating the changing context of community forestry.Hemant Ojha is associate professor at the University of Canberra, and also an adjunct associate professor at Australian National University, Australia.Read more: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/safeguarding-the-soul-of-sal/">Safeguarding the soul of sal</a>, Lila Nath Sharma

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Reviving Nepal's community forestry success story

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114131120/6372332b9c7e80680e0c48ccjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="902" height="635"/><figcaption>Photos: BHADRA SHARMA</figcaption></figure>Aryan Praja grew up hearing stories about the versatile chiuri tree that provided his Chepang community with food, honey, medicine, and was an intrinsic part of the culture.Paja’s village of Raksirang north of the East-West Highway in the densely-forested mountains of Makwanpur district once used to be covered by the Indian Butter Tree. Today, not much is left of the chiuri and with it the unique culture, cuisine and livelihood of the Chepang people.“Our parents and grandparents told us about the value of chiuri but we neglected it, and moved away from our culture. My generation knows little to nothing about the trees,” says 26-year-old Praja, who then took it upon himself to save what was left of the all-purpose trees.Little did Praja realise what he was getting into. He tried to mobilise young Chepang like himself, and lobbied with the elders. But saving the tree was not a priority for a people marginalised and neglected by the state for so long that survival from day to day was a hurdle.Education, roads and migration were eroding the Chepang’s semi-nomadic way of life. The climate crisis brought more intense floods, landslides and lightning, making the lives of villagers even more precarious.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114131120/6372332e9c7e80680e0c48cdjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1196" height="1204">Aryan Praja and his young activist friends were ridiculed time and again by their peers for trying to save the trees when there are much more pressing concerns like finding jobs abroad or applying to colleges.Fortuitously, three years ago Praja attended a program on chiuri organised by the non-profit National Forum for Advocacy Nepal (NAFAN). Finally he came across like-minded people who understood the importance of saving the endangered tree and the culture it represented. Their activism won the group the moniker ‘Chiuri Boys’, and it has stuck.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/chepang-and-their-chiuri/">Chepang and their Chiuri</a>, Bhadra SharmaNAFAN works to improve food security among the upland Chepang and Tamang people across Central Nepal through sustainable community forestry, and is supported by the group Swallows of Finland.The Chiuri Boys are now registered as the Chepang Chiuri Youth Club and have hundreds of members all over Makwanpur, actively engaging with young Chepang to revive the tree with plantations, door-to-door campaigning and training during its annual Chiuri conference.The group is working on a video, interviewing elders to document the many uses of the tree — as an antiseptic, the nutritional value of its butter, and its role in honey production and supporting the population of pollinating bats. The video also shows the tree’s use as fuel, fertiliser and organic pesticide.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114131120/637233319c7e80680e0c48cejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="3000" height="4000">NAFAN’s Bhola Bhattarai remembers the first time he visited Raksirang five years ago, and being appalled by the depletion of the chiuri, and how it had changed the lives of the Chepang households for the worse.“Back then, I knew that if we are to garner positive response moving forward we need to take the ecology and economy side by side,” recalls Bhattarai, explaining how reviving beekeeping was a way to bring the chiuri culture back.He lists the factors that led to the disappearance of chiuri trees: the Chepang’s rights to chiuri was being challenged by the government’s opposing forest ownership rules, the advent of modern lifestyles, especially in changing food habits.The erosion of the cultural values of the Chepang, and the very association of chiuri with the community’s impoverished status did not help matters.NAFAN is now working with the Nepal Chepang Association to change the government’s policy of turning the former slash-and-burn range of the Chepang into leasehold forests. They want the land to be formally handed over to the Chepang for protection and livelihood, and in the process bring back the chiuri.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114131120/637233359c7e80680e0c48cfjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1125">Also tied up with the importance of the chiuri tree is the revival of the Nwagi festival that has been in decline since so many Chepang have converted to Christianity.Restoring chiuri has also made locals realise the significance of traditional food items like githa, bhyakur, and tarul that are also a part of Chepang identity. There is a need to remove the association of those foods with poverty and ‘backwardness’.The revival of Chepang culture, tradition, language and local products has gone hand-in-hand with initiatives to start homestays that will offer a unique experience to tourists and generate income.