Kathmandu

In the wake of April 25 Gorkha earthquake, the National Conservation Day 2072 was observed on September 24 with the slogan ‘Building a better Nepal, greener and together’.

With a focus on rebuilding the nation shattered by the quake, the event highlighted the need to incorporate conservation during the rebuilding process.

The day is marked every year on Asoj 7 (this year on September 24) to honour the legacy of the conservation heroes who lost their lives in the tragic helicopter crash in Ghunsa of Taplejung district on Asoj 7, 2063 BS. And this year too, the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation together with other organisations working for environment conservation, commemorated the day at Nepal Academy, Kamaladi on September 24.

“We are in the process of rebuilding. But like yesterday, if we work against environment again, the rebuilding won’t be sustainable,” Chief Justice Kalyan Shrestha expressed at the event pointing to the fact that “the earthquake, though a national tragedy, has taught us a lesson. Mindless development works are the cause of destruction, so there is a need for rational development”.

And the sustainable rebuilding is not impossible for Nepalis as observed and experienced by Minister for Forest and Soil Conservation Mahesh Acharya because of its rich culture that “respects nature, land, water, soil, plants et cetera.”

Since nature conservation is rooted in our culture, “even today when we opt for the concept of development, we should think of being nature-friendly while conserving biodiversity”. However, can we compete with the other countries doing so?

“We have difficulties to compete with neighbours like India and China by constructing huge factories or flying planes. But we have that capacity to become the entire world’s guru in case of conservation of biodiversity.”

The base of Acharya’s claim is the success Nepal has achieved in the conservation sector — from the “people’s participatory model that the world has praised” as per Acharya to increasing number of rhinos (according to a data released by Government of Nepal in May, Nepal’s rhino population increased by an encouraging 21 per cent) and Nepal marking yet another 365 days of Zero Poaching of rhinos for the period ending May 2 this year.

Achieving success is not easy in the conservation sector. Even in its process of attaining the goal of sustainable rebuilding “Nepal has to go through different types of challenges. But I urge people to talk and write about them and those in government should show commitment and courage to stand for the policy irrespective of any pressure.”

Nonetheless, such kind of success has been possible thanks to dedicated conservationists, security forces, students, youth and other public who have been working incessantly in the field. One among them is Prof Dr Ram Prasad Chaudhary — he was awarded with the National Conservation Award along with a cash prize

of Rs 151,000 for his contribution to the biodiversity conservation of Nepal for more than three decades.

While various students were awarded scholarships under different categories by various organisations, WWF Nepal also felicitated Naryan Dal Battalion (Langtang National Park and Buffer Zone) and the Community Forest

Coordination Committee, Kanchanpur with the Abraham Conservation Award in the organisation category. Meanwhile, Rajesh Shrestha and Sub-Inspector Birendra Singh Johari were felicitated with the same award in the individual category.

Chiranjeevi Khanal was awarded the Matthew Preece Award 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 organisation and individual categories respectively.

To put across the message of the need for conservation and reconstruction, a shadow play by i.m. Media was staged and video Samrakshyan Sangai Punarnirman prepared by NEFEJ too dealt with the same issue.

Different conservation publications were also launched at the event.