Kathmandu, December 1:

Over hundred conservationists today hiked for four hours in the jungle of Shivapuri National Park and remembered late conservationist Dr Chandra Prasad Gurung, who passed away in September 2006 in a chopper accident.

The Chandra Gurung Conservation Foundation (CGCF) organised the hiking, to mark his 57th birth anniversary and take forward the legacy Gurung has left in the field of nature conservation.

After the hiking, participants gathered at the Lhun Drop Choeling Gonpa, also known as the Budhanilkantha Monastery, participated in a spiritual ceremony and paid tribute to late Dr Gurung.

Addressing the programme, tourism entrepreneur Karna Shakya said that Dr Gurung was not only a scientist, but also a man with business-orientation who knew how to introduce natural beauty in a way that people would relate to for income generation.

Shailendra Thakali, a CGCF ad-hoc committee member, said that the aim of the event was to remember the efforts and contributions of Dr Gurung and be inspired.

“Along with this, we will also start CGC7F’s fund-raising campaign for an endowment fund and would also commemorate Dr Gurung’s life and achievements,” he said.

Dr Gurung was the Country Representative of WWF Nepal from July 1999 -September 2006. Born in Siklis, a remote Gurung village in the Annapurna area, Dr Gurung had a Master’s Degree in Rural Development Planning from the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand and PhD in Medical Anthropology from the University of Hawaii.