Experts explore new options for protected areas governance
8 August 2008

Governance of protected areas is a relatively new concept in the conservation field and it first came into prominence since 2004. Governance is a key for effective and equitable protected area management systems. The concept and practice of governance needs to be recognised as centrally important.

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Experts stress on increased coordination on wetland conservation
18 July 2008

Wetlands have aroused considerable attention in recent years as appreciation of the direct and indirect benefits of these ecosystems has increased. This awareness has taken place not only among the general public but also at many levels. Against the backdrop of the wetland issues, IUCN Nepal organised an interaction programme on July 17 to share the outcomes of the 4th Asian Wetland Symposium held in Hanoi, Vietnam in June 2008.

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IUCN Nepal celebrates Environment Day
5 June 2008

Building on the past successful experiences, IUCN Nepal observed World Environment Day 2008 with awareness raising programmes to promote environmental awareness amongst the masses.

Amidst more than 1500 participants in the Green Walk, the message "Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Emission" was advocated loud and clear that paraded in major thoroughfares of Lalitpur district.

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New Bird for Nepal found in Koshi Tappu
4 June 2008

A new species of bird has been recorded at Koshi Tappu  bringing the total number of birds in Nepal to 863.

Badri Chaudhary, Anis Timalsina and Barry McCarthy a team of ornithologists affiliated with Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN), identified the new bird as Sykes's Nightjar Caprimulgus mahrattensis for the first time in Nepal.
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Making the Most of World Heritage Convention in Nepal
25 February 2008
IUCN Nepal organised an interactive forum on February 21, 2008, on protected areas and World Heritage Sites in Nepal. Organised jointly by the Office of the Vice Chair, WCPA South Asia and IUCN Nepal, the session was chaired by Dr. Uday Raj Sharma, Vice Chair of the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) South Asia. The half-day deliberation primarily stimulated thinking on how World Heritage Sites can support conservation and develop concrete ways for progressive policy interventions in Nepal.
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Workshop on the governance of protected areas in Nepal
21 January 2008
The World Conservation Union (IUCN) Nepal and International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) facilitated the organization of a workshop on January 20, 2008, on the governance system of protected areas in Nepal. The workshop was primarily aimed at sharing experiences and knowledge towards effective and equitable system of protected areas, exploring protected areas governance mechanisms and how they can further the CBD Programme of Work (PoW) on Protected Areas.
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Dr. Arzoo R. Deuba nominated as CEC Nepal Focal Point
28 November 2007
Dr. Arzoo Rana Deuba has been nominated at the focal point of IUCN’s Commission on Education and Communication Nepal.

As IUCN Nepal continues to expand its membership base, engages with new sectors, and addresses emerging issues.
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IUCN welcomes LI-BIRD as 15th member in Nepal
27 November 2007

The 68th meeting of IUCN Council held in South Africa from 19-20 November 2007 has approved the admission of LI-BIRD as a member of the Union in Category B (c) - national non governmental organizations. 

Recently, the Government of Nepal has awarded LI-BIRD with the “Science and Technology Promotion Award 2007 for its outstanding research and development work in the field of community-based biodiversity management for on-farm conservation and utilization of agricultural biodiversity, Participatory Plant Breeding (PPB), and contribution in the formulation of associated national policy and strategies.
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Media sensitized on reporting landscape governance
26 November 2007
The World Conservation Union (IUCN) Nepal and Nepal Forum of Nepalese Journalists (NEFEJ) jointly organized a media sensitization programme on November 24, 2007, about landscape governance issues in the conservation of biological diversity in Biratnagar, eastern Nepal.

The programme, chaired by the district President of Federation of Nepalese Journalists Shiv Bahadur Karki, was participated by over 34 journalists of print and electronic media of eastern Nepal.

On the occasion, Mohan Bhandari and Dilip Kafle, members of NEFEJ, and Deependra Joshi of IUCN Nepal shed light on the issues, challenges and opportunities on environmental reporting in Nepal, and urged to prioritize on wider coverage of environmental news in the mainstream media.
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RCF concludes with renewed commitment to conservation
13 September 2007
The 4th Asia Regional Conservation Forum (RCF), arguably the region’s biggest and most important conservation event, came to a hugely successful close today with renewed energy and commitment to integrate  conservation imperatives to the heart of decision making.

Delivering his concluding remarks, Tirtha Raj Sharma, Secretary, Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, put biodiversity conservation into the larger context of the development agenda and noted the importance of events such as the RCF in promoting and contributing to sustainable livelihoods.
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Experts mull ways to biodiversity conservation
12 September 2007
(IUCN) – How is Asia’s biodiversity doing? This appeared to be the main question on the second day of the 4th IUCN Asia Regional Conservation Forum (RCF) being held in Kathmandu.

Experts gathered from across the globe highlighted the need to prioritize biodiversity conservation as the cornerstone of IUCN’s work on biodiversity, examining broadly the challenges and opportunities of reorienting IUCN’s heartland work in Asia on protected areas, wetlands, and coastal ecosystem management, forests and species towards developing integrated landscape approaches.
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Extinction crisis escalates

There are now 41,415 species on the IUCN Red List and 16,306 of them are threatened with extinction, up from 16,118 last year. The total number of extinct species has reached 785 and a further 65 are only found in captivity or in cultivation. 

