INTERNSHIP – Wildlife Conservation & Park Management

Nepal is a small yet geographically highly diverse country located in South Asia. Its territory ranges from altitudes of 60 meters to 8,848 meters above mean sea level within its area of under 150,000 square kilometers. Home to mega-fauna like tigers and the one-horned rhinoceros and the habitat of 11,971 different species of flora, Nepal is one of the most unique nations in the world. Most of Nepal’s people still rely on wildlife resources not only for necessities like fuel, fodder, and medicinal plants but wildlife-based tourism.

More than 23 percent of Nepal’s total area is declared as protected area, covering about 80 of 118 different types of eco-systems in Nepal. That includes 12 national parks, one wildlife reserve, one hunting reserve and six conservation areas. Each national park has its own buffer zone to facilitate human-wildlife co-existence. It is a matter of pride that, within such a small geographical area, Nepal has two national parks that have been enlisted as world heritage site by UNESCO. Another interesting part is that, out of the six conservation areas, three are managed by an NGO, two by the Nepali government and one by the local community themselves. The hunting reserve has also been a part of Nepal’s conservation approach to control the population of blue sheep.

Nepal’s conservation efforts have been supported technically by several international NGOs like the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), International Trust for Nature Conservation (ITNC), and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and NGOs like the National Trust for Nature Conservation. This collaboration between international NGOs, local NGOs, government agencies, and local communities has been the key factor that has broadly curbed poaching and illegal activities to a broad scale, making Nepal an admirable example of wildlife conservation.

Various forest management schemes community forests, collaborative forests, government managed forests, leasehold forests, protection forests, and religious forests have been implemented to protect and conserve wild-life and its habitat. Community forest and community youth based anti-poaching (CBAPUs) programs have been successfully developed and implemented in Nepal as leading models for other countries.

Thus, the inclusive approach taken by Nepal, i.e., bringing the local communities, multi-stakeholder collaboration, youth engagement under shared benefits and ownership concept guided by the principles of sustainability has been productive and popular. In Nepal, that means the existence of more than 645 one-horned rhinos, 198 Bengal tigers and a good population of Asiatic elephants, gaur, red pandas and others within the 44.74 percent of the forests in this tiny country.

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. Wildlife conservation and park management may be focused in any of the areas mentioned below,

Ecology and Eco-system, Geology, Botany, Forestry, Zoology, Park Management, Wildlife Conservation, water and soil Conservation, Environment Protection, Destination Access Management, Destination Waste Management, Responsible and Eco Tourism, Outdoor Recreation, Expedition and Camp Management, Emergency First Response and Rescue Operation, Outdoor Health and Safety, Law enforcement and Anti-poaching, Wildlife Photography and Film, Research and Field Survey.

Duration:

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

Location

Select cities 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, national parks, wildlife safari companies 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 private adventure operators may be considered as host of the internship. Some examples below are potential partner institutions for the intern.

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 Mountaineering Association, Nepal Mountain Guide Association, Nepal Mountain Instructors Association, Himalayan Rescue Association, Mountain Medicine Society of Nepal, Nepal  Forum for Environmental Journalists, Kimkim, Explore Nepal, Three Sisters Trekking, United Jungle Guide
Service.

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

1. 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

1. 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