Nepal, 2019

Dr. Teri Allendorf is working with communities to explore a new potential wildlife corridor in Nepal.

Bengal tiger walking through grass
Bengal tigers are one of the species that would benefit the most from a new wildlife corridor here in Nepal. Photo by Charles J. Sharp

The vision: a corridor of safe habitat for large mammals and other wildlife, which will allow them to travel back and forth between large protected areas. This corridor would help many animals, including large iconic species like tigers and elephants, to thrive and increase their populations.

Dr. Allendorf has had productive meetings with community leaders in the area to assess whether communities would be interested in participating and learning about the issues that are important to them.

This type of conservation work takes time, but is ultimately the most impactful because local people are involved and co-leading the process from the very beginning.

Conservation biologist's shoe pointing out a tiger footprint in the dirt
Hidden in plain view in Chitwan National Park – can you see the tiger track?

The ten community forest groups that the team met with are interested in joining with this project and learning to identify and monitor wildlife species. Currently, we are waiting to hear back from communities on their suggestions for proceeding.

Check out Community Conservation’s Facebook page to see some of the people Dr. Allendorf has been meeting and some of the interesting things happening in protected areas in Nepal.

While in Nepal, she also has been working with local mammalogists to look for signs of critically endangered pygmy hogs. Read about this work in our previous update.

Conservation workers standing together and smiling in front of a garden and house

Meeting with local conservation champion Laxmi Singh in Karmala village near Bardia National Park. (L-R: Dr. Dinesh Neupane, Dr. Teri Allendorf, Communications Intern Anil Jergens, Laxmi Singh, and her husband)
Conservation workers standing together, some smiling, in front of a house.
Meeting with Ms. Sabitra Pun, FECOFUN chairperson for Banke District (L-R: Sabitra Pun’s husband, a CF committee member, Dr. Dinesh Neupane, Ms. Pun, two more CF committee members, and Dr. Allendorf).