“Chiuri conservation has had a cascading impact here. The younger generation is now better-informed and identifies with our culture and tradition,” says Kamana Praja, 22, a social mobiliser in Raksirang.“This has motivated us to conduct informal traditional classes where we have students ranging from 2-20 years,” she adds.News about The Chiuri Boys of Rasksirang has now spread to surrounding districts. Aryan Praja and his team are being invited to villages in Chitwan and Gorkha to launch similar activities to revive the Chepang ties with the land.Says Aryan Praja: “Some people still don’t understand why we are prioritising chiuri and do not heed our request. Change takes time but every day we are gaining new believers, making our efforts worthwhile.”Read more: <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/bee-population-in-decline,3613">What’s the buzz</a>, Sonia Awale

Sonia Awale

The Chiuri Boys of Makwanpur

<img width="800" height="466" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101136/63720c559c7e80680e0b7863jpeg.jpg" alt=""/>3 May 2009 has a special significance for Tulsi Laxmi Suwal, as it was the day she found a mother pangolin with her new-born pup inside the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/who-now-owns-nepals-forests/">community forest</a> area in Bhaktapur.Suwal, who is a researcher of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/protecting-pangolins-from-being-eaten-to-extinction/">pangolins</a> and a conservation activist, took the shy and harmless little creatures to the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/its-a-zoo-out-there-2/">Central Zoo</a> in Jawalakhel where she began to study them. Co-incidentally, her own child was five years of age then, and watching the mother pangolin feed, cuddle and take care of her pup, Suwal felt a growing emotional attachment with the pair.“For 15 days I would go to the zoo every morning,” Suwal recalls. “Then I would observe them all day and return home in the evening.”This experience, Suwal adds, helped her gain a more holistic knowledge of the scaly mammals. Later the mother and the pup were released back to the Bhaktapur community forest.Read more: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/protecting-pangolins-from-being-eaten-to-extinction/">Protecting pangolins from being eaten to extinction</a>, Sonia AwalePangolins are small mammals, between 30 to 100cm in size, with large, protective keratin scales covering their skin. There are eight extant species found in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, all of which are currently <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/lesser-known-endangered-species/">considered threatened</a> by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They are the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/the-routes-for-the-worlds-most-trafficked-mammal/">most trafficked mammals in the world</a> because of illicit demand for their meat and scales in China.Nepal is home to two species: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/the-day-of-pangolins/">the Chinese and Indian varieties</a>. Both species are in Nepal’s protected list and the killing, poaching, transporting, selling or buying of the scaly anteater is punishable with Rs1 million fine and/or up to 15 years in jail.However, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/protecting-pangolins-from-being-eaten-to-extinction/">100,000 pangolins are smuggled live</a> from Southeast Asia and Africa into China every year where its scales are believed to have therapeutic value and its meat is considered a delicacy. Some ethnic groups in Nepal also consume pangolins for their supposed health benefits.<a href="https://www.savepangolins.org/">Save Pangolins</a>, a global organisation that supports conservation actions in Africa and Asia, and raises awareness of pangolins around the world, estimates that one million of the animals have been killed worldwide in the last decade alone. <img width="4000" height="3000" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101136/63720c589c7e80680e0b7864jpeg.jpg" alt="">Suwal was first introduced to pangolins in 2007 when she came upon a picture of the animal in a book. She was at the time a post-graduate student at the Central Zoology department in Tribhuvan University.Curious, she looked for more information on pangolins and discovered the works of conservationists Juddha Gurung and Daniel Challender. As her interest grew, so did her affection for the animals, which appear to her like new-born babies. Then in 2009, along with her studies, Suwal also began her conservation work, joining Nepal's <a href="https://smcrf.org/">Small Mammals Conservation and Research Foundation (SMCRF)</a>.For her dissertation on pangolins, Suwal chose to work in Balthali in Kavre district where the private forest is a good habitat