While Dutch conservationist and architect Anne Feenstra was giving a presentation ten years ago at a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) event in Kathmandu, Ang Phuri Sherpa was fascinated. This was a whole new way to design modern buildings in Nepal’s mountains that respected heritage, conformed to the climate, and conserved energy using locally available raw material.&nbsp; Sherpa was working for WWF at the time, but when he became Country Director for the Red Panda Network (RPN) he remembered the presentation from all those years ago, and approached Feenstra’s Sustainable Mountain Architecture (SMA) to help design a new resource centre in Taplejung. RPN has been working in Kangchenjunga Conservation Area in eastern Nepal to protect the endangered red panda, and its researcher <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-conservationist-wins-whitley-award">Sonam Tashi Lama</a> in 2022 won the Whitley Award for his work. Feenstra and his Nepali colleague Sapana Shakya at SMA designed the Rs20 million two-storied building at Deurali near Taplejung airport which serves to provide information about the red panda and the need to protect its habitat.&nbsp; The tastefully designed and functional multi-purpose resource centre is also supposed to pay for its own upkeep by offering accommodation and dining to trekkers, researchers, students and other visitors.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230310110348_da88f94ba8af650b6f87708ba62bc24a18ea146b8759ec29e80d400e97b2be03.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20230310110348_da88f94ba8af650b6f87708ba62bc24a18ea146b8759ec29e80d400e97b2be03" data-rendition-name="original" width="2204" height="1257" loading="lazy" alt="Red Panda House"> <figcaption>The Red Panda Research Centre is located on a ridge top near Taplejung. All photos: SUSTAINABLE MOUNTAIN ARCHITECTURE</figcaption> </figure>  Since it is located on the route to Pathibhara, it could also be a comfortable stopover for pilgrims. And all guests will also automatically learn about the need to preserve the red panda habitat Known as हाब्रे in Nepali, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/red-panda-on-the-red-list">the red panda is critically endangered</a> and lives on the canopy of broadleaf in mixed temperate forests from western Nepal to Sichuan. The mammal is not related to the giant panda, and is not a bear but is closer to racoons and squirrels. There are now less than 10,000 wild red pandas, with 800 in zoos around the world. In Nepal, there are about 1,000 of the animals living in bamboo and rhododendron forests in 24 of the country’s mountain districts, mostly in eastern Nepal. But their population is in decline because of poaching and habitat destruction. Despite not having any medicinal, cultural, or religious value, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/republic-of-nepal-s-animal-kingdom">red pandas</a> are being poached for their pelt.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230310110352_59ba2f0eaddb108b8897728eb29fee6f2d538b1cb009698f6f6ed921e9e495b1.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20230310110352_59ba2f0eaddb108b8897728eb29fee6f2d538b1cb009698f6f6ed921e9e495b1" data-rendition-name="original" width="774" height="744" loading="lazy" alt="Red Panda distribution and habitat"> <figcaption>The Red Panda range spans Nepal to Sichuan in China. There are about 1,000 of the rare mammals remaining in Nepal's forests, mainly in the east.</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230310110348_d5d82659a79df8c8e52600433492b352505d9026d161428e9ef53c8e8e1eba3c.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20230310110348_d5d82659a79df8c8e52600433492b352505d9026d161428e9ef53c8e8e1eba3c" data-rendition-name="original" width="3000" height="2000" loading="lazy" alt="Red Panda in Nepal"> <figcaption>Photo: JAMES HOUSTON/RED PANDA NETWORK</figcaption> </figure>  Anne Feenstra has designed more than 50 similar sustainable buildings in mountain regions across the world in the past three decades, including a structure in an Afghan national park that is home to snow leopards. “As a student of architecture, I have always been a proponent of climate-friendly construction,” explains Feenstra. “When rainfall, the sun, and other topographical and environmental elements are not taken into account, a building will not be sustainable.”&nbsp; Indeed, Feenstra explains, every mountain region is different, and requires a specific <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/foundations-for-sustainable-buildings-in-nepal">building approach</a> from the type of roof, windows and height of the ceiling based on local climate and available local materials. The Red Panda Centre in Taplejung sits on a forested ridge 2,600m in Deurali near Taplejung. The wood-and-stone structure is conceptually modelled on a mountain lodge, is built to withstand heavy winter snowfall, and is earthquake resistant. The floor is made of local stone, while the second floor is timber. The roof is up-cycled tin coated in tar. Feenstra and Shakya studied indigenous building materials and construction techniques which are disappearing because of cement and concrete.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230310110344_58e29764a142eacdb722dfa79377a49bafefcc2c1d47403f34cda70e3cee2486.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="20230310110344_58e29764a142eacdb722dfa79377a49bafefcc2c1d47403f34cda70e3cee2486" data-rendition-name="original" width="1776" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Red Panda House"> <figcaption>Architectural renditions of the interior of the structure which has been designed with local materials and to also serve as a visitor centre and a lodge to generate income. Photos: SUSTAINABLE MOUNTAIN ARCHITECTURE</figcaption> </figure>  &nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230310110344_451328764ac8314a2517a5cd43139c94ca6df4b47b6889d6954d69d59fa546d6.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="20230310110344_451328764ac8314a2517a5cd43139c94ca6df4b47b6889d6954d69d59fa546d6" data-rendition-name="original" width="1776" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Red Panda House"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230310110344_1ed7be0772d331be7a4286563f49ac5098109060391e86b86afd4bcef711f826.jpg" data-media-id="editor_9" data-image-id="20230310110344_1ed7be0772d331be7a4286563f49ac5098109060391e86b86afd4bcef711f826" data-rendition-name="original" width="1776" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Red Panda House"> </figure>  “When we use indigenous resources, we must always pay the utmost attention to native skills and materials,” says Shakya, who helped design new school buildings in Makwanpur and other districts after the 2015 earthquake.&nbsp; “It is the combination of local skill and resources that makes any building stronger,” she says. For Ang Phuri Sherpa of <a href="https://redpandanetwork.org/">Red Panda Network</a>, the building is exactly what he had hoped for. He says the use of cement for construction would have been costlier and less climate friendly. “The reduction of our carbon footprint and the use of local skill and resources were our primary objectives in the construction of this resource centre,” says Sherpa. The research centre also serves as a place where knowledge about water harvesting, smokeless fuel-efficient use of firewood, and other techniques will be shared with local people who are suffering a scarcity of water in the dry season. As the number of trekkers to the Kanchenjunga region grows, villagers will also be given practical knowledge about running homesteads and <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/eco-tourism-in-gadi-siraichuli">promoting ecotourism</a>.&nbsp;

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The Red Panda House

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYvfs38byDENepali conservationist <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepali-activist-shortlisted-for-nature-award/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepali-activist-shortlisted-for-nature-award/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1651282183233000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3FlRPivX_wKqN3OOQlisfl">Sonam Lama</a> of the Red Panda Network has won the prestigious Whitley Award worth £40,000 from UK conservation charity, the Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN).Lama was recognised for his work training 100 citizen scientists to help restore the red panda habitat and invested in the mammals’ eco-tourism to generate income for local people, and plans to use the fund to turn poachers into protectors and diversify sustainable income for communities."Future generations should have the right to see this charismatic species. I would love my daughter to know about red pandas, wouldn't you?" says the conservationist.Listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) list as <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/red-panda-on-the-red-list/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/red-panda-on-the-red-list/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1651282183233000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1imzwaPUXVpIbdmiX-45eO">critically endangered</a>, the red panda has been seeing a record number of illegal seizures with its habitat fragmented into over 400 isolated patches. Lama is one of the six grassroots conservationists pioneering solutions to the biodiversity crisis recognised by the 2022 <a href="https://whitleyaward.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://whitleyaward.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1651282183234000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1Ga8iJH1cI5pl6RE0_cFpz">Whitley Awards who</a> were <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DRYvfs38byDE&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1651242291363000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1wXHyBI3nMxruk6iY89RWV" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?q%3Dhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v%253DRYvfs38byDE%26source%3Dgmail%26ust%3D1651242291363000%26usg%3DAOvVaw1wXHyBI3nMxruk6iY89RWV&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1651282183234000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3Pg63RZhiX99LFbfqbH8u9">presented with their prize</a> on 27 April by WFN Patron, HRH The Princess Royal. <figure><img width="1600" height="1067" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114111152/63721e909c7e80680e0bd552jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>2022 Whitley Award winner Sonam Lama recieving his prize from WFN Patron HRH The Princess Royal. Photo: WHITLEY AWARDS</figcaption></figure><figure><img width="3264" height="1836" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114111152/63721e939c7e80680e0bd553jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>"As we emerge from Covid-19 and take stock of its impact on planetary health as well as our own, this WhitleyAward will enable Sonam to address issues that have arisen including the increased poaching of an already Critically Endangered species,” says Danni Parks, WFN Director. She adds: “The charismatic red panda is a much-loved local emblem as well as an international star, and importantly, this holistic project will also benefit the people with whom it shares its home in the forested foothills of the Himalayas."The <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/republic-of-nepals-animal-kingdom/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/republic-of-nepals-animal-kingdom/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1651282183234000&amp;usg=AOvVaw34VGfHwzqFJKI6Bu42oDd_">elusive panda of the Himalayas</a> was discovered 50 years before the giant panda and is considered a living fossil. Endemic to eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests, with thick bamboo understories and consistently cool temperatures, red pandas are indicators of ecosystem health.But the Covid-19 pandemic over the last two years has added challenges to their conservation and caused a surge in poaching with 37 pelts confiscated from the black market in 2021. Estimates suggest that 1 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3R0jDmIem8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DR3R0jDmIem8&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1651282183234000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2H1psVb_QcywiAGk10q5jZ">red panda is poached</a> every 10 days in Nepal.Habitat loss compounding conditions for the 10,000 adult individuals that remain, with rates of deforestation over double the national average and forests now so severely fragmented that genetic inbreeding is likely. <figure><img width="750" height="321" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114111152/63721e969c7e80680e0bd554jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Lama’s <a href="https://redpandanetwork.org/%3E," target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://redpandanetwork.org/%253E,&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1651282183234000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3JTj-H20KGQKJpP8yUVU3o">Red Panda Network</a> is leading the longest-running monitoring project in the world, with 10 wild red pandas successfully <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=1651282183234000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3tF347NsB0domJmB5aBW79">GPS-collared and studied</a>. They have restored 400 hectares of habitat around the third highest peak in the world Mt Kangchenjunga, trained over 100 citizen scientists, and supported 100 school students with Red Panda Conservation Scholarships.Lama will be using his Whitley Award to diversify income sources for communities, particularly women and young people, through forest conservation nurseries and restoration to create a wildlife corridor that connects the habitat for red pandas. He also plans to establish community-led anti-poaching patrols and awareness-raising campaigns. Poised to expand, Lama's project has great potential for replication in other countries. He adds: "The goal of the project is red panda conservation but it is equally important to address the livelihood needs of communities."

