In September 2012 RPN introduced the first ever systematic red panda research scholarship program for Nepali masters students for up to NPR 35,000 each. The goal is to advance priority research on the conservation status and baseline study of wild red pandas in Nepal, particularly in understudied areas, in order to determine status and trends, and to design urgently needed conservation action. This first year the scholarship recipients will concentrate on Jumla and Jajarkot districts in Western Nepal where red panda information is lacking, and in Khotang district of Central Eastern Nepal, where we recently did a first status and awareness assessment.

Given the large number of highly qualified applicants and the remote nature of two of the areas, RPN doubled the number of awards from two to four. We are happy to announce the winners of the Red Panda Network Scholarship Program 2012. See what the winners have to say:

Bishok Dangol: Distribution and Habitat of Red Panda in Jumla, Nepal

I am excited about the results of Red Panda Network’s Scholarship. I am very interested in conservation biology and planning to find work related to it. My initial aim was to work in such fields where I can serve the nature, nation and the people. I choose biodiversity and wildlife conservation as major subject for my M. Sc., which could fulfill my ambition and aim. Dissertation is an important step for career and a base for the future plan and action. Red Panda Network has given me the golden chance to add a brick to build my career. It will also be helpful for me to learn field-based practical techniques and to gather and share project knowledge and experiences. I would, once again, like to thank Red Panda Network for selecting me as a scholarship grantee.

Nirmala Mali: Study on the existing status of Red Panda in Jajarkot District

I, being selected by the Red Panda Network (RPN) for my thesis work, want to express my words of thanks. This award really will be contributing to my future career. Being selected for this research is like being trusted in my ability which inspires me to upgrade my roles and responsibility. This responsibility will drive me to work hard and give my best for this research.
In my view thesis research is a platform to sharpen our skills towards new finding and exploration in the real practical sense. I will be exposing my theoretical ideas to compare with the practical experiences and will be building, comparing and shifting my knowledge from theory towards the practical field. This will provide me ideas for future research and my involvement in the environmental sector and conservation activities. It will be the key to make my career. My research in this thesis work will let me learn more about the wildlife sector and will be providing a platform to present my learning. Red Panda is one of the threatened species needing urgent conservation. So my research on the baseline survey of Red Panda in Khotang district on one hand will be contributing findings to institutions and conservationists working in this sector and on the other hand will develop my skills. In addition to this, since I am keen to work for the conservation of Red Panda, I am looking forward to focus this research in future works too. So, of course it will help me build up my working stamina in the research activities.

Manoj Bhatta: Baseline study and conservation status of Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens) in Jumla, Nepal

It’s my pleasure to be selected as a research grantee from an organization like Red Panda Network (RPN) which is leading in conservation of wild Red Pandas and their habitat.
The Red Panda Network Scholarship Program plays a key role in order to harness the growing energy of young researchers in the field of conservation and also in partial fulfillment of the requirement for thesis year student like me. Further, the scholarship will contribute to gain firsthand experience conducting base line study of Red Panda in Jumla, western Nepal, because so far most of the studies have been conducted in the eastern Nepal. It is expected to acquire research experiences with Red Panda, its ecology, behavior, and habitat requirement which will aid practical conservation management of Nepal.

Badri Baral: Distribution of, and threats to, Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens) in unexplored forest of Jajarkot District, Western Nepal

Thank You Red Panda Network for granting me the Red Panda Network Scholarship 2012. The scholarship holds a good grant amount which can not only support the red panda conservation but also aid in my career. I’ll be using this grant for the base-line study of red panda in an area where no such research has previously been carried out. Moreover, I’ll be able to establish a good relationship with the researchers and experts who have been working on the same field. With reference to their experience and studies I will also be able to enhance and equip my career. My work in the field can be published as documentation which can also be used as a reference for future experts working in the field. This will definitely uplift many similar careers in the coming years.

Taplejung, Eastern Nepal, March 12, 2013. One of the toughest and highest altitude marathon races in the world raises the flag for red panda conservation and the unique biodiversity and beauty of the eastern Himalayas. Co-sponsored by Red Panda Network (RPN), its Disney Conservation Fund community conservation project, and four other partners, the Himalayan Guides Pathibhara Marathon 2013 is the highlight of the Pathibhara Tourism Festival in eastern Nepal’s Taplejung District. The highest point of the annual race is at the famous Pathibhara Devi temple on top of a 3,794 m (12,447ft) peak with panoramic views of three of the highest mountains in the world, located in the middle of prime red panda habitat. It is organized by the Pathibhara Devi Temple Area Conservation and Promotion Committee which is visited every year by more than 50,000 pilgrims from around the world.
The Pathibhara Tourism Festival opened last Sunday with a march by Nepal army and police and thousands of local spectators. For the three days leading up to the race the crowds are treated to a variety of musical and cultural shows.