for the animals, studying them for months. This was almost 12 years ago when female students of Zoology would usually choose parasitology as their field of study. <img width="126" height="150" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101136/63720c5b9c7e80680e0b7865jpeg.jpg" alt="">Read more: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/the-routes-for-the-worlds-most-trafficked-mammal/">The routes for the world’s most trafficked mammal</a>, Nepali Times“When we were studying, even botany and environment were more popular choices among girls,” says Suwal. “But I picked zoology and focused on ecology.”Her passion for pangolins has taken Suwal all over the country, often to identify the different species found in the community and national forests. However, she feels that many people are still unfamiliar with the animal and its significance.She would inform people, wherever she went, about the role of pangolins in our ecology and biodiversity. She even started a campaign to impart relevant news and information about the animal through the social network. <img width="1600" height="1200" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101136/63720c5c9c7e80680e0b7866jpeg.jpg" alt="">Gradually the interest took on momentum and more people have come to join the conservation efforts in recent years. Suwal works with the local people, media, community forest groups, security forces, the Ministry of Forests and Environment, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, and also conducts discussions and talks in communities, schools, colleges and universities on pangolins to raise awareness.By 2012, there was already a growing interest among locals as well as post-graduate students. So far, the number of studies done by the university on pangolins is 35, which includes the participation of government institutions involved in conservation and habitat protection. Suwal, who is currently pursuing PhD in Taiwan, is nearing the completion of her research, which will make her the first female zoologist from Nepal with a doctorate on pangolins.Taiwan has the highest population density of pangolins in the world. “Taiwan is proof that China can also reduce its demand for pangolins through education, stricter laws, transboundary collaboration and enforcement,” adds Suwal.“I wanted to study,” she says thinking back on her journey. “All of this has been possible because of the support from various people in my life.” Her husband Manoj Bakhunche who is an engineering officer with the Armed Police has been her strongest supporter. <img width="3603" height="2590" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101136/63720c609c7e80680e0b7867jpeg.jpg" alt="">Born in Chochhe of Bhaktapur, Suwal wanted to be a teacher like her father when she was a child. She began to teach at Dipendra Police School in Sankhu when she was 19 after her mother passed away, and continued to teach until she completed her Bachelor eight years later.Even as she took evening post-graduate Sociology classes at Tri-Chandra College, her true interest was Zoology, and promptly returned to it after taking two year’s unpaid leave of absence from teaching.Through her expertise and involvement in pangolin conservation, she was made a member of the <a href="https://www.iucn.org/">IUCN</a>’s pangolin specialist group in 2012. She is among seven Nepalis in the group and this network brings her together with 148 experts from 37 countries. Further, her dissertation is aided by Save Pangolins, which recently recognised and honoured her conservation work. <img width="583" height="443" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101136/63720c639c7e80680e0b7868jpeg.jpg" alt="">“Pangolins are critically endangered in the world,” says Suwal: “But the growing concern for its conservation is promising. It is important that we all work together to keep the mammal from going extinct.”An example of such work is the observation of the World Pangolin Day on the third Saturday in February annually across the world. Another is also the ‘pangolin pavement’ in the Bagh Bhairab Community Forest in Kathmandu’s Machhegaun – a first in Nepal. As conservation institutions expand their work, they are also beginning to include pangolins in their scope and programs.However, Suwal believes that while community and organisations are now taking pangolins seriously, current efforts are not enough. A major concern is that there is no budget allocated especially for pangolin conservation, and nor have regular programs for long-term study and research been decided.She adds: “Conservation work need to be expanded across the country systemically to save more pangolin lives.” Translated from the Himalkhabar Nepali <a href="https://www.himalkhabar.com/news/128424">original</a> by Ashish Dhakal.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/lesser-known-endangered-species/">Lesser known endangered species,</a> Nepali Times

Planet of the pangolins