Nepal conservationist wins Whitley Award

<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

Nepali activist shortlisted for nature award

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141152/636d02669c7e80680e0a367bjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"/><figcaption>All photos: RED PANDA NETWORK</figcaption></figure>When British naturalist Sir <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Dalton_Hooker">Joseph Dalton Hooker</a> first made his ecological expedition in eastern Nepal from October through December of 1848, a flock of mountain sheep was grazing around the Tumling-Jaubari area of Ilam district.One hundred and seventy-two years since then, the region has witnessed a tragic loss of the mountain sheep, called Argali. Encroachment of natural habitats and human activity have also depleted other mammalian species.Hooker’s expedition travelled northwards from Taplejung to the valleys of Yangma and Yalung, and his <a href="https://books.google.com.np/books?hl=en&amp;lr=&amp;id=sCYKAQAAIAAJ&amp;oi=fnd&amp;pg=PR1&amp;dq=Himalayan+Journals%3B+or+Notes+of+a+Naturalist:+In+Bengal,+the+Sikkim+and+Nepal++Himalayas,+the+Khasia+Mountains&amp;ots=SEYKOSxhCN&amp;sig=oBIVKZrPZG4L9IlT_DKymulgvcM&amp;redir_esc=y#v=onepage&amp;q=Himalayan%20Journals%3B%20or%20Notes%20of%20a%20Naturalist%3A%20In%20Bengal%2C%20the%20Sikkim%20and%20Nepal%20%20Himalayas%2C%20the%20Khasia%20Mountains&amp;f=false">Himalayan Journal</a> account of the trip is the first ecological documentation of eastern Nepal’s rich biodiversity. He was accompanied by shooter and specimen collectors of <a href="https://books.google.com.np/books?hl=en&amp;lr=&amp;id=sCYKAQAAIAAJ&amp;oi=fnd&amp;pg=PR1&amp;dq=Himalayan+Journals%3B+or+Notes+of+a+Naturalist:+In+Bengal,+the+Sikkim+and+Nepal++Himalayas,+the+Khasia+Mountains&amp;ots=SEYKOSxhCN&amp;sig=oBIVKZrPZG4L9IlT_DKymulgvcM&amp;redir_esc=y#v=onepage&amp;q=Himalayan%20Journals%3B%20or%20Notes%20of%20a%20Naturalist%3A%20In%20Bengal%2C%20the%20Sikkim%20and%20Nepal%20%20Himalayas%2C%20the%20Khasia%20Mountains&amp;f=false">Brian H. Hodgson</a>, a pioneer naturalist and ethnologist who later became the British resident in Kathmandu.Since then, the landscape of eastern Nepal has metamorphosed, forest coverage and weather patterns have altered, socioeconomic and cultural values have been transformed. Yet, there is still a lack of systematic study of mammalian diversity in this neglected but biologically diverse part of the eastern Himalaya.The eastern Himalaya is one of the world’s <a href="https://www.environmentbuddy.com/endangered-wildlife/list-of-biodiversity-hotspots-examples/">34 Global Biodiversity Hotspots</a> and has been identified among the six transboundary landscapes to be protected. The region spans a wide spectrum of ecological zones containing parts of three Global Biodiversity Hotspots and is the meeting place of three biogeographic realms: the Kangchenjunga Landscape, which extends across eastern Nepal, Darjeeling, and Sikkim of India, and western Bhutan.Kangchenjunga Landscape with an area of more than 25,000 sq km includes 19 protected areas, including the Kangchenjunga Conservation Area (KCA) in Nepal, India’s Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve, Singalila National Park, and Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary.The Kangchenjunga Landscape in Nepal represents four eastern Himalayan ecoregions ranging from the Himalayan alpine meadows and subalpine conifer forest to the eastern Himalayan broadleaf, and the Tarai-Duar savannas and grasslands stretching across four districts – Taplejung, Panchthar, Ilam, and Jhapa.The landscape comprises 11 bioclimatic zones, 23 forest types with 32.15% canopy cover, exhibiting a vast variation in physiography, and altitudinal and climatic conditions resulting in rich faunal and floral diversity. And it provides habitat to about 160 types of mammals, 580 bird species, and more than 1,400 flowering plants, some of which are globally threatened, endemic, rare or endangered.Inside the broader region of the Kangchenjunga Landscape in Nepal, there is an important forest corridor dominated by human settlements, a network of community forests, private and public lands stretched along with Panchthar-Ilam-Taplejung (PIT) districts. The unprotected forest patches in those districts have much biological significance as they provide connectivity between the protected areas of Nepal and India, harbouring important species diversity and movement.These forest patches contain approximately half of the PIT area suitable for the red panda, of which 85% is unprotected. The Red Panda, Habre in Nepali, is a flagship species of eastern Himalaya and a permanent dweller of the unprotected forest of the three districts. The PIT region also includes globally Important Bird Areas: Upper Mai-Valley Forests and Tamor Valley.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141152/636d02699c7e80680e0a367cjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1125">The PIT region has high endemicity in terms of species richness and they require extensive habitat areas with high-quality corridor linkages between the habitats for their long-term survival.But of late, the region has suffered from over-extraction of resources, haphazard market-driven land-use practices, intensive agriculture, overgrazing, unmanaged tourism, and unplanned infrastructure development. These have lead to habitat destruction and fragmentation in an already neglected forest habitat.The <a href="https://redpandanetwork.org/">Red Panda Network (RPN)</a> initiated its conservation journey in 2007 with its efforts in eastern Nepal, and with a commitment to conserve wild red pandas and their habitat through the<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/red-panda-conservation-nepal,1668"> education and empowerment of local communities</a>.To fill the knowledge gap of locals in the region on its mammalian diversity, the RPN has been conducting surveys mobilising local youths as forest guardians for systematic camera trap studies with a network of approximately 200 community forests.The research is the most comprehensive after Hooker’s travel to the region nearly 200 years ago, and has already succeeded with the ground-breaking discovery of <a href="https://natureconservation.pensoft.net/article/29740/list/8/">wildlife species for the first time in Nepal</a>, and the <a href="https://redpandanetwork.org/post/Press-Release-Tiger-Photographed-for-First-Time-In-Nepal-s-Red-Panda-Habitat">highest-ever Bengal tiger sighting in Nepal</a>. The longest run community-based monitoring of wildlife in the region has been able to document and photograph 25 mammal species from five orders and fifteen families, among them, were six cat species indicating higher diversity of felids in the PIT.Some of the noteworthy species that have been photographed in the region include red panda Ailurus fulgens, Bengal tiger Panthera tigris, common leopard Panthera pardus, marbled cat Pardofelis marmorata, Himalayan serow Capricornis thar, Himalayan goral Naemorhedus goral, Assam macaque Macaca assamensis and Himalayan black bear Ursus thibetanus. The PIT is also home to the Critically Endangered Chinese pangolin Manis pentactyla and White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis. <img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141152/636d026c9c7e80680e0a367djpeg.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="563">Eastern Nepal also has an ethnically diverse population mix, many of whom rely on the forests for traditional healing practices, unfortunately the very reason endangered animals and their body parts are smuggled across the border. The porous border of the region to Tibet and India has also made illegal trade easier for various wildlife including the Chinese pangolin — the world’s most trafficked mammal. A <a href="https://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/article/view/2181">study</a> has inferred a possibility of an organised network of poachers and traders in the region often involving local unemployed youth.This rich assemblage of the wild mammals demonstrates the significance of eastern Nepal as an important ecological zone. The recently <a href="https://checklist.pensoft.net/article/69208/list/11/">published paper</a> on photographic evidence of the Bengal tiger, Nepal’s first marbled cat, among others has highlighted the importance of Panchthar, Ilam and Taplejung as an important biological corridor for tigers, red panda, and other sympatric species at a transboundary level.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141152/636d026f9c7e80680e0a367ejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="940" height="788">Likewise, the paper suggests the need to prioritise the region for community-centric conservation designation of national and transboundary importance.This International Red Panda Day on 18 September is a timely reminder to prioritise the protection of the ecologically rich and biodiverse Panchthar-Ilam-Taplejung region before we stand witness to the loss of many more species.Sonam Tashi Lama and Janam Shrestha are with the Red Panda Network.

