Internship – Environment Science

Renowned for its majestic Himalayas, Nepal is rich in its geographic and cultural diversity. Nepal is divided into three broad geographic areas: the mountain region, the hill region, and the Terai region. Moving from east to west, the three regions lie parallel as continuous ecological belts, and are bisected by the country’s river system. Nepal is a relatively small country, a total land mass of 147,181 square kilometers. Much of Nepal’s growth has been historically dependent on the direct and indirect use of its rich and diverse natural resource base – agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and tourism.

In Nepal, the linkages between the environment and livelihoods have been well documented – forests supplying fuelwood, compost used as fertilizers on farms, grazing areas for domestic animals, wetland and rangeland products used to secure the livelihood of local communities. Recent Government of Nepal studies have found that Nepal’s environment is critical to its development, as more than 38% of its GDP is derived from the agriculture, fisheries and forestry and the mining and quarrying sectors. Equally importantly, significant portions of the power, water, manufacturing, trade, and tourism sectors are also dependent on the environment in one way or another. When factoring this dependence in with the more traditional natural resource sectors, it is likely that the total contribution of environmental income to Nepal’s economy may well be over 50%.

Nepal’s biodiversity is considered of high importance by several global assessments of biodiversity hotspots (Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund for the Eastern Himalayan Region, the Global 200 priority eco-regions of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), and the Important Bird Areas of Birdlife International). As a consequence, a number of donors and nongovernmental organizations have supported Nepal with environmentally related programs, particularly targeting natural resource management in rural areas. While there have been some significant successes in natural resource management, most notably programs in community forestry, the overall environmental conditions in both rural and urban areas are rapidly deteriorating. The degree and nature of environmental degradation varies across the country, but negative impacts on livelihoods and sustainable development have resulted from increased loss of wetlands due to infrastructure construction, poor water quality from unmanaged development, and increased health problems from urban air pollution, among other factors. In addition, Nepal’s Initial National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) notes that there will be growing negative impacts on Nepal’s ecosystems and people’s livelihoods with predicted increases in temperatures and changes in rainfall patterns in the future.

It is clear that Nepal’s growth, sustainable livelihoods, and poverty reduction efforts rely heavily upon the country’s environment and natural resource sectors. While there is some evidence of improvements to the health of some natural resource ecosystems, Nepal’s overall environment is facing increasing pressures and challenges from a number of different sources. The effectiveness of natural resource management and pollution management programs such as community forestry, watershed management, and wetland conservation to deal with these pressures and challenges has been mixed. However, Nepal’s environment sector still grapples with the environmental management challenges associated with growth and environment, rapid urbanization, environmental health, and policies and institutions. Nepal is a perfect experience to learn about the dynamics of growth and development on the natural resource base, the consequences of unmanaged pollution and the emerging challenges of climate change.

Focus:
Each internship is individually customized, designed and organized with consultation with the Intern, taking into consideration of personal circumstances such as objectives, physical conditions and preferences on the following arrangements. Environment science may be focused in any of the areas mentioned below,

Climate Change, Pollution, Urbanization, Renewable Energy, Water and Soil Conservation, Geology, Botany, Bio-diversity, Forestry, Deforestation, Wildlife Conservation, Law Enforcement and Anti-Poaching, Destination Access Management, Wildlife and Environment Photography and Film, Research and Field Survey.

Duration:

1. Fall: September 2nd to November 30th – 90 days
2. Spring: January 17th to April 16th – 90 days
3. Summer: May 22nd to August 20th – 90 days

Location
Select cities, villages and national parks in Nepal upon consultations and recommendations.

Curriculum and Activities
Choices will be available in terms of the form of internship sought by the Interns such as focus areas, class-room or field experience. The final host institutions such as government agencies, national parks, research organizations, think- tanks and locations shall be confirmed based on consultations with the intern.

Institutional Hosting
Depending upon focus preferences, internship host may be selected that best fulfills the objectives of and interest of the Intern. Wide range of institutions, national parks and Nepal Government agencies and research organizations may be considered as host of the internship. Some examples below are potential partner institutions for the intern.

Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (GON), Chitwan National Park, Bardia National Park, Sagarmatha National Park, Langtang National Park, Annapurna Conservation Area Project, National Trust for Nature Conservation, World Wildlife Fund Nepal, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Wildlife Conservation Nepal, Bird Conservation Nepal, Nepal Tiger Trust, Jawalakhel Zoo, Resource Himalaya, Himalayan Nature, Nature Conservation Initiative Nepal, ICIMOD, Hariyo Ban, Mountain Institute, Institute of Forestry – Tribhuwan University, Federation of Community Forest Users Association, Nepal Forum for Environmental Journalists.

Mentorship
A park ranger or a park management expert in will be assigned to the intern as a mentor to advise and guide the academic and professional substance as well as the field experiences of the internship.

Orientation Program – 7 days

1. Homestay – 1 week
2. Culture: “do-not” precautions / hygiene behavior / festivals / ethnic mapping / ethnic mapping
3. Language: basic conversational Nepali / gender gears / status protocols
4. Living logistics: getting around / shopping / electricity / internet / phone – mobile
5. Talk Series: Nepal’s National Parks, Wildlife Conservation, Community Forest Project
6. Consultations with internship mentor

Accommodation

• Urban Housing:
  Shared Catered Apartments – includes weekly cleaning and maintenance
  Facilities – bathroom, kitchen with stove and refrigerator, washing machine, basic furniture and bed mattress, fan or heating appliances,
  Utilities – electricity and water not included
• Rural Housing – includes weekly cleaning and maintenance, cooking and laundry
  Facilities – bathroom, kitchen with stove, basic furniture and bed mattress, fan or heating appliances,
  Utilities – electricity and water included

Excursion
A getaway trip which includes visit to another part of the country with some sort of culture exposures and outdoor adventures. Exact dates and destination to be planned upon consultations.

Internship Cost: Full Package – US$ 7200
The cost covers airfare from the nearest international airport, airport pick-up and drop-off, orientation session, accommodation, all inclusive two weeks excursion, mentoring and academic consultations. Cost quote to be firmed up individually for each internship customized to intern’s requirements.

Internship Cost: Without Airfare – US$ 5700
Internship Cost: Without Airfare and Excursion – US$ 3900