<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101136/63720c199c7e80680e0b784ejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="3264" height="1836"/>Sonam Tashi Lama, a Nepali grassroots conservationist working to protect the country’s endangered <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/red-panda-conservation-nepal,1668" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/red-panda-conservation-nepal,1668&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1646270991147000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2jtH74oSxFFFDgkLcgsz1E">red panda</a> is among 15 activists shortlisted for the prestigious Whitley Award 2022.He has been recognised by the Whitley Fund for Nature for strengthening community-based initiatives to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/tracking-nepals-red-panda-by-satellite/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/tracking-nepals-red-panda-by-satellite/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1646270991147000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3iaw1wEYQqgIOU8EBqOPUy">save the last of the red panda</a>, which is also known as the ‘first panda’ to distinguish it from the Giant Panda in China.Working as a Program Coordinator in <a href="https://redpandanetwork.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://redpandanetwork.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1646270991147000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1TLPTzg7ruCQiwInmVzxuC">Red Panda Network</a>, Sonam Tashi Lama is a conservationist from Nepal who has been working for more than a decade in implementing <a href="https://redpandanetwork.org/What-We-Do" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://redpandanetwork.org/What-We-Do&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1646270991147000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3c_T3CZdIfZ9RyPvGWxU4K">community-based red panda conservation</a> approaches in Nepal. His work has created a <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/rescued-red-pandas-from-Rolpa-in-Kathmandu-zoo,2851" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/rescued-red-pandas-from-Rolpa-in-Kathmandu-zoo,2851&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1646270991147000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3o7ZAyNrdafkq0tx8I-wmm">grassroot impact </a>that has fostered red panda conservation stewardship in communities of eastern Nepal.<a href="https://whitleyaward.org/about/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://whitleyaward.org/about/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1646270991147000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0dtmL9UsJEiJqpDtWuioC_">Whitley Fund for Nature</a> (WFN) is a UK fundraising and grant-giving charity founded by <a href="https://geographical.co.uk/people/i-m-a-geographer/item/1620-edward-whitley-conservationist-author" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://geographical.co.uk/people/i-m-a-geographer/item/1620-edward-whitley-conservationist-author&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1646270991147000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2IXZOhkaSpzYNq73h1qBUl">Edward Whitley OBE</a> in 1993. The award winners are local environmental heroes working across countries to create lasting benefits for wildlife, landscapes and people. The flagship conservation awards worth £40,000 are honoured competitively following rigorous assessment by an expert panel.Read more: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/republic-of-nepals-animal-kingdom/">Republic of Nepal’s animal kingdom</a>, Sonam Tashi Lama and Janam ShresthaAn earlier recipient of the award from Nepal was <a href="https://whitleyaward.org/winners/conservation-endemic-bird-species-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://whitleyaward.org/winners/conservation-endemic-bird-species-nepal/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1646270991147000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3mhEiOy3NqfjMMEEKC8QXJ">Dr. Hem Baral in 2005</a> for his work to conserve  endemic bird species through participatory conservation at Phulchoki forest near Kathmandu.This year, the other 15 shortlisted conservationists for the award include Shailendra Singh, Andres Link, David Kwarteng, Pablo Hoffmann from across the world providing various environmental solutions among others.The Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN) is a UK registered charity supporting grassroots conservation leaders in the Global South. Over 29 years it has channeled £19 million to more than 200 conservationists in 80 countries. It was one of the first charities to direct funding to locally-led projects.Its rigorous, and renowned, application process identifies inspiring individuals who combine the latest science with community-based action, to benefit wildlife, landscapes, and people.The <a href="https://whitleyaward.org/what-we-do/whitley-awards/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://whitleyaward.org/what-we-do/whitley-awards/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1646270991147000&amp;usg=AOvVaw28MMgX1MlLAM4JcgKS1vEs">Whitley Awards</a> are presented by patron <a href="https://whitleyaward.org/about-us/patrons-ambassadors/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://whitleyaward.org/about-us/patrons-ambassadors/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1646270991147000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0t6d-UTB2bEwsADUbkiV3v">HRH