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Republic of Nepal’s animal kingdom

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109121144/636b92fc9c7e80680e06f17ejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="3000" height="2000"/><figcaption>Paaru, the first red panda to be GPS collared in Nepal in September 2019. Photo: JAMES HOUSTON/RED PANDA NETWORK</figcaption></figure>Despite its increasing popularity among researchers there is still a big gap in knowledge about the habits and spread of red panda across Asia.The <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/tracking-nepals-red-panda-by-satellite/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">red panda</a> is not related to the giant panda in China, and is actually the only living member of the genus Ailurus and the family Ailuridae, even though they were earlier thought to be related to raccoons.<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350393633_Reaching_over_the_gap_A_review_of_trends_in_and_status_of_Red_Panda_research_over_193_years_1827-2020">A recent review paper</a> by Griffith University and University of Southern Queensland in Australia, Kathmandu Forestry College and the <a href="https://www.redpandanetwork.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Red Panda Network</a> shows that despite red pandas being studied for over 193 years, there is still a significant knowledge gap impeding its conservation in the wild and improved management of captive populations.Lead author of the study, Sikha Karki at Griffith University, says: “We know that the red panda is an endangered indicator species of Himalayan forests. It is also associated with livelihoods as well as sentiments of local people. It is important to have a baseline to identify what needs to be done to save red pandas.”Despite conservation efforts, <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/red-panda-conservation-nepal,1668" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">red pandas</a> are still threatened by habitat degradation, poaching, and illegal trade. The study shows that the animals need support of local communities if are to survive into the future. Reviewing 175 journal articles on red pandas, the first dating back to 1827, the study found most research was focussed on the biological aspect of the species and not so much the socio-cultural and environmental dimensions. Wild red pandas were less studied than captive populations, and the research was concentrated in China, followed by Nepal and India.Most of the researchers were from non-range countries, and the study felt that it was important to empower and help build the capacity of local people and institutions to enable them to assist red panda conservation as citizen scientists.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109121144/636b92ff9c7e80680e06f17fjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="321"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>“It is critically important to have more research related to identifying and prioritising ecosystem goods and services provided by red panda habitats to the local people and ways of establishing good governance,” says Tek Marasseni of the University of Southern Queensland, and co-author of the paper.The study underlines the need for <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=17683#.YMsJbi2B3-Y" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">red panda</a> research in underrepresented range countries, and assessment of climate change impact, ecosystem services of red panda habitat, bamboo distribution status, population estimation, and population dynamics, behaviour, and movement ecology.As two new species of red pandas have been recognised recently, it is deemed important to further validate this with studies from underrepresented habitats. Their numbers are now down to less than 10,000 in the wild across Asia, and there has been more than a 50% population decline over the last three generations.Nepal is <a href="http://www.cpsg.org/content/red-panda-nepal-phva-2010">estimated to have</a> around 1,000 <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/city-for-transshipment-of-wildlife,3424" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">red pandas</a> in 24 districts, and 70% of their habitat lies outside protected areas in the country, mainly in community forests. Nepal has prioritised red panda research and conservation since the 1980s, but the numbers of animals is still in decline.Tim Cadman at Griffith University, another co-author of the study, says local communities need support to deter poachers, and find better alternatives to the illegal wildlife trade, especially important during the pandemic, when many people’s livelihoods are threatened.“This review work on red panda research and conservation provides solid direction for its conservation and research measures in the coming days,” says Ang Phuri Sherpa, Nepal Country Director of Red Panda Network. “Nepal’s Red Panda Conservation Action Plan is important, but we also need partners in other range countries to cooperate in expanding research and maintain habitat connectivity.”Sonam Tashi Lama is Program Coordinator at the Red Panda Network.

Red panda on the red list

<img width="856" height="570" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109191116/636bee884b0ad905ca02ef4fjpeg.jpg" alt=""/>Half the world’s biodiversity and half the quarter of world’s population reside along the mountains. And a half of the world’s population quenches its thirst from melt water originating from the planet’s mountain glaciers. The water fed by these perennial mountain river systems have also become sources of energy through hydropower, irrigation for agriculture, and large water related economies downstream. Mountains in Nepal are characterised as sub-tropical to alpine climatic patterns ranging from soft hilltop to steeper terrain.Nepal has within its vertical terrain, the same range of biodiversity that stretches thousands of horizontal kilometers from the tropics to the Arctic on the planet’s surface.  Lush forests with important flora and fauna intermingle with  pockets of mountain communities spread across the Himalaya. This ice cap on ‘The Third Pole’ provides a life support system for the region and the planet. Mountains are incredibly rich in biodiversity, and the Himalaya is home for wildlife including red panda and snow leopard as well as a wide range of resident and migratory bird species. The mountains also offer habitats for various endemic species of flora with important medicinal and aromatic plants, and non-timber forest products including rhododendron, Yarshagumba, Paanchaule, Sarpagandha -- specifically growing in the rangelands that lie immediately past the snowline.The diversity and uniqueness in the extremities provided by the geographical terrain are limitless. Mixed in with this natural variety of plant and animal life, are culturally rich and ethnically diverse human settlements.This biodiversity is now at risk with increasing threats, both natural and human-induced. Infrastructure development, invasive species proliferation, and deforestation of high-value trees that often takes an age to mature along with overuse of limited natural resources have taken their toll on the Himalaya. The climate crisis has come on top of these existing problems. Glacial lake outbursts threaten downstream valleys, affect freshwater availability, increase in landslides, flash floods and forest fires, and changes in timings of flowering and fruiting of important crop species. Raising awareness to adapt to these changes, while global action is taken to mitigate carbon buildup in the atmosphere has never been more important. That is why on 11 December International Mountain Day this year, the theme is to focus on protecting mountain biodiversity. Protecting Nepal’s mountain ecosystems and their wealth of flora and fauna require immediate attention. Various groups are working with the Nepal government to ensure that large swathes of these multiple-use mountain landscapes are secured and preserved under the protected areas system such as conservation areas (Api Nampa, Annapurna, Manaslu, Gaurishankar and Kanchenjunga), national parks (Khaptad, Rara, Shey-Phoksundo, Langtang, Shivapuri-Nagarjun, Sagarmatha, and Makalu Barun) and a hunting reserve (Dhorpatan). In addition, large areas of mountain ecosystems outside the protected areas are under direct management of division forest offices and community forest groups. Nepal’s community forest management system, in particular, has been lauded globally as a unique model of grassroots-based conservation.Special focus is now provided to species conservation in mountains where external influences have impacted wildlife, their habitats, and communities. Species such as red panda in mid-mountain and snow leopards in high mountains are flagship animals, and indicator species of the local ecosystems. <figure><img width="1000" height="688" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109191116/636bee8a4b0ad905ca02ef50jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> Photo: STUART CHAPMAN/WWF</figcaption></figure>Their persistence in nature has been used as an emblem for conservation success. In the past, the Nepal government and the conservation fraternity have taken initiatives such as nationwide surveys, awareness and sensitisation programs, strengthening anti-poaching efforts, and forests and corridor restoration measures, while expanding livelihood initiatives in the mountains. Habitat restoration programs such as afforestation and networking of community managed forests have also enhanced the species conservation and maintenance of critical ecosystems in the mountains. Recent paper on red panda distribution in Nepal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0243450">published</a> in PLOSONE highlights the first baseline on red panda occupancy in the country. Approximately 40% of the potential habitat (nearly 22,453 km2) is currently being occupied by the red panda. Bamboo forests are highlighted as an important factor for red panda distribution in the mountain ecosystem. This is symbolic of the successes so far, and also point to the need to provide similar protection to the habitat of other species. Conservation of holistic mountain conservation guided by National Biodiversity Strategies, National Forests Strategies, landscape strategies, management plans, and species action plan including the community forest operation plan can weave together various strands of conservation work for the benefit of mountain, wildlife, and local communities.  <img width="81" height="109" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109191116/636bee8c4b0ad905ca02ef51jpeg.jpg" alt="">Ananta Ram Bhandari heads the Mountain and Forest Programs at WWF Nepal. <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/peak-ambition/">Peak ambition</a>, Lisa Honan and Nimsdai Purja

