Poverty and scarce educational and livelihood opportunities limit the lives of the people who live among the pandas. Red Panda Network (RPN) educates and empowers Nepal's communities through sustainable livelihood and outreach programs.
Nearly half of the people living in Nepal's red panda range have been reached by our programs.
We use this framework to educate and empower the global community – we work with zoos and conservation institutions worldwide to spread the word about red panda conservation.
The people living in our project areas in Nepal are on the frontlines of conservation and our most important allies for saving the red panda. They are often rural communities, living in poverty, who depend on a wide range of natural resources and ecosystem services for their well-being. Unfortunately, this means they are more vulnerable when biodiversity is degraded or lost.
Luckily, RPN's community-based programs provide opportunities for education and sustainable employment for local people while fostering environmental stewardship.
Economic opportunites in the high-mountains of Nepal are scarce and often depend on the exploitation and degration of red panda habitats. Red Panda Network is offering sustainable alternatives to an exploitative economy through green jobs, educational workshops, and resources.
Whether hired as a Forest Guardian, trained in nettle fiber extranction, funded through a conservation scholarship, or aided by our improved cookstoves, nearly half of the people living in red panda range have been reached by our sustainable livelihood efforts.
Forest Guardians are the heart of red panda conservation. They are local people who are hired to monitor and protect red panda habitat, as well as educate communities. Their employment offers a sustainable way to support their families and build capacity for further environmental stewardship.
We work directly with the community to educate local children on the importance of red panda conservation.
Our work with local students is central to our mission of empowering and educating the community to save red pandas. We are mitigating the impact of poverty on students with red panda conservation scholarships that provide financial support and necessary school supplies.
We also work with schools through the Panchthar-Ilam-Taplejung (PIT) corridor to integrate red panda conservation education into their curriculums. We do so by offering trainings to teachers, providing red panda conservation textbooks, and facilitating ecoclubs at local schools.
RPN offers resources and educational opportunities for sustainable skill building in the local communities. We provide workshops and training on red panda conservation, as well as offer resources for local people to develop sustainable independent incomes.
Through trainings like nettle fiber extraction, bio-briquette production, rug weaving, and organic farming, RPN is educating the communities of Nepal to empower a sustainable future for people and pandas alike.
The Habre Center is a hub for educational skill-building workshops where local people can learn skills like sustainable energy use and construction, organic farming, handicraft production, sustainable herding, nature guide and ecotrek leadership, and homestay management.
This center is aimed at improving the living standards and educational opportunities of local families.
You can be a part of empowered red panda conservation from anywhere in the world.
We work closely with zoos and conservation institutions around the world to protect red pandas. Your zoo, business, or foundation can join a global network of leaders in red panda conservation by partnering with us today.
Whether you sponsor a Forest Guardian, give annually, or sponsor a specific project like our reforestation efforts, your support impacts community-based red panda conservation.
On the third Saturday of September we celebrate International Red Panda Day (IRPD). IRPD is a day of global red panda celebration and education. 100,000 visitors at more than 60 zoos worldwide also participate in what has been declared as "the most important day for red pandas."
This holiday is a great day to promote red panda awareness in your own community and support your local zoos and conservation organizations!
Students educated on red panda conservation through outreach activities in Nepal every year.
Of people living in RPN project areas have been reached by education and outreach programs.
Episodes on the significance of red panda conservation aired on local radio stations.
We couldn't do it without you. Your donations goes directly to supporting community-based red panda conservation in Nepal.