Some 120 runners, about 20 of them women, are competing in the 2013 Pathibhara Marathon: They start from the Fungling market at 1,824 m (5,984ft), pass through the fragile red panda habitat zone and climb an elevation change of almost 2,000 m (6,400 ft) to the Pathibhara Devi temple and back down again, a total of 49km (standard marathons are 42.2 km/26 miles). The number of runners often increases just before the start as the registration is open until the race begins. The winners are announced on RPN’s website -> here.

The Red Panda Network is supporting the race and the festival with a variety of environmental awareness events as well as by sponsoring T-shirts for all runners. The educational program centers around a joint exhibit presented by RPN and the District Forest Office, WWF-Nepal, CARE, the Federation of Community Forest Users Nepal, and RPN’s Taplejung partner, the Himali Conservation Forum. A variety of non-timber forest products along with an information board about red panda conservation are displayed at the exhibit. More than 500 people visited the exhibit on the first day, and more than 5,000 will see it throughout the 3-day event. And all along the trail, Red Panda Network greets runners and spectators on banners with messages for the conservation of red pandas.

The Red Panda Network is an international conservation group with field offices in Nepal and partners in three other countries of the Himalayas. RPN is committed to save the habitat of the red panda, a charismatic species threatened with extinction which represents an indicator for the health of the Eastern Himalayan Broadleaf Forests that stretch from Nepal in the west through Bhutan, via Northern India and Myanmar, to Sichuan Province in South-Central China. The IUCN red list estimates there are less than 10,000 remaining wild red pandas, some say as few as 2,500, spread thinly across this huge region.
The 2013 Pathibhara Marathon and RPN’s year-around conservation efforts create awareness and enable the local population to stop the massive deforestation, mostly for firewood and livestock that has decimated the habitat and the red pandas by 50% over the past decades. In some areas the red pandas are already extirpated and most of the remaining isolated groups are estimated be too small for long-term genetic health and survival.

In RPN’s Community Conservation Training Center along the trail to the Pathibhara shrine local community members are trained as ‘forest guardians’ and villagers learn about improved cash crop revenues from cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants, fuel efficient wood stoves that can reduce firewood use by more than 50% and avoid respiratory illnesses, proper house insulation, solar and other renewable energy. RPN is currently raising funds to rebuild and expand the center.

The area along the race trail can also be visited with the help of the Red Panda Network, whose forest guardians in eastern Nepal provide one of the few opportunities to view this shy and rare species in its natural environment with a high likelihood of success. Organized with responsible and sustainable practices, these EcoTrips provide income to local communities that otherwise have few incentives to maintain the forest and its endangered species for future generations.

To contact RPN visit www.redpandanetwork.org
Email: communications@redpandanetwork.org
Phone: +1 (877) 584-6056




Co-authored and photos by Damber Bista, © Red Panda Network

So elusive that until recently barely any westerner had seen one in the wild, red pandas are probably the most beautiful animal still pending on most mammal-watchers’ checklists. But their situation has never been more precarious.

In the April 2013 edition of “Wild Travel“, the UK’s only magazine dedicated exclusively to wildlife travel, Dirk Kloss, CEO of the Red Panda Network, explains the science about these endearing climbers and what you need to know to find them in their awe-inspiring Himalayan wilderness.
Find out more about our award-winning EcoTrips -> here.

Download the 7-page feature article with magazine cover as PDF, or read the images below. Look for a chance to win a year’s Red Panda adoption:

 
Ready to come out on one of our unique red panda EcoTrips? The next RPN trips are March/April and October/November.
Want a 15% discount? Bring 3 or more friends and we schedule a customized trip of a lifetime whenever you like.

Red Panda Network’s EcoTrips were selected as One of Five Trips To Take Right Now by the UK’s new high-end “Wild Travel” Magazine (-> page 9) in its inaugural issue. It’s the UK’s only magazine dedicated exclusively to wildlife travel.

Find out more about our EcoTrips -> here.
The specialized Royle-Safari company in March 2013 guides a photographer tour from the UK and Hong Kong for red pandas, other rare mammals and birds with our tracking teams.
Next trips directly with RPN are each March/April & October/November. If you bring 3 friends or more we schedule a trip at any time you like — with a 15% discount !

Download the Article with magazine cover as PDF, or click the image below to read.

 
RPN Note: To be precise – all the communities we take a jeep or hike to during our main EcoTrips have cozy guesthouse, teahouse, or homestay accommodations. You experience genuine hospitality and are supporting alternative sources of income that enables communities to avoid further deforestation.
Camping is only necessary for hikes to remote forest areas, for example on our new trips tracking for other rare and endangered species.