Conserving mountains for people and nature

<img width="856" height="570" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181144/636be7859c7e80680e087806jpeg.jpg" alt=""/>Half the world’s biodiversity and half the quarter of world’s population reside along the mountains. And a half of the world’s population quenches its thirst from melt water originating from the planet’s mountain glaciers. The water fed by these perennial mountain river systems have also become sources of energy through hydropower, irrigation for agriculture, and large water related economies downstream. Mountains in Nepal are characterised as sub-tropical to alpine climatic patterns ranging from soft hilltop to steeper terrain.Nepal has within its vertical terrain, the same range of biodiversity that stretches thousands of horizontal kilometers from the tropics to the Arctic on the planet’s surface.  Lush forests with important flora and fauna intermingle with  pockets of mountain communities spread across the Himalaya. This ice cap on ‘The Third Pole’ provides a life support system for the region and the planet. Mountains are incredibly rich in biodiversity, and the Himalaya is home for wildlife including red panda and snow leopard as well as a wide range of resident and migratory bird species. The mountains also offer habitats for various endemic species of flora with important medicinal and aromatic plants, and non-timber forest products including rhododendron, Yarshagumba, Paanchaule, Sarpagandha -- specifically growing in the rangelands that lie immediately past the snowline.The diversity and uniqueness in the extremities provided by the geographical terrain are limitless. Mixed in with this natural variety of plant and animal life, are culturally rich and ethnically diverse human settlements.This biodiversity is now at risk with increasing threats, both natural and human-induced. Infrastructure development, invasive species proliferation, and deforestation of high-value trees that often takes an age to mature along with overuse of limited natural resources have taken their toll on the Himalaya. The climate crisis has come on top of these existing problems. Glacial lake outbursts threaten downstream valleys, affect freshwater availability, increase in landslides, flash floods and forest fires, and changes in timings of flowering and fruiting of important crop species. Raising awareness to adapt to these changes, while global action is taken to mitigate carbon buildup in the atmosphere has never been more important. That is why on 11 December International Mountain Day this year, the theme is to focus on protecting mountain biodiversity. Protecting Nepal’s mountain ecosystems and their wealth of flora and fauna require immediate attention. Various groups are working with the Nepal government to ensure that large swathes of these multiple-use mountain landscapes are secured and preserved under the protected areas system such as conservation areas (Api Nampa, Annapurna, Manaslu, Gaurishankar and Kanchenjunga), national parks (Khaptad, Rara, Shey-Phoksundo, Langtang, Shivapuri-Nagarjun, Sagarmatha, and Makalu Barun) and a hunting reserve (Dhorpatan). In addition, large areas of mountain ecosystems outside the protected areas are under direct management of division forest offices and community forest groups. Nepal’s community forest management system, in particular, has been lauded globally as a unique model of grassroots-based conservation.Special focus is now provided to species conservation in mountains where external influences have impacted wildlife, their habitats, and communities. Species such as red panda in mid-mountain and snow leopards in high mountains are flagship animals, and indicator species of the local ecosystems. <figure><img width="1000" height="688" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181144/636be7889c7e80680e087807jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> Photo: STUART CHAPMAN/WWF</figcaption></figure>Their persistence in nature has been used as an emblem for conservation success. In the past, the Nepal government and the conservation fraternity have taken initiatives such as nationwide surveys, awareness and sensitisation programs, strengthening anti-poaching efforts, and forests and corridor restoration measures, while expanding livelihood initiatives in the mountains. Habitat restoration programs such as afforestation and networking of community managed forests have also enhanced the species conservation and maintenance of critical ecosystems in the mountains. Recent paper on red panda distribution in Nepal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0243450">published</a> in PLOSONE highlights the first baseline on red panda occupancy in the country. Approximately 40% of the potential habitat (nearly 22,453 km2) is currently being occupied by the red panda. Bamboo forests are highlighted as an important factor for red panda distribution in the mountain ecosystem. This is symbolic of the successes so far, and also point to the need to provide similar protection to the habitat of other species. Conservation of holistic mountain conservation guided by National Biodiversity Strategies, National Forests Strategies, landscape strategies, management plans, and species action plan including the community forest operation plan can weave together various strands of conservation work for the benefit of mountain, wildlife, and local communities.  <img width="81" height="109" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181144/636be78a9c7e80680e087808jpeg.jpg" alt="">Ananta Ram Bhandari heads the Mountain and Forest Programs at WWF Nepal. <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/peak-ambition/">Peak ambition</a>, Lisa Honan and Nimsdai Purja

<figure><img width="1500" height="1000" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101136/636b748d9c7e80680e06239fjpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Photo : ALEX DUDLEY</figcaption></figure>Nepal is the first tiger-range country to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/how-many-tigers-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">double the number of the endangered big cats</a> in its reserves, and has marked five successive years of <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/more-rhinos-means-more-encounter,4045" target="_blank" rel="noopener">zero rhino poaching</a> -- setting a model for conservation, especially as a country with limited resources.Yet at the same time Nepal has become a thriving transit hub for trafficked endangered species from India, and even Africa, to China. Although the current <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/why-nepal-must-watch-about-coronavirus-but-not-panic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Covid-19 epidemic</a> is <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/coronavirus-outbreak-may-curb-wildlife-trafficking/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expected to temporarily reduce the market for wildlife</a> (see adjoining piece), improved trans-Himalayan connectivity between Nepal and China could <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/better-nepal-china-connectivity-helps-wildlife-smugglers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increase smuggling</a> of tiger and rhino body parts and pangolin scales.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/coronavirus-outbreak-may-curb-wildlife-trafficking/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Coronavirus outbreak may curb wildlife trafficking</a>, Sonia AwaleThe value of wildlife trade worldwide is estimated at $20 billion a year, making it an incredibly lucrative illicit business, behind only narcotics, human trafficking, and the arms trade. Poverty is often thought to be the main reason behind people’s involvement in this trade. But is it? “There is a common assumption that illegal wildlife trafficking is linked to poverty, but we cannot generalise,” explained Nepali conservationist Kumar Paudel, currently a postgraduate student at the University of Cambridge. “What is the extent of the poverty that leads to wildlife poaching? Are they poaching to provide the next meal for their families, or do they not have enough money to afford a car or a bungalow?”Three years ago, Paudel interviewed 116 individuals serving time in jails across Nepal for trafficking in wildlife, and he has published some of his findings in <a href="https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/csp2.137?fbclid=IwAR004cvFh3G7Mn4-lmH8EQAYbjpM8GmCN2KlYmEN2fVnLNgBbuW63wXFPnk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a recent paper</a> in the journal Conservation Science and Practice. He asked interviewees about their trade practices, economic conditions and motivations.While 56% percent were living below the World Bank poverty line, Poudel found that for many others, poaching was a means not of survival but rather of increasing disposable income. Comfortably-off people and even university graduates were involved in illegal hunting.More than 60% of the respondents were arrested for involvement in <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=654#.XkUaFjIzaUk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rhino poaching</a>, and said illegal wildlife trade was a relatively easy occupation compared to other employment. Nearly all poachers were male, and almost all knew what they were doing was illegal. Three-fourths were from indigenous communities living near protected areas.Interestingly, Paudel found that 65% of the detained poachers did not think they would be caught, and 84% said they would go back to illegal wildlife trade after being released. “This goes to show that despite having some of the world’s stiffest penalties for wildlife crimes, poachers and smugglers undermine Nepal’s enforcement mechanism or know of loopholes to avoid the penalties, which points to impunity and a lenient system,” Paudel told Nepali Times in an interview. Still, most of the respondents were arrested within a year of having gotten involved in poaching, which seems to show that enforcement is working.The involvement of the Army in guarding Nepal’s national parks has often been credited for the country’s <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/in-conservation-nepal-is-not-out-of-the-woods-yet/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">success in curbing the illegal wildlife trade</a>. In India’s protected areas, poaching is rampant. However, while enforcement works in the conservation of mega fauna like wild elephants, rhinos and <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/its-a-jungle-out-there/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tigers</a>, there are questions about <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/lesser-known-endangered-species/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">smaller endangered species</a> living outside parks, and of sustainability of the method.“An enforcement-based approach is expensive given the number of police and army officials that need to be recruited, so it begs the question: who will pay for it, especially when we need to work on protection of other smaller species too?” asked Paudel, pointing out that most of those detained appear to be small fry. He added: “It is time we reviewed our enforcement approach and better communicated research to improve the mechanism for conservation.”

