On 4th and 5th February, NTNC held coordination meetings with the Hon Mr Kedar Karki, Chief Minister of Koshi Province, and the Hon Mr Ganesh Upreti, province Minister for Tourism, Forests and Environment (MOTFE), at Biratnagar.
A team from the NTNC central office, led by its Member Secretary Mr Sharad Chandra Adhikari, undertook the deliberations, which was attended also by the province Chief Secretary Mr Kedar Nath Sharma, and the MOTFE Secretary Mr Bishal Ghimire, among other senior government officials.
At the meetings the NTNC member secretary advocated for programming landscape-level conservation approaches, emphasizing its immediacy, especially given the very high human-elephant conflict rates of eastern Nepal. He shared about NTNC’s demonstrated capacities and the institution’s interest to support the Koshi leadership in strategizing a sound human-elephant coexistence future, while building biodiversity conservation and green growth capacities.
NTNC team meeting the Koshi Province Chief Minister, Hon Mr Kedar Karki
NTNC team meeting with the Koshi Province Minister for Tourism, Forests and Environment, Hon Mr Ganesh Upreti
NTNC's presentation session at the Koshi province chief minister's office in Biratnagar
Koshi province chief minister interacting with the NTNC team
A separate presentation about NTNC’s conservation initiatives across Nepal was also made at the meeting. The NTNC member secretary was accompanied by NTNC Director Dr Chiranjibi Prasad Pokharel, Head of Finance Mr Bidur Pokharel, NTNC-BCC Project Manager Ms Rachana Shah, Senior Officer Mr Ambika Prasad Khatiwada, and NTNC-KCC In-charge Mr Birendra Gautam.
Chief Minister, the Hon Mr Kedar Karki, and Minister Hon Mr Ganesh Upreti, shared their appreciation of NTNC’s contributions in Koshi Province, implemented through the Koshi Conservation Center (NTNC-KCC). They reciprocated interest to further strengthen NTNC’s role in the province in the coming days through institutionalizing collaboration and partnership mechanisms that enhance biodiversity-led outcomes, wildlife research, climate change mitigation, wildlife rescue and management.
