completed · Education

Upscaling Women Focused Conservation Education and Outreach Programs to Promote Human Elephant Co-existence in Western Terai Landscape, Nepal.

The purpose of this project is to promote human-elephant coexistence (HECx) in the western Terai landscape of Nepal, focusing on education and behavior change in women, specifically households situated in the Laljhadi and Khata forest corridors where HEC rates are very high. Specific project activities include: 1) provision of HECx refresher training to 20 local trainers; 2) 25 subsequent village HECx trainings provided by the local HECx trainers and facilitators; 3) 20 visits by community leaders and local farmers (with a focus on women) to Bardia and Suklaphanta National Parks to observe wildlife and participate in nature interpretation activities; 4) production and broadcast of 40 episodes of an HECx radio program in Nepali and Tharu languages; and 5) support and training of Rapid Response Teams to respond to HEC events, including provision of gear, rations, mobility, and communications. This project was developed in collaboration with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation of Nepal, Bardia National Park, and Suklaphanta Wildlife Reserve, and Community Forest User Groups to scale-up conservation education and HECx activities in this high-HEC area which is home to over 2 million people and is the primary remaining landscape to wild Asian elephants in Nepal.