Sonia Awale

What drives wildlife poaching?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAA7b3JY9nA&amp;feature=youtu.beThere used to be a time when the <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/Call-of-the-wild-central-zoo,3474" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Central Zoo in Jawalakhel</a> was a menagerie for caged animals that looked miserable. But with help from conservation groups in Nepal and abroad, the zoo has now become a centre for <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/in-conservation-nepal-is-not-out-of-the-woods-yet/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">conservation</a> education in Kathmandu and a shelter for rescued wildlife.Every year, more than 1 million people visit the lush 6-hectare park in the middle of Jawalakhel’s built-up neighbourhood to observe its 942 mammals, birds and fish and 127 species of reptiles. Most of them are students.Much of the credit for upgrading the facility goes to Friends of Zoo, which has in the past 20 years built up a network of 200 schools and 6,000 members which actively involve students in activities like cultural and educational tours to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/municipalities-want-to-manage-annapurna/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Annapurna Conservation Area Project</a> and Chitwan National Park, a Night Guided Tour, Animal Feeding program and Zoo Clean-up Campaign to teach young people the importance of conservation.Read also: <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/Call-of-the-wild-central-zoo,3474" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Call of the wild</a>, Smriti Basnet<a style="background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/in-conservation-nepal-is-not-out-of-the-woods-yet/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">In conservation, Nepal is not out of the woods yet</a>, Sonia Awale<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110815110/636a61219c7e80680e056eb7jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"/><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110815110/636a61249c7e80680e056eb8jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110815110/636a61269c7e80680e056eb9jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110815110/636a61299c7e80680e056ebajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="996">All photos: MONIKA DEUPALAIn February, the zoo opened a digital interactive audio-visual centre to share information about the animals through multimedia."Conservation education is the only means through which we can educate the general public and students about nature and its importance. It is an important component — that is why we are focusing on digital education as well," says Chiranjibi Prasad Pokheral, Project Manager of the Central Zoo.Zoo officials are often called to dart leopards or other wildlife in the outskirts of Kathmandu, and many of these animals are brought to the zoo for safety and treatment before being released back into the wild. Others, like a man eating Royal Bengal Tiger named Maharaja rescued from Chitwan National Park is a permanent resident.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110815110/636a612c9c7e80680e056ebbjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="4369" height="2912">Other long-term guests are <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/better-nepal-china-connectivity-helps-wildlife-smugglers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pangolins that are rescued from smugglers</a>, and even a pair of chimpanzees that were seized last year while being smuggled from Africa via Kathmandu to India. There are also <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/more-rhinos-means-more-encounter,4045" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rhinos</a>, jungle cats, <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/rescued-red-pandas-from-Rolpa-in-Kathmandu-zoo,2851" target="_blank" rel="noopener">red pandas</a>, barking deer, rhesus macaques and birds like <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/lesser-known-endangered-species/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">barn owls</a>, budgerigars, golden pheasants, owlets and the Eurasian eagle owl.Read also:<a style="background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/its-a-jungle-out-there/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">It's a jungle out there</a>, Kunda Dixit<a style="background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/how-many-tigers-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">How many tigers in Nepal</a>, Kunda DixitIn fact, there are so many wild animals that are brought to the zoo that it is running out of space. To address the problem, 15 hectares of land at the National Zoological Garden in Suryabinayak of Bhaktapur have been set aside for a Wildlife Rescue Centre. The idea is to relocate the zoo itself to Bhaktapur, but a decision to that effect taken in 2015 has still not been implemented due to turf battles between different agencies of government.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110815110/636a61309c7e80680e056ebcjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110815110/636a61339c7e80680e056ebdjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="5616" height="3744">"We are hopeful because the government has allocated the budget for a detailed project report for the relocation, but it is a big project and it will take time,” says Pokheral. "We plan on shifting bigger animals to Bhaktapur while keeping the birds, reptiles and butterflies here in Jawalakhel and turn it into a research education centre."Once it is operational, there will be a shuttle bus to carry visitors between Jawalakhel and the zoological garden 23km away in Surya Binayak.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110815110/636a61369c7e80680e056ebejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"><h2>Catching them young</h2><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110815110/636a61399c7e80680e056ebfjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="355"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110815110/636a613b9c7e80680e056ec0jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="358">A procession of uniformed school children walked through the glass door into the Field Marshal Sir John Chapple Education Centre in the Central Zoo one recent morning. They were giggles and pointing at their augmented selves on a monitor alongside a dancing chimp or submerged in an underwater world.  The children file ahead to eight digital kiosks, huddling in small groups answering a nature quiz and playing online games to learn about the animals in the zoo.Making conservation learning fun and interactive is the purpose of the centre which was set up in February. After retirement from the British Army, Sir John Chapple worked to conserve Nepal’s biodiversity for more than 30 years, and is Chair of the UK National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC).“To pay a modest tribute to a man who has devoted most of his energy to conservation and wildlife seemed like an excellent idea, and with support of the UK NTNC we came up with the idea of an education centre that lives up to the digital era," says Amita Sen (pictured below), the only Nepali trustee of the UK chapter of NTNC. “The public, especially student visitors, now get fun-filled access to conservation at the touch of a monitor.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110815110/636a613d9c7e80680e056ec1jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="376">Kathmandu’s zoo is small, but its role in conservation education through the Friends of the Zoo (FOZ) program gives it far bigger importance. FOZ now has 123 partner schools in Nepal and collaborates with Dwight International Schools all over the world.The Education Centre at Central Zoo was funded by Nepal Investment Bank whose president Prithvi Pande recognised the value of making information about nature and conservation accessible to digital natives through state-of-the-art interactive displays. The digital kiosks will soon be updated with Nepali and English language options and with virtual reality glasses that will deliver a virtual tour of the zoo. And even if the Central Zoo relocates to Suryabinyak, the Education Centre will continue to offer yoiung visitors information about conservation.

