Students from Federation University Australia, who are currently visiting Nepal to learn about community-based wildlife conservation best practices, have finished their three-week short course organized by the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC).
At the closing awards held at NTNC’s Biodiversity Conservation Center (NTNC-BCC) in Sauraha, Chitwan, students were joined by the Australian ambassador to Nepal Her Excellency Ms. Felicity Volk, together in the company of the chairman of NTNC Dr. Krishna Prasad Oli, member secretary Mr. Sharad Chandra Adhikari, and the director general of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Dr. Sindhu Prasad Dhungana.
During the program, Professor Wendy Wright, Dean of the Graduate School, Fed Uni, who is leading the visiting team, highlighted on the students’ engagements and learnings in Nepal. Students were conferred with certificates, and they shared about experiences and plans to pursue their future academic and personal relationships with Nepal further.
Ambassador Volk, spoke about the demonstrated merits of the course in not just benefiting knowledge collaboration and wildlife research between Fed Uni and NTNC, but also contributing immensely to the promotion of people-to-people relations and conservation diplomacy. The ambassador thanked NTNC as the host institution.
Congratulating the course completion event, NTNC chairman Dr. Oli advised students on the importance of expanding research knowhow and conservation approaches beyond domestic contexts. Dr. Oli also highlighted future opportunities for expanding conservation collaboration and partnership between Nepal and the Australian Government.