The Princess Royal</a> at an annual ceremony in London. Winners receive funding, training and profile including short films narrated by Trustee, <a href="https://whitleyaward.org/about-us/trustees/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://whitleyaward.org/about-us/trustees/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1646270991147000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2BGezCPxk0npd4HEy9bxJi">Sir David Attenborough</a>. Whitley Award winners also join an <a href="https://whitleyaward.org/winners-hub/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://whitleyaward.org/winners-hub/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1646270991147000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0TNAryH1UFNKAzHUI0Sw1G">international alumni network</a> eligible for <a href="https://whitleyaward.org/what-we-do/continuation-funding/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://whitleyaward.org/what-we-do/continuation-funding/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1646270991147000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0d5UXOAGDJNj1eUpBmwQzm">Continuation Funding</a>, allowing successful conservation solutions to be scaled up. A portion of WFN’s annual Continuation Funding is directed to nature-based solutions that jointly address the climate and biodiversity crises.‘This year we received applications of an exceptionally high standard, representing a range of conservation approaches benefitting wildlife, landscapes and people across the Global South,’ Whitley said in a statement.Shortlisted candidates and their projects are <a href="https://whitleyaward.org/2022/02/24/2022-whitley-awards-the-shortlist/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://whitleyaward.org/2022/02/24/2022-whitley-awards-the-shortlist/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1646270991147000&amp;usg=AOvVaw32fwxs7Aeim5MI2Ounkm1d">here</a>:Aylin Akkaya of <a href="https://www.dmad.org.tr/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.dmad.org.tr/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1646270991147000&amp;usg=AOvVaw259YcNgeKnuEyezGFRuL7j">DMAD – Marine Mammals Research Association</a> in TurkeyProtecting the sperm whales and Cuvier’s beaked whales of TurkeyEmmanuel Amoah of the <a href="https://www.threscoal.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.threscoal.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1646270991147000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0MPX5MexZhdVrje7jI2V5c">Threatened Species Conservation Alliance</a> in GhanaSafeguarding the last stronghold of West African slender-snouted crocodileYara Barros of <a href="https://procarnivoros.org.br/en/home/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://procarnivoros.org.br/en/home/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1646270991147000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0caBYjiOxy7MzGD_Yt-blr">Pró-Carnívoros</a> in BrazilJaguars of Iguaçu Project: conservation of jaguars in the Atlantic ForestMicaela Camino of <a href="https://redaf.org.ar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://redaf.org.ar/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1646270991147000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3P-Fgj8jTf7EcCrKKXbpg9">Red Agroforestal Chaco Argentina</a> in ArgentinaEmpowering local communities to conserve the Chacoan peccary and the Argentine ChacoVreni Haussermann of <a href="https://www.uss.cl/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.uss.cl/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1646270991147000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1kA5FMFi-kQ0I-ZWol-0Dr">Universidad San Sebastian</a> in ChileWith Sense and Sensibility: gaining a community for conservation in Chilean PatagoniaPablo Hoffmann of <a href="https://www.sociedadechaua.org/en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.sociedadechaua.org/en&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1646270991147000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3KAAAxjtDxxnkgVu48FrWM">Sociedade Chauá</a> in BrazilRescuing and conserving threatened species in the Araucaria Forest regionDavid Kwarteng of the <a href="https://www.inecgh.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.inecgh.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1646270991147000&amp;usg=AOvVaw32tiOphqJYocKlcgqSMdIN">Institute of Nature and Environmental Conservation</a> in GhanaScaling up pangolin conservationJonathan Kwiyega of the <a href="https://www.lcmo.or.tz/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.lcmo.or.tz/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1646270991147000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1_tkyIjBHE-v78ZwQINnFK">Landscape and Conservation Mentors Organisation</a> in TanzaniaHalting illegal lion killings in western TanzaniaSonam Lama of the <a href="https://redpandanetwork.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://redpandanetwork.