It’s a zoo out there

One smoggy winter morning in February 2019, Ekta regretted coming to her sculpture class. It was the first day of her period, and the 19-year-old wished she was home, curled up in bed with a hot water bag to soothe her cramps.
Her class was at Kalapremi Ceramic Studio, a dark room on the ground floor of a house in Maharajganj, and Ekta’s teacher was the artist Gopal Das Shrestha ‘Kalapremi’, a noted sculptor.
Two other students were already there, using all their muscle strength to knead the sculpting clay. Ekta, now 24, recalls how Kalapremi asked her if she was feeling all right. She avoided him, as she did not want everyone to know she was menstruating.
Kalapremi repeatedly asked Ekta what was wrong. She finally muttered that she was having her period, after which he grabbed her hand and led her to a partitioned corner of the studio and sat her on a chair. Before she could stop him, he slid his hand under her dress, and started massaging her abdomen.
“I was horrified,” Ekta recalls. “I told him to stop, but he didn’t listen, asking me not to be shy, saying he knew how to relieve my pain. He stopped only after I protested furiously.”&nbsp;
The art tutor then said, “You’re like my daughter. I’m doing it out of love to make you feel better, but you’re so stubborn.”&nbsp;
“Instead of saying sorry he acted like I was the one having crazy thoughts,” remembers Ekta, adding that from April 2016 to August 2020 beginning the time she was 16, the artist sexually abused and harassed her on several occasions. &nbsp;
Now, Ekta and the artist’s other former students are finally sharing their experiences and some are pressing legal charges against him, hoping that others do not have to endure what they did.&nbsp;
Award-winning artist and teacher Gopal Das Shrestha ‘Kalapremi’ (the name means ‘Art Lover’) is known for his ceramic art, sculpture, and contemporary pottery. He was <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/the-house-of-kalapremi">profiled in Nepali Times after a collaborative exhibition</a>, ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ at the Siddhartha Art Gallery three years ago.&nbsp;
His pieces, titled Gaalis, featured sculpted female figures with the heads of dogs, sheep, and donkeys (pictured) to depict derogatory terms for women. Some critics said the collection was a satire on feminists.
Kalapremi started his artistic and teaching career in 1983 and over the years taught at Bhanubhakta School, Kathmandu University School of Arts, Lalitkala Campus and at his private Kalapremi Ceramic Studio. He has also lectured at Jeonju University in South Korea and recently at Tabor Academy in the United States.
Seven of Kalapremi’s former students were interviewed for this story. Five female students said he touched them inappropriately in his studio or at Kathmandu University. Two male students said they witnessed him abuse and harass the women. In all cases, the students struggled to recognise the abuse when it occurred, and the lack of reporting systems left them to cope on their own for years.&nbsp;
Earlier this year, students shared a social media post hinting at Kalapremi’s history of abusive behaviour following which more students of the artist reached out sharing similar experiences. Some students spoke of abuse that happened as long as 20 years ago.
Kalapremi, 60, has denied the allegations. He told Nepali Times: “Some years ago, there was a movement encouraging people to hug and kiss. I used to do it purely out of friendship and love. But after seeing posts on social media last year calling out my behaviour, I realised my actions may have hurt some people. I understand now that I should have been more mindful.”
He added: “I am also an auxiliary health worker, so I know the exact points to massage to relieve menstrual pain. It’s not just menstruation, I take anyone who is ill to the hospital.”
Sexual abuse is much more rampant than reported given how difficult it is to prove it in court. The law defines sexual abuse as occuring when someone touches another’s private parts, coerces them into touching theirs, uses vulgar language, shows degrading images, or behaves indecently towards them without consent.&nbsp;
Ekta and her fellow students are consulting lawyer Suneeta Regmi Pokhrel, who says they know that even if the court decides in their favour, it is difficult to survive after speaking up, and influential men defend themselves saying they are being framed.&nbsp;
“They are in a lot of pain and weep when recalling how he abused them,” Regmi Pokhrel told us. “They are angry and have filed a case against him, but they are also terrified. They know he is a powerful man and they have seen how our society treats women who speak up against abusers. Unless people speak up, perpetrators will be emboldened.”
Art and academia in Nepal simply reflect the power imbalances in society where people with intersecting identities experience worse forms of abuse. Theatre actors Raj Kumar Pudasaini, Rajan Khatiwada, and Sunil Pokhrel were called out during the #MeToo movement in the Nepali theatre scene in 2019. Even after the allegations Pokhrel went on to receive national awards, while others continued to work without repercussions.
“If you speak up against abusers, you gradually get sidelined from projects,” explained a theatre artist who wished anonymity fearing professional setbacks. “The theatre scene in Nepal is quite small, you just have to make peace with the perpetrators and work with them if you want to sustain yourself.”&nbsp;
In academia there is a history of faculty members sexually harassing students and getting away with it. After Tribhuvan University (TU) lecturer Krishna Bhattachan was accused of harassing women students, the university said it would follow Nepal’s sexual harassment law and set up a reporting mechanism. But nothing happened to the professor, who had already retired. Instead, he counter-accused the students of 'attacking the indigenous people’s movement with baseless allegations' as <a href="https://kathmandupost.com/letters/2019/01/29/bhattachan-responds">he told the Kathmandu Post in 2019</a>. He continues to be featured as a prominent speaker including at TU.
Other faculty members previously accused of sexual harassment include Jagadish Murti Koirala from TU, Bishnu Prasad Acharya from Ratna Rajya Campus, and Bodha Raj Tripathee from Lalitpur Madhyamik Vidhyalaya. A woman staff member from TU also filed a sexual abuse complaint against Dambar Chemjong from TU.
Prominent figures like <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/the-rise-and-fall-of-nims-purja">mountaineer Nims Purja</a> have been <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/31/sports/mountaineering-sexual-harassment-abuse-nims-purja.html">accused of sexual assault</a>, and cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane, actor <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/celebrity-rape-case-spotlights-nepal-laws">Paul Shah</a>, and former speaker of Parliament <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/mahara-arrested">Krishna Bahadur Mahara</a> have been accused of rape, but society-at-large has let off the alleged perpetrators amdist a larger debate about justice for survivors and punishment of perpetrators.&nbsp;
‘Gaushala-26’ is the court name given to the 18-year-old who accused Sandeep Lamichhane, former captain of Nepal’s national cricket team and skipper of Biratnagar Kings in the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/here-comes-the-nepal-premier-league">ongoing Nepal Premier League</a>, of rape. She left the country citing society questioning her character affecting her mental health while Lamichhane got an outpouring of support. In May, the Patan High Court overturned a prior verdict that found Lamichhane guilty of rape and had sentenced him to eight years in prison. During the 23-month legal battle to pursue justice, Gaushala-26 faced threats of gang rape and acid attacks.&nbsp;
Exhausted by the struggle, Gaushala-26 sought to “move to a new world” where she could live free without hiding her identity.
Actress Samragyee Rajya Laxmi Shah in an Instagram video now deleted detailed the harassment she faced from a filmmaker during a movie shoot. She did not name any name but veteran actor Bhuwan KC filed a defamation case against Rana, but the court ruled that the charge lacked sufficient evidence.&nbsp;
Former Kathmandu mayor <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/theytoo">Keshav Sthapit also mocked the #MeToo movement</a>, calling accusations against him by journalists Rashmila Prajapati and Ujjwala Maharjan “a rape of men’s rights”.
Serial Abuse
Back at the Kalapremi Ceramics studio, another former student, 24-year-old Rajiv, says he felt the need to speak out after seeing his female classmates being abused.&nbsp;
“He frequently kissed them on their cheeks,” he told Nepali Times. “Whenever they walked into the studio he flailed his arms like a child asking for a hug. They awkwardly hugged him from the side, but he pulled them closer, held their chin, and kissed their cheeks.”&nbsp;
Rajiv says he also saw Kalapremi pull the women’s bra straps, touch their breasts, and slap their buttocks. The young students would freeze, not knowing how to react, and if they protested, he would say it was “normal in art”. Rajiv, 19 at the time like his classmates, remembers thinking perhaps the well-respected artist was right after all.
Another student, Luna, who took lessons at Kalapremi’s studio from 2020 to 2022 did try to confront the tutor after he made an obscene proposal to her. She recalls: “One day when the other students had left the studio and it was just the two of us, he told me that God had given him special artistic talent and he could transfer those powers to me. But to do that both of us will have to be naked, inside a dark room, and have sex.”
Luna, who was 18 then, was livid and told him she did not want any of his powers, but she says he laughed at her as if he was joking. She did not tell her family about the incident because she thought no one would believe her.&nbsp;
“They were all in awe of this famous artist and felt I should be grateful that to be learning sculpting from him,” she says. “I was scared to be alone with him in case he talked about sex again. My coping mechanism was to be rude so he wouldn’t try to come close to me.”
Seeing how some classmates were standing up to Kalapremi, Ekta too tried to push back against his advances, but she said he found ways to coerce her. Since Ekta, Rajiv, and Luna could not afford Kalapremi’s Rs30,000 monthly fee for lessons, he had offered them all a stipend to assist him in the studio.
“He had spondylosis and took me to his therapy sessions to learn massage techniques, then he often made me and other students massage him,” says Ekta. Whenever she refused, he would feign pain to make her feel sorry for him. “He would insist that I put my hands under his shirt so that I could massage him better,” she adds.
The art tutor often tried to “seduce sympathy” from Ekta by sharing how he had never been loved as a child and was “sexually frustrated” as an adult.&nbsp;
“At 7PM, he would pour himself Signature whiskey and immediately go off again about how he was sex-starved. I didn’t know how to respond. It took me time to realise alcohol was just an excuse to talk about sex,” Ekta says.
If convicted, Kalapremi could face financial penalty and/or a prison sentence of up to three years according to Section 224 of National Penal (Code) Act 2017.&nbsp;
Data suggests that victims of child sexual abuse on average take nearly 24 years to tell someone about their trauma, and some may never disclose it at all.&nbsp;
“In our culture, children are rarely taught about boundaries. They often react, show anger when adults pinch their cheeks. But adults insist they did it out of love, and force the children to accept it,” says Sita Lama, a psychotherapist at Manka Kura. “And even when someone touches them inappropriately they struggle to identify and verbalise it.”
When perpetrators claim to be “acting out of love”, Lama says survivors are likely to perceive it as something safe, rather than recognising it as abuse.&nbsp;
“It may take years for them to realise they were abused,” she explains. "And even when they become aware, the power imbalance with the abuser and the associated shame often prevents survivors from speaking up."
Other former students from the School of Art at Kathmandu University have also come forward years later, saying Kalapremi sexually abused them. As young adults, they felt his behaviour was off but were uncertain if it was inappropriate, illegal, or they did not know how to respond. After having understood that it was indeed abuse, they say they are speaking out now to protect others.&nbsp;
Amina Singh, a visiting faculty member at Kathmandu University, says there is no clause against sexual abuse in contracts of teachers, and there is no formal grievance handling mechanism for the students.&nbsp;
“So the only way students can to deal with sexual abuse is approach someone they trust,” she says.
Eight other former art students of Lalit Kala Campus and Srijana College of Fine Arts of Tribhuvan University and other private art studios in Kathmandu say they were also sexually abused by their art teachers. Three faculty members interviewed from these institutions said they saw the abuse, but felt it was futile to report it given how powerful the teachers were.
In the absence of a formal system, some longtime women artists warned each other about “problematic” artists. They shared &nbsp;a “heads-up” to be more cautious when collaborating with them, and avoided responding to their calls and texts after work hours.
To ensure art institutions are safe for all, galleries, museums, artist studios, and smaller art spaces need to develop policies on sexual harassment. This would include a code of conduct or studio policies that hold the leadership accountable and outline the principles of professional ethics.&nbsp;
Students and employees should inquire about accountability mechanisms for raising concerns, both formally and informally, advocates say.
Three years after Ekta left the ceramics studio, she learnt that Kalapremi had harassed many other women. Still trying to get a footing in the art industry, she attended a workshop in Kathmandu where women artists discussed ways to stay safe in the art sector.&nbsp;
Since it was a close-knit group Ekta opened up about how she felt violated and realised she was not alone, he had been abusing underprivileged students for years, and this was common knowledge among artists in Nepal.
Ekta says that even after she quit, Kalapremi continued sending her text messages like ‘I am thinking of you’, ‘Why have you stopped speaking with me’, or ‘I am waiting for your call’.&nbsp;
But what really forced her to act was when Ekta found out that he was sending similar texts to her younger sister.&nbsp;
“I’ve had enough,” she told us. “He abused me all these years but I won’t let him abuse my sister.” &nbsp;
Ekta, Rajiv and Luna are not the real names of the students.&nbsp;

