A Message from the Director

The Red Panda Network and Red Panda Network-Nepal have continued their steady march to create create sustainable and effective conservation organizations. I would first like to apologize for our lack of communication the last six months. Indeed, we made a commitment to communicating with you on a quarterly basis and we have not stuck with our promise. We are committed to our mission of empowering local communities to be active stewards in the conservation of red panda and their habitat and appreciate your continued support. For my part, as leader of the organization, I had to put my family first over Red Panda Network. I have volunteered for four years to establish our programs in Nepal and raise the funding necessary to effectively implement our vision and mission. During this time, my two children have been born and I am committed to providing for them first and work a full-time job as an environmental consultant while constantly working to move the Red Panda Network forward in my little free time. This is not an excuse but a reality of why my leadership has been lacking over the last six months.

In 2008, Red Panda Network received its first grant from the Hong Kong Ocean Park Foundation to conduct a pilot study to implement a new statistical modeling technique in our study area in eastern Nepal. We received the grant in September and began the yearlong implementation of this new program.

Also, Red Panda Network-Nepal received a prestigious Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) two-year, $60,000 grant to fund all Project Punde Kundo, the world's first long-term community-based monitoring program of a red panda population. The CEPF is a collaboration of the World Bank, Conservation International, Government of Japan, Government of France, Global Environment Facility, and the John D and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Please join us in thanking all of Red Panda Network -Nepal Staff for their relentless and successful work on behalf of red panda. They work under extreme conditions and have produced fabulous results. Currently, our team works with only 4 hours of electricity a day and is still producing profound results. In the last month alone, they have expanded our work area from 6 to 11 villages and our forest guardians from 12 to 23. This includes our country coordinator, Sunil Shakya, country administrative coordinator, Anugraha Sharma, Ecologist, Kamal Kandel and Forest Ranger, Sonam Lama. Without this team's tireless courage and commitment we would not have been able to achieve our success.

Even with our successes we still need your continued support to reach our goal of creating the world's first protected area for red panda, the red panda protected forest. Our six-month campaign is to raise another $35,000 to conduct the community visioning meetings needed for the creation of the red panda protected forest. For the upcoming year, we have renewed our commitment to communication with you and hope that you will renew your support for our efforts. We invite you to re-invest in red panda and the future of conservation in the eastern Himalaya, community-based monitoring.

Sincerely,
Brian Williams
Executive Director and Founder, Red Panda Network

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News from the Field

Red Panda Network – Nepal

From 2007 – 2008, The only mission of Red Panda Network (RPN) Nepal is to protect the red panda and preserve its habitat through the empowerment of local communities by adaptive community-based research, education, and sustainable development in the Eastern Himalayas of Nepal. Red Panda Network- Nepal is conducteding Project Punde Kundo (PPK) in four Village Development Committees (VDCs) (Mabu, Maimajhuwa, Sidin and Prangbung). PPK currently covers prime red panda habitat, reaches an estimated 6,000 villagers, and employs 13 forest guardians as local monitors.

Recently In the last two months, with the CEPF grant, RPN -Nepal has extended its working area to 5 more community forests - Mahadev Kage CF in Jogmai, Choyatar CF in Jamuna, Hangetham CF in Jamuna, Makaibari Thulo Dundh CF in Lungrupa, and Ahale Narelung CF in Memeng. To monitor red panda from local initiative, 2 local persons each from their CFs have been selected as Forest Guardians.

To disseminate the information regarding the extension of the project working areas and activities, two district level workshops were conducted in Ilam and Panchthar districts where different stakeholders from the government to local NGOs participated. Similarly, five village level workshops were also conducted in Lungrupa, Sidin, Prangbung, Memang and Jauma VDCs.

Sunil Shakya
Country Coordinator, Red Panda Network – Nepal

Mr. Shakya, the Country Coordinator of Red Panda Network-Nepal, has a dual degree in Environmental Management and Sociology/Anthropology. His extensive experience conducting informal interviews is invaluable at assessing the conservation threats to red panda and its habitat in the SHL. He has five years of experience leading research projects focused on analyzing land-use in the foothills for NGO Forum for Urban Water and Sanitation, British Council, CIUD, ODC, DRMP (Dhadhing Resource Management Project), and ADB.

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