Kumar Paudel, leading Nepali conservationist, at Lancaster

Last week, we hosted Kumar Paudel, one of Nepal's best recognised young conservationists. Kumar is widely recognised in Nepal for his work on rhinoceros and pangolin conservation, youth organising via the NGO, Greenhood Nepal, and for his newspaper editorial about contemporary conservation issues.

Kumar is collaborating with me and criminologist, Gary Potter, on a study about people who have been arrested for illegal wildlife trade in Nepal. Amidst growing trade pressures on Nepal's wildlife, the government has responded with a strong enforcement response--including deploying the military to patrol protected areas. This has reportedly resulted in over 1000 days of "zero rhino poaching", and our project is interested in the people this effort has put into jail: Who are they? What are their motivations? What have been the social impacts of their imprisonment?

Kumar was at Lancaster to begin analysis of his 88 in-depth interviews, and discuss ways in which Lancaster academics can help support young conservationist researchers in Nepal. Following this visit, I am confident that we'll be hearing a great deal more about Kumar as he breaks new conservation ground in Nepal.