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1646270991147000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1TLPTzg7ruCQiwInmVzxuC">Red Panda Network</a> in NepalStrengthening community-based initiatives to save the last of the first pandaAndres Link of <a href="https://proyectoprimates.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://proyectoprimates.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1646270991147000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0eNFRlVoY0CBcGBlkmZDUn">Proyecto Primates</a> in ColombiaProtecting brown spider monkeys in a pervasively fragmented Biodiversity HotspotEstrela Matilde of <a href="https://fundacaoprincipe.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://fundacaoprincipe.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1646270991147000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0_299Z-XCWaT13fAa7J-f7">Fundação Príncipe</a> in Sao Tome and PrincipeEnhanced marine conservation on Príncipe Island through participatory plastic reduction effortsBadru Mugerwa of <a href="https://www.savingafricangoldencat.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.savingafricangoldencat.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1646270991147000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0b0krrr6Sy6fG9JC54zIx1">Embaka</a> in UgandaPigs, Smiles and Sounds: local community tools against poachingJoshua Rukundo of the <a href="https://pasa.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://pasa.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1646270991147000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3hjXMihSp72U8-YCExqojM">Pan African Sanctuary Alliance</a> in UgandaConserving endangered chimpanzees in unprotected forests across western UgandaShailendra Singh of the <a href="https://turtlesurvival.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://turtlesurvival.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1646270991147000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3pTIsNi47sKO_YHOV9gWHB">Turtle Survival Alliance</a> in IndiaBringing black soft-shell turtle back from the brink in AssamDedy Yansyah of <a href="http://leuserconservancy.or.id/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://leuserconservancy.or.id/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1646270991147000&amp;usg=AOvVaw32UFRURMW2RQX2QAZJ_TH-">Forum Konservasi Leuser</a> in IndonesiaSaving isolated Sumatran rhinos in the Eastern Leuser ecosystemThe winners of this year’s Whitley Awards will be announced live in London on Wednesday 27 April. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/red-panda-on-the-red-list/">Red panda on the list</a>, Sonam Tashi Lama

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Nepali activist shortlisted for nature award

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110151120/636d08959c7e80680e0a6026jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"/><figcaption>The highly protected Pachale orchid bulbs in Gorkha. Photo: RESHU BASHYAL/GREENHOOD NEPAL</figcaption></figure>World Nature Conservation Day on 28 July is a reminder to us to conserve nature and nurture it. Too often, however, our visions of nature exclude plants and our rich relationship with them.Plants are everywhere, which makes them vital but also easy to overlook. They are often left in the background, both during public discourse and by government officials allocating conservation budgets. Conservation campaigns and projects tend to focus on <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepals-tiger-conservation-too-successful/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">charismatic animals like rhinos and tigers</a>, and on protecting Nepal’s spectacular landscapes.However, all of these animals and places rely on the plant life that surrounds us. This includes many rare, threatened, and unique plant species. Nowhere is this more urgent than with orchids – the most diverse groups of flowering plants on the planet with over 30,000 species globally.<a style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/saving-the-treasure-trove-of-nepals-orchids/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nepal hosts over 500 species of orchids</a>, from the unusually shaped foxtail (Rhynchostylis) that grows on trees in the mountains, highly-protected pachaule (Dactylorhiza hatagirea) orchid known for its medicinal properties to the endangered lady slipper (Cypripedium himalaicum) collected for its shoe-shaped flowers.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110151120/636d08989c7e80680e0a6027jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"><figcaption>Orchid growing on a tree in Panchase. Photo: KUMAR PAUDEL/GREENHOOD NEPAL</figcaption></figure>More than 100 of them have purported medicinal properties in Chinese, Ayurvedic, and Amchi traditional medicine cultures, ranging from pain relief to aphrodisiacs, and hence highly sought after. Many are also harvested as ornamental plants and as fodder for livestock. Orchids form a vital part of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/between-existence-and-extinction-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nepal’s rich biodiversity</a>, but many communities also depend on them for livelihood.Nepal has a long history of harvesting and trading wild orchids -- supplying a significant amount of raw material to meet local and international demand both through legal and illegal means. Commercial trade is likely to increase as demand in China and India grows, especially as demand for medicinal plants increases in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.Now there is serious concern about the sustainability and legality of commercial harvesting. Reports suggest that intense collecting has led to the collapse of some populations, resulting in a national ban on the harvest of pachaule orchids in 1993.