‘Art Lover’ accused of sexual abuse

It was 8:15 in the evening of 25 March 1968 when everyone in the village of Batulechaur near Pokhara heard a deafening sound like thunder as a bright flashing object hurtled down to land in a field.&nbsp; That field belonged to Kul Timilsina, and the next morning he retrieved a sheet of metal about 2m by 1m and carried it home with the help of a few others, thinking it would be useful for his buffalo shed.&nbsp; Before he died at age 83 three years ago, Timilsina had told photo archivist Sunil Ulak that the black metal sheet was not rectangular and had rounded corners. There are a few witnesses still alive who have a clear recollection of the object that fell from the sky that night.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024120707128_75cc85aac56b9cc4a77366471f058d7b3eb6868776811b0923845c2d0a61f014.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="2024120707128_75cc85aac56b9cc4a77366471f058d7b3eb6868776811b0923845c2d0a61f014" data-rendition-name="original" width="1170" height="601" loading="lazy" alt="UFO over Pokhara"> <figcaption>The field in Batulechaur belonging to Kul Timilsina where fragments of a flying object fell from the sky in 1968.</figcaption> </figure>  One of them is Timilsina’s wife Gyanu, who was 22 at the time. She had been at home, and remembers hearing the big bang and the sky becoming very bright. “We saw the thing in the field in the morning,” she told us. “It looked like a lid, a covering of some sort. The way it was stuck in the ground, it must have fallen from the sky. We thought we could use it to dry clothes on, and took it home.”&nbsp; Another witness is Kul Narayan Paudel. “I was only eight then. We ran to the field to see what had fallen. It was a four-sided metal sheet. The elders took it away, and I don't know what happened to it.” &nbsp; Ram Bahadur Baniya, a teacher at the local school, says he had heard the sheet had been brought to the school, and later handed over to the Zonal Commissioner at the time, Nanda Prasad Malla. “But that is all hearsay,” he says.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024120707128_0bf207a12063fb8155b3c8d9a00a94887b126380c9e0627527c84cf5e1101f54.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="2024120707128_0bf207a12063fb8155b3c8d9a00a94887b126380c9e0627527c84cf5e1101f54" data-rendition-name="original" width="1170" height="610" loading="lazy" alt="UFO over Pokhara"> <figcaption>Gyanu Timilsina, wife of Kul Timilsina.</figcaption> </figure>  There are two versions of what happened to Kul Timilsina’s metal sheet. One is that an American Peace Corp Volunteer teaching at the nearby Bindyabasini School took it, and another is that it was handed over to the government. Recently declassified Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and US State Department documents from the time say that the US Embassy in Kathmandu tracked down the object two years later and had it shipped back to the US. A telegram from the Department of State and Department of Defense tagged as ‘MOON DUST / Space Fragments’ dated 1 March 1972 stated: ‘1. Restored space fragment will be on board Embassy support flight 115 arriving Kathmandu on or about March 10. Fragment is packed in shipping crate (cargo no. 72-33365) marked in care of DAO.&nbsp; 2. State and Defense representatives examined fragments prior to shipment finding restoration acceptable.’  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241207071212_929d903ee06d41baa4f6040e981cd7c7d7bd75cc9c37c9b617d307fc8538d2df.png" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20241207071212_929d903ee06d41baa4f6040e981cd7c7d7bd75cc9c37c9b617d307fc8538d2df" data-rendition-name="original" width="856" height="568" loading="lazy" alt="UFO over Pokhara"> <figcaption>Declassified CIA documents about the investigation into the object sighted in Pokhara. </figcaption> </figure>  The documents show that the US government, military and intelligence agencies investigated this incident thoroughly when it occurred, and have continued to revisit it ever since, as recently as five years ago. What is even more intriguing is that the object that fell in Pokhara was not the only unidentified space object that fell to earth that year. There were similar sightings of objects falling from the sky in Ladakh, Sikkim and Bhutan between 19 February and 25 March 1968.&nbsp; These mysteries were the subject of a CIA investigation in 1968 titled ‘<a href="https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP81R00560R000100070007-8.pdf">Sighting of Unidentified Flying Objects in Ladakh, Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan</a>’, and the report is part of the recent online declassification of 800,000 top-secret documents from the period.&nbsp; &nbsp;Although unidentified flying objects (UFOs) have a connotation now of being alien craft, it could be pieces of satellite, missile, rocket or even aircraft. The CIA report documents six sightings in 1968 and quotes local sources as describing all of them having similar characteristics: bright blue or red streaks in the sky accompanied by loud sounds like lightning and thunder and objects falling to the ground. Aside from the metallic object that was found in Batlechaur, there were other items also found nearby in Tallakot, Tureypasal, Armalakot and Maidan. Whatever the object was, it seems to have disintegrated even before it hit the ground.&nbsp; The CIA report records the first sighting on 19 February 1968 in various parts of Sikkim and Olangchung Gola and Ghunsa in eastern Nepal. The light was said to be ‘long and thin’ and giving out ‘green and red light’. &nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241207071212_c3c825027d966a2aedc846970390eebe063957503c7eacc8e01e0517843f9bbb.png" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20241207071212_c3c825027d966a2aedc846970390eebe063957503c7eacc8e01e0517843f9bbb" data-rendition-name="original" width="892" height="596" loading="lazy" alt="UFO over Pokhara "> </figure>  Two days later on 21 February, a soundless blue object was seen traveling fast across the sky above Thimphu in Bhutan. Then on 4 March there were multiple daytime sightings or white streaks in the sky at Chang La Pass, Fukche and Koyul in Ladakh. There were more sightings in Ladakh on the very day fragments fell near Pokhara on 25 March 1968.&nbsp; After the sightings in Pokhara, rumours started flying in Kathmandu that these were aliens trying to land on Earth, it could be Russian or Chinese spy planes or satellites, and some even say it as a sign from heaven that the end of the world was near. This was at the height of the Cold War. The Russians and Americans were testing their thermonuclear devices as well as intercontinental ballistic missile delivery systems. The Washington-Beijing rapprochement had not yet happened, and China was making quick progress testing atomic bombs. Within two years after its first atomic test, in 1966 China exploded its first hydrogen bomb at the Lop Nur site in Xinjiang, 3,000km to the north from Nepal. After neary six decades, what is still intriguing is that all the sightings within a few months of each other in 1968 were along the Himalayan arc bordering Tibet: from Bhutan, Sikkim Nepal, to Ladakh. The US military intelligence seems to have concluded that this was not a coincidence and there were frequent research trips to the site in Pokhara by American officials in the months after the incident. With the help of the Royal Nepal Army, the region north of Pokhara was thoroughly searched.&nbsp; A confidential memo dated 25 June 1968 by Jerry C Trippy to a ‘Mr Farley’ mentions that the US Air Force’s Foreign Technology Division had decided that the debris could be important because it may be related to a Chinese missile test or a Soviet ‘Vehicle Venik’ rocket.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241207071216_feb5425692dc36b20187de4e4fcc2ce9fd12b6d9e1b8724398e50bcdbf9032fe.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20241207071216_feb5425692dc36b20187de4e4fcc2ce9fd12b6d9e1b8724398e50bcdbf9032fe" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="UFO over Pokhara"> </figure>  On 28 August 1968 the US Embassy in Kathmandu sent a letter to Washington DC saying that the object could be of Soviet origin, possibly from when the rocket carrying the ‘Kosmos 208’ satellite re-entered the atmosphere. But why were the fragments falling to earth several weeks apart, and in the same region? No one knows where the metal sheet that Kul Timilsina recovered is now. It was definitely packed in a crate and taken to the US, and although it is rumoured that it was returned that is not very likely. Archivist Sunil Ulak heard from the Timilsina family that CIA officials had returned to the site five years ago. &nbsp; Interest in UFOs peaked in the US in the 1950s, with the Cold War space race and tests of atomic weapons and delivery rockets. CIA and scientists were being sent to investigate sightings, both publicly and privately. Could the Pokhara fragments as well as the sightings in Ladakh and Bhutan actually be alien craft falling to earth? The renewal in interest in space travel in large part due to Elon Musk’s SpaceX, UFOs and sightings are again subjects of public interest.&nbsp; Even 57 years later, even if there was definitive proof about whether the Batlechaur fragment was from a Chinese missile or a soviet rocket, it has not been made public in documents declassified so far. We may never know.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241207071216_b6938795f40731e7657fd6dcbb3cf460a326186a15eb11d4f832f602201ff598.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20241207071216_b6938795f40731e7657fd6dcbb3cf460a326186a15eb11d4f832f602201ff598" data-rendition-name="original" width="642" height="320" loading="lazy" alt="UFO over Pokhara"> </figure>  Sunil Ulak speculates if the debris actually came from an American aircraft, perhaps on an intel mission upon China. “Which could explain why they were so thorough in collecting the fragments in Pokhara,” he says. But that still does not explain the multiple sightings weeks apart in 1968.&nbsp; Indeed, US military aircraft were at that time flying frequent night-time missions from air force bases in India to supply weapons to Khampa guerrilla camps in Nepal located north of Pokhara in Mustang. It could very well be that the Chinese shot down one such aircraft. The other sightings could have been contrails of US spy planes, or Chinese anti-aircraft missiles.&nbsp; There were quite a few developments regarding UFOs in 2024. In a US congressional hearing in July, former intelligence officer David Grusch claimed that the government had long been involved in a program to investigate and retrieve non-human craft crashes, and then try to reverse engineer them. However Grusch did not show any evidence.&nbsp; The UAP Disclosure Act of 2024 was signed into law by Joe Biden in December 2023. It plans to oversee the public disclosure of UFO information. However, there is a clause in it that prevents disclosure if it would cause threats to military defense, intelligence operations or foreign relations.&nbsp; It is unlikely that the declassified documents about sightings in the Himalayan will cause any real surprise about definite evidence of alien life even if it was found. It seems humanity will continue, at least for now, to wonder about curious lights in the sky and whether there is anybody out there.&nbsp;