One in four mammals, one in eight birds, one third of all amphibians and 70% of the world’s assessed plants on the 2007 IUCN Red List are in jeopardy.
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Prime Minister of Nepal opens Regional Conservation Forum
10 Septermber 2007
Prime Minister of Nepal Rt. Hon. Girija Prasad Koirala inaugurated the 4th IUCN Asia Regional Conservation Forum today in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Addressing the conference, chief guest Koirala reiterated Nepal’s commitment to the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. “As a party to various environmental conventions, we promise our development partners to reinforce our partnership on conservation and sustainable development based on the democratic principles of cooperation, shared responsibility and mutual benefit to formulate appropriate strategies for a better Asia,” the prime minister said.
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Nepal to host Asia's largest conservation forum
7 Septermber 2007
Under the theme of "Synergies for a Sustainable Asia," Nepal will be hosting the 4th IUCN Asia Regional Conservation Forum (RCF), a premier environmental event to address sustainable development issues in this dynamic and biodiversity-rich region. The RCF seeks to integrate conservation issues into mainstream development. The forum will also showcase Nepal’s rich natural and cultural heritage and measures taken for its management. The forum will bring together approximately 400 representatives from IUCN’s membership, commissions, secretariat and council in Asia with major stakeholders, including those belonging to the donor community and private sector from as many as 36 Asian countries.
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High altitude wetlands and water towers
8 June 2007
Impacts of climate change have been noticed on both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Himalayan high altitude wetlands provide a freshwater reserve affecting almost one-third of humanity in the river basins downstream. There is considerable evidence that loss of Himalayan wetlands can lead first to increased flooding and later to lack of river water, especially during dry seasons in the downstream thereby requiring significant efforts to lessen both at source and the downstream.

IUCN Nepal, in conjunction with Himalayan Water and Nature Initiatives (WANI), organised a one-day multi-stakeholder consultation workshop on the “Role of high altitude Himalayan region wetlands as water towers” in Kathmandu to encourage state and non-state stakeholders to navigate ways for implementing climate change adaptation, economic valuation of ecosystem resources, environmental flows and payment for watershed services in Nepal.
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IUCN Nepal celebrates World Environment Day
5 June 2007
Building on the past successful experiences, IUCN Nepal observed World Environment Day 2007 with awareness raising programmes to stimulate public awareness on the impacts of climate change and enhance national attention and action.

Amidst more than 3000 participants in the Green Environmental Parade, the message "Melting Ice: A Hot Topic” was advocated mostly by school children that paraded through major thoroughfares of Lalitpur district. The message was loud and clear which stated that urgent measures are needed to protect the vast hidden treasures from the impacts of climate change on mountain ecosystems and livelihoods in Nepal.
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Protected areas: How much is enough?

26 April 2007

There is contradictory evidence as to the management effectiveness of protected areas as a means to conserving biodiversity. While the land under protected area cover has shown an increasing trend, the continuing decline of biodiversity has remained a cause for greater concern to the conservation community in South Asia. Moreover, while many protected areas have generated significant benefits they have not been without their costs, a disproportionate amount of which have been borne by local people.

Issues such as these were debated at length at a regional conference on protected area management organised from April 22-25, 2007 in Kathmandu.
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Linking peace, security and environment

20 April 2007

Environment is one of the most important underlying factors. Environmental insecurity can be a fundamental cause of conflict and hence environmental security deserves greater investment in Nepal.

This was stated at a talk programme today on "Peace, Security and Environment" by Jeff McNeely, Chief Scientist of the World Conservation Union (IUCN). The programme was organised in Kathmandu with an objective to share the critical links on peace, security and environment and understand the relationships between environmental resource management and peace. The deliberations, according to the participants, contributed in deepening and broadening the notion that environment preservation is crucial to people's lives and that Nepal must invest in ecosystems to secure sustainable development in future.
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Bringing together science and participation to achieve sustainable mountain ecosystem management

2 April 2007

The regional project "Institutional Consolidation for the Coordinated and Integrated Monitoring of Natural Resources towards Sustainable Development and Environmental Conservation in the Hindu Kush-Karakoram-Himalaya Mountain Complex" (also known as HKKH Partnership Project) aims at consolidation of institutional capacity for systematic planning and management at the local, national and regional levels. The project, supported by the Italian Cooperation, is implemented by IUCN in partnership with CESVI, Ev-K2-CNR and ICIMOD.
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Rhino Specialist Group takes on trans-boundary cooperation

16 March 2007

Regional efforts towards Asian one-horned rhino conservation received impetus thanks to the success of the second Asian Rhino Specialist Group (AsRSG) expert workshop that took place in Kaziranga National Park, India, from March 3-5, 2007.
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Symposium on World Wetlands Day organised

3 February 2007

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) Nepal in conjunction with the Regional Environment Office for South Asia, US Department of State, organised a symposium in Kathmandu on the occasion of the World Wetlands Day, 2007.
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Fish for Tomorrow?

2 February 2007

2 February is World Wetlands Day (WWD), marking the date of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar. IUCN Nepal joined in the national celebrations of the Day which is designed to draw the attention to the significance and the plight of wetland ecosystem in Nepal.
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IUCN and UNEP join hands in greening the new Constitution of Nepal

24 January 2007

TheAt a time when environmental movement faces greater demands and increasing challenges in mainstreaming environmental rights into the new constitution of Nepal, The World Conservation Union (IUCN) Nepal and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) renew their partnership agreement.
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IUCN members call for action to rhino conservation in Nepal

10 January2007

IUCN Commission members of Nepal submitted a petition to the Environment Conservation Committee of the House of Representatives to take meaningful action on the most important issue facing Nepal's wildlife today--rhino poaching.
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SDC continues support to IUCN Nepal

15 December, 2006

Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) has continued its support to IUCN Nepal to carry out its existing field projects and undertake work in new programme areas to promote biodiversity conservation, environmental justice and sustainable livelihoods in Nepal.
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