A team led by Dr. Krishna Prasad Oli, Chairperson of the National Trust for Nature Conservation, made an official visit to the Netherlands from June 29 to July 4, 2024. Together in the visiting team were also Dr. Sindhu Prasad Dhungana, Director General of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, and Mr. Ashok Subedi, Senior Curator of the Central Zoo. The visit was made at the invitation of Utrecht University, which leads the "Save the Tiger! Save the Grassland! Save the Water!" project, currently being implemented in Nepal. The visits primary objective was to strengthen bilateral relations with Dutch conservation partners, particularly the Himalayan Tiger Foundation, and to enhance collaboration with universities and academia for ecological research in Nepal.
Over the days, the visiting team toured various nature reserves, big cat rescue centers, zoos, and universities. Highlights included a visit to Naardermeer Nature Reserve, the oldest nature reserve in the Netherlands, to explore hydro-ecological management and nature reserve management modalities. At Naardermeer, Dr. Oli and Dr. Dhungana emphasized the need for hydrological and geological research in Nepal's Churia region. The team also visited Hoge Veluwe Nature Reserve to learn about human-wolf conflict management, and Kennemerduinen Nature Reserve to gain insights on the reintroduction of the European bison.
The delegation toured the FELIDA Big Cat Sanctuary, a facility which provides special care to rescued and traumatized big cats. Discussions around future collaboration for establishing and operating a wildlife rescue center in Nepal were made with the sanctuary manager, Mrs. Simone Schuls.
A meeting organized by the Himalayan Tiger Foundation was focused on furthering collaboration for nature conservation in Nepal. Drs. Cas F. de Stoppelaar, the foundation's president, committed to support the ongoing tiger conservation and ecological research in and around Bardia National Park. At the meeting Dr. Dhungana shared Nepal’s plans for Gaur translocation to Bardia National Park from Chitwan and discussed potential technical and financial support from the foundation.
The team also visited Artis Zoo in Amsterdam, where discussions were focused on animal breeding and conservation education programmes. Over the course of the visit multiple meetings and workshops were held with academic institutions. At the Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences, hosted by Prof. Dr. Loes Witteveen, the team discussed research progress under the ‘Save the Tiger’ project, including other opportunities for expanding collaboration on contemporary environmental issues.
Prof. Loes Witteveen, from the Van Hall Larenstein (VHL) University of Applied Sciences, briefing about poetry route, a tool in use for socio-ecological context analysis.
Onsite discussion about the European bison rehabilitation
At the VHL University of Applied Sciences
On the final day, an academic seminar was conducted at Utrecht University, attended by faculty members, PhD students, and post-doctoral fellows. Here Dr. Oli presented Nepal’s achievements and lessons in nature conservation and highlighted priority areas for ecological research and potential future collaborations. Other research findings were presented by PhD students conducting studies in and around Bardia National Park and the Karnali River, focusing on water, grasslands, wild herbivores, and tigers. Prof. Dr. Wilco Hazeleger, Dean of the Faculty of Geosciences at Utrecht University, committed to further strengthen collaboration with the DNPWC and NTNC for integrated, high-impact research on ecology and geoscience. Dr. Dhungana welcomed the commitment and expressed the department’s openness to future partnerships. The event was hosted by Prof. Dr. Jasper Griffioen.
This visit marks an important step in fostering a stronger and more dynamic partnership between the DNPWC, NTNC, and Dutch institutions, paving the way for future cooperation and mutual learning in nature conservation and ecological research.
[Cover image: Dr. Krishna Prasad Oli, Chairperson of NTNC, presenting at Utrecht University]