UFO over Pokhara

When Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) president Rabi Lamichhane was arrested in October on charges of defrauding depositors of cooperatives, the party’s vice president Swarnim Wagle gifted him Fareed Zakaria’s book, Age of Revolutions.
Since then, Lamichhane has been shunted around from Kathmandu to Pokhara to Chitwan and back to Pokhara to attend police investigations and court proceedings. He was being flown to Birganj via Kathmandu on Buddha Air on Monday. There is another pending case in Janakpur.
Human rights groups and civil society have criticised the government for hounding Lamichhane with inhumane treatment that borders on physical torture. The two parties in the coalition, Nepali Congress (NC) and the UML, see Lamichhane’s RSP as a potentially formidable challenge to their power.
Even if the fraud charges against Lamichhane are true, the Nepali public is increasingly looking at the government’s actions through the police and courts as political vendetta.
Despite all the travelling, sometimes by plane and often by road at night, Lamichhane appears to be in high spirits, waving to supporters who often gather if they know he is going to be driven around. A social media video shows him giving high fives to fellow passengers on a recent flight to Pokhara.&nbsp;
In the past weeks, streets in Pokhara have erupted with parallel protests by Lamichhane’s supporters as well as depositors of cooperatives who lost their savings to the scam.&nbsp;
Although family visits are allowed, prison officials in Pokhara told Nepali Times that not many people visit Lamichhane these days. He added, “When he does get visitors, he asks them to bring him books.”
Lamichhane is currently Nepal’s most high-profile public figure in custody, and highlights the stark difference between how influential prisoners are treated compared to ordinary inmates.
There are six prison cells at Kaski District Police Office’s two-story detention centre, three on each floor. And while authorities pack prisoners into already overcrowded cells, Lamichhane has an entire room on the second floor to himself.&nbsp;
He has also been allowed to call his family every few days. Other prisoners are not permitted phone calls except for emergencies.
Meanwhile, Lamichhane’s former business partner Chhabilal Joshi, an ex-Deputy Inspector General of Police with whom he established his Gorkha Media Network, is in custody under the same charges in the prison cell next to him.
Lamichhane is accused of siphoning off depositors' money to the tv network in which he was part-owner and anchor. &nbsp;
Both Lamichhane and Joshi are able to buy food from the police canteen instead of being served the regular meal like other prisoners. Joshi has also given his statement to authorities in Rupandehi and Kathmandu for his alleged role in the scam. Lamichhane is yet to be presented in Kathmandu for questioning.
While he was in custody at the Kathmandu District Police Complex, Joshi expressed his desire to sleep in a police officer’s office, reportedly assuring authorities that he would not run away and he was entitled to certain facilities as a former officer of the law.
“He seemed to be under the impression that he is still a police officer,” says a source at the Kathmandu District Police. “We made it clear to him that as someone accused of a crime, he was not entitled to special treatment.”
Former ministers Balkrishna Khand and Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, and ex-home secretary Tek Narayan Pandey, who were arrested in connection with the fake refugee scam last year, were similarly housed in the offices of law enforcement officials instead of prison cells. Khand has since been released after six months in jail.
While there is no legal provision to keep high-ranking officials in separate detention centres when they are arrested, authorities granting them special facilities is not uncommon. Law enforcement officials say VIP detainees expect preferential treatment while in police custody.
Among those is former Kosi Province minister Lila Ballav Adhikari, who was arrested from Biratnagar on 10 November over his alleged involvement in human trafficking and brought to Kathmandu. Adhikari had flown to Japan without government approval with three individuals on 29 October to attend a cultural conference, but had been sent back to Nepal from Narita.&nbsp;
His three companions were arrested at Kathmandu airport upon their arrival, but Adhikari was able to exit unscathed from the VIP lounge. Adhikari had resigned as the Kosi Province Minister for Internal Affairs and Law when it became public that his companions had been taken into custody, and was himself arrested shortly after. He has since been cleared by the courts.
Throughout his detention, Adhikari was kept separately from other inmates. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Basant Rajouri, head of the Bhadrakali complex, says that while there is no separate detention area for VIPs, some detainees are kept separately depending on the nature of their crime.
However, sources say that arrangements were made for retired judges and others to visit Adhikari frequently worked at the office of a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) during his time in custody.&nbsp;
“He used to constantly pester the authorities to let him sit outside in the sun, and to be able to use the police officer’s shower area,” added an officer.
Adhikari was released on 25 November after the government prosecutor’s office decided not to charge him in a move that was seen to expose the government’s double standards.
Over at Kathmandu’s Dilli Bazar Prison, former Kist Bank CEO Kamal Gyawali emerges from his prison cell into the courtyard of the prison’s ‘Ka (क)’ block every morning with a thick book in his hands, ready to give his daily sermon.
With his long beard, Gyawali, who is serving a prison sentence for banking fraud, looks the part of a religious guru as he implores his rapt listeners to “walk the right path, abandon bad thoughts and turn to scripture and spirituality”.&nbsp;
Afterward, the attendees gather to discuss politics and current affairs. Inmates at his daily sermons at the prison include other high-profile detainees, including former MP Ichchha Raj Tamang, who is in jail for money laundering and cooperatives fraud, former joint secretary Chudamani Sharma, who was convicted of corruption, as well as NC leader Chandra Bahadur Lama and Krishna Bahadur Upreti of the UML both of whom are on trial for embezzling billions of rupees.
Victims of the cooperatives scam that former lawmaker Tamang was involved in have made trips to the prison and requested visits, but he has refused to meet with any of them.
“Tamang often complains that the state has prevented him from returning the money to the victims by locking him up,” says a police officer at the Dili Bazar jail.
“All you hear every day from the VIP prisoners is that they have been framed,” adds the officer. “No one admits that they were involved in misdeeds.”
But while most high-profile prisoners complain about prison conditions, one exception is former provincial lawmaker Deepak Manange, who is serving a sentence at Dilli Bazar Jail for attempted murder.
“He is the happiest prisoner here,” says a warden. “Unlike the others, he doesn’t claim to have been framed, in fact he doesn’t seem to care that he is in prison.”
Manange is detained in the ‘Kha (ख)’ block of the prison complex, which he renovated at his own expense. The block previously housed female prisoners, but Manange used his influence to transfer them elsewhere. He faces no shortage of visitors, who range from political leaders to people from the underworld.
Along with Manange, other well-known prisoners in this block include Nepal Telecom Managing Director Sunil Poudel, and former executive director of the Surakshan Printing Centre Bikal Poudel, who are serving time for corruption.
Former prisoners at Dilli Bazar prison include ex-ministers Khum Bahadur Khadka and Shyam Sundar Gupta, NC leader Ganesh Lama, Maoist MP Balkrishna Dhungel, Nagarik Unmukti Party leader Resham Chaudhary, as well as former IGs Ramesh Chand Thakuri, Om Bikram Rana, and Hem Bahadur Gurung.
Section 54 of Nepal’s Prison Act assigns each prison’s internal administration the
responsibility of governing its prisoners, which means the more favourable the jail management is, the more comfortable it is for prisoners.
Dilli Bazar prison has been the prison of choice for many high-ranking prisoners, especially those convicted of white collar crimes, due to its more accommodating administrators. The prison, which has the capacity to house 700 inmates, is also less crowded than other jails.
Anuj Bhattarai, spokesperson of the Department of Prison Management, says that there is no legal classification in Nepal for felons to be assigned prisons based on the nature of their crimes.
“That Dilli Bazar Jail has a higher number of prisoners convicted of crimes like corruption is most likely a coincidence,” says Bhattarai. “There is no provision for influential people to be able to choose where they will be incarcerated.”&nbsp;
Translated by Shristi Karki from the Nepali original published in himalkhabar.com

What Nepal’s VIP prisoners do in jail

If you were raised in Nepal, you must have picked up its unique set of vocabulary: आन्दोलन, चक्का जाम, बन्द, राँके जुलुस, आफ्नो मान्छे, हाम्रो दल, कर्फु and many more words connoting political protest.
We became familiar with the acrid smell of burning tyres, and eyes smarting from tear gas. And yet, everyone speaks of another revolution in the making. Not by desire, but by suffocation.
We heard speeches about नयाँ नेपाल, but the New Nepal never arrived. The governance system changed, but it did not reflect on people’s lives — except for those close to centres of power. The state is still unreachable and is not bothered about <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/matter-of-life-and-debt">victims of loan sharks</a>, cooperative scams and other injustices.
Politicians continue to speak in sound bites, but fail to deliver. They have mastered the game of pointing fingers towards an external enemy and convincing people that they are never at fault. The political narrative is so disconnected from the actual analysis of the problem that suffocation doesn’t go away after every revolution.
No genuine effort has been made to deliver at all, which is why there is a palpable sense of disillusionment in the air forcing us to seek another revolution, even if Nepal may not be able to afford it.
How has the current system successfully held power, even if the public is deeply frustrated? How is it that for three decades we continue to be led by the same faces, who have time and again, proved to us that they may be great politicians but not national leaders?
<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/improving-internet-governance-in-nepal">My experience at the epicentre of politics</a> has led me to identify three cultures that have enabled political parties to keep a tight hold on power: acceptance, silence and dependency.
We accept things the way they are. We use fatalistic phrases like “नेपालमा यस्तै हो” or “नेपालको कानुन दैब जानुन”. While this resilience enables us to rise back up from devastating calamities, it is also a reason for our compliance with the status quo.
Despite so many ‘revolutions’ that have led to significant reforms, these phrases keep getting reinforced, to the point that the upcoming generations have made it their lingo.&nbsp;
This acceptance is not a symbol of law-abiding citizens, but citizens living in fear of those in power, unable to ask the whys and why-nots.
Innovation suffocates in this culture of acceptance of the status quo. This is manifested in remarks like “but we don’t have any laws for this,” or “we don’t have the capacity to implement this”. An innovator or entrepreneur therefore has to spend that energy to become a political lobbyist, often educating and convincing the bureaucracy.&nbsp;
Remember when locally assembled <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/designed-and-made-in-nepal">Yatri motorbikes</a>, despite having willing customers, had to suffer to secure license numbers because of a lack of regulations? Instead of creating new laws, the government kept chanting the “We will promote Nepal-made goods” mantra, leaving entrepreneurs in a labyrinth of bureaucracy. The weight of acceptance of the law lies heavily on innovators. Fatalism is a tactic used by those in power to generate mass fear in society.
When we accept, we become silent. This is a pervasive phenomenon. We are trained to keep quiet, lest we ruffle feathers, burn bridges, or not get the help we need in future. We know, yet we don’t speak.
Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/bureaucratic-hurdles-in-researching-nepals-bureaucracy">Bureaucratic hurdles in researching Nepal's bureaucracy</a>, Daniel W Edwards
Here is one example: the 2021 census shows that the number of baby boys born for every 100 baby girls is 112. This is a clear indication of female foeticide because of boy preference in society.
Despite such horrifying realities, there is finger-pointing within the government between the Ministry of Health and Population with the Ministry of Home Affairs. At the citizen level, we know those who are involved in killing girls. Yet, we don’t speak up. The Nepal Medical Council reports state that despite this gender imbalance at birth, there is no indication of any action.
But why would anyone speak against one's own fraternity, no matter how vile the act is?
When we accept and keep quiet, we become dependent on those who yield power. From getting our government procedure completed on time to getting transfers, to accessing any of our legally protected rights as well, we are forced to depend on our networks of चिनेको मान्छे people we know by blood, village, relations, political affiliation.
The culture of dependency has been the established way in Nepal. If you drive a two-wheeler or four-wheeler, and you get into a small accident, you will be asked to sort it yourself, dialing up the most powerful person you know. It becomes a competition of who knows who.
Recently I was told that there were calls from the Ministry of Health and Population and another from the Prime Minister's Office for just one medical position in a private hospital. Each was pushing its own candidate. Guess which candidate got the position.&nbsp;
The dependency of people is not on the laws or the state, it is with people in power, a reliance on the network of somebody who knows somebody, including those not officially in power.
These cultures are deeply ingrained in our heads, and in society. Collectively they form a vicious circle that helps those in power to retain power. This is not the society we want to live in.
Then, what do we do as a collective to break away from this? How do we break away from the cultures of acceptance and silence that have created this dependency? What can we do to ensure that our children do not have to learn the jargon of आन्दोलन before they learn about the state?
These are the cultures political parties need to shed rather than use them to perpetuate their power. This is what <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/comment/an-alternative-to-alternative-politics-in-nepal">alternative politics</a> needs to be about.
Sumana Shrestha is a member of Parliament’s Education, Health and Information Technology parliamentary committee and represents the Rastriya Swatantara Party.

red-panda

The Red Panda House

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Republic of Nepal’s animal kingdom

Red panda on the red list

Conserving mountains for people and nature

Conserving mountains for people and nature

What drives wildlife poaching?

It’s a zoo out there

‘Art Lover’ accused of sexual abuse

UFO over Pokhara

What Nepal’s VIP prisoners do in jail

Why Nepal is stuck