Kathmandu, September 24 The ninth National Conservation Day was celebrated in the capital with the theme ‘Conservation and Reconstruction’ today. Chief justice Kalyan Shrestha, who was the chief guest of a function held in the capital to mark the day, said, “The earthquake was a national tragedy but it also taught Nepal valuable lessons. In our efforts to build back Nepal, it is important to ensure that future development does not come at the cost of environment degradation.” On the occasion, WWF Nepal felicitated three organisations and four individuals for their exemplary contribution to biodiversity conservation. Naryan Dal Battalion of Langtang National Park and Buffer Zone and the Community Forest Coordination Committee, Kanchanpur, were felicitated with the Abraham Conservation Award in the organization category, while Rajesh Shrestha and Sub-Inspector Birendra Singh Johari were felicitated with the Abraham Conservation Award in the individual category. Likewise, Chiranjeevi Khanal was awarded the Matthew Preece and Yeshi Choden Lama Young Conservation Leader Award, while Nepali Times and Shiva Sharma from Kantipur Publications were awarded the WWF Media in Conservation Award in the organization and individual categories respectively. The award carries a purse of Rs 25,000 for individuals and Rs 50,000 for organisations, which are partially supported by The Abraham Foundation. Likewise, WWF Nepal provided scholarships to Tsering Lhamu Lama, Ashmita Kushma, Pramila Thapa and Prasun Ghimire, Bibek Shrestha and Amrita Rauniyar to pursue higher studies in forestry under the Chandra Gurung Memorial Fellowship, and the Jennifer Headley, Jill Bowling Schlaepfer, Mingma Norbu Sherpa and Nepal Conservation Memorial Scholarships respectively. A National Conservation Award instituted for the first time on National Conservation Day in 2014 was awarded to Prof Dr Ram Prasad Chaudhary by the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation. The award was instituted to recognise the exemplary contribution of individuals and organizations to biodiversity conservation and carries a purse of Rs 151,000. “On National Conservation Day, we pay homage to our conservation heroes,” stated Dr Ghana S Gurung, senior conservation program director of WWF, Nepal. “Their contributions to Nepal’s conservation efforts serve as an inspiration for future generations.” he said.