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110151120/636d089c9c7e80680e0a6028jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"><figcaption>Nepal is home to over 500 different species of orchids. Photo: KUMAR PAUDEL/GREENHOOD NEPAL</figcaption></figure>A further ban on the wild harvest of many Nepali plant species - including all orchids - was introduced in 2017, although this is being relaxed in hopes of re-establishing a more sustainable legal harvest in future.Despite these efforts on paper to <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=5648#.YP6YQS2B2CQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">protect orchids from illegal trade</a>, in practice plant conservation is still often neglected. Orchids have made it into legislation, but often only on paper.Most poaching of wild orchids goes unreported. In Pokhara’s Panchase, harvesters from outside the community have even been using monkeys to gather valuable orchids from local forests.Of late, there have been seizures, including a 2017 case where more than 74kg of Nepal’s most highly protected orchid species were apprehended. There have been over 25 seizures of wild orchids since 2010, nearly half of them bound for China.Yet, seizures of protected plants are very rare and incidental. More often than not it is a case of the police spot-checking a truck or a bus and finding wild plants without permits. These seizures are only the tip of the iceberg, and are in <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=14348#.YP6Zty2B2CQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">stark contrast to huge investments and efforts deployed to protect threatened animal species</a>.Admittedly, however, our relationship with plants is often different from that we have with animals. Nepal has a long history of legal, regulated trade of many plants, especially medicinal species that are central to its culture, rural livelihoods, and exports. For example, wild spikenard roots are harvested under a strict quota system, and there are efforts to make this regulated trade more sustainable.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110151120/636d089f9c7e80680e0a6029jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"><figcaption>A tree overgrown with orchids on the way to Panchase, Pokhara. Photo: KUMAR PAUDEL/GREENHOOD NEPAL</figcaption></figure>Over the years, the government has issued many regulations, committing to both protecting orchids and also promoting sustainable harvests to enhance income generation of rural communities. This includes the 2013 ‘Orchid Harvest and Commercial Cultivation Directive’ which is being revisited with current amendments to the CITES Act 2017 that may soon allow for more sustainable, legal trade in the future.However, ensuring that the legal trade of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/rare-anti-cancer-tree-on-verge-of-extinction/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">wild plants</a> is sustainable requires more than careful management and oversight. Baseline research and regular monitoring are a must. As it is, even for the most sought after 10-15 orchid species, we have surprisingly little information on them, about their trade and distribution, and their numbers in the wild.There are still questions about making orchid trade more sustainable and profitable for local communities while stopping smuggling. Nepal has an opportunity to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/economic-benefits-of-saving-the-ecology/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">protect biodiversity</a> and enhance rural livelihood with benefits fairy distributed along value chains, but only through well-managed, legal sourcing.This is possible only if plant research and conservation are given their due priority. Orchids are found in our laws, in our forests, in our gardens, and in our medicines. This Nature Conservation Day let us commit to protecting them into the future and in the wild.Reshu Bashyal is Research Fellow at Greenhood Nepal.Jacob Phelps, PhD is co-Chair of the IUCN SSC Orchid Specialist Group, Global Trade Programme.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110151120/636d08a29c7e80680e0a602ajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="89" height="103"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110151120/636d08a39c7e80680e0a602bjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="89" height="103">

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