{"id":16164,"date":"2022-04-28T10:30:21","date_gmt":"2022-04-28T08:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/?p=60859"},"modified":"2022-04-28T10:54:16","modified_gmt":"2022-04-28T08:54:16","slug":"red-panda-conservationist-wins-whitley-award-2022","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/red-panda-conservationist-wins-whitley-award-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"Red panda conservationist wins Whitley Award 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Jo Price\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 28 April 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN)<\/a> is a UK fundraising and grant-giving charity, which supports conservation leaders working in their home countries across the Global South. Over 29 years it has channelled \u00a319 million to more than 200 conservationists in 80 countries.<\/p>\n

The Whitley Awards<\/a> are the charity\u2019s flagship prizes \u2013 often referred to as \u2018green Oscars\u2019 \u2013 and are won competitively each year. Following a worldwide search, applications are assessed by an expert judging panel. In addition to \u00a340,000 in project funding over one year, the awards provide profile and training.<\/p>\n

Winning a Whitley Award enables grassroots conservationists to scale up their work and make a global impact. The 2022 winners were announced at a ceremony in London on 27th April 2022 and were presented their awards by charity patron, HRH The Princess Royal, alongside trustee Sir David Attenborough<\/a>.<\/p>\n

BBC Wildlife<\/em> interviewed one of the winners, Sonam Tashi Lama, about his role in the Red Panda Network<\/a> and what it means to win a Whitley Award.<\/p>\n

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Red pandas are found in 25 out of 77 districts in Nepal. \u00a9\u00a0Pema Sherpa<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Sonam Tashi Lama, Whitley Award 2022 winner<\/h3>\n

When Sonam Tashi Lama read a newspaper story that featured the red panda research of American Brian Williams, it changed his life: \u201cThe article pushed me to know more about the species and work for their conservation.\u201d When Brian founded the Red Panda Network (RPN), Sonam was recruited as one of its first members of staff. \u201cIt started with one small village \u2013 I was responsible for generating awareness of the red panda and mobilising the community to monitor the species,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was a child, I played with a stuffed red panda pelt that was killed and brought home by my dad (now, he regrets it a lot). I didn\u2019t know what animal it was or anything about its conservation status,\u201d exclaims Sonam. \u201cI decided to work to protect red pandas by teaching people about the value of the species.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Sonam Lama with a GPS collared red panda named Ngima. \u00a9\u00a0Whitley Fund for Nature<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

\u201cFrom September 2019 to June 2020, we tracked red panda movement using GPS collars as well as camera-traps,\u201d he states. \u201cThis was the first time GPS-satellite collaring had ever been used to study red pandas in Nepal.\u201d Sonam and the RPN team discovered that red pandas go to great lengths to avoid disruption. \u201cThey seem especially concerned with human-induced disturbances such as roads, livestock, dogs and deforestation.\u201d<\/p>\n

We still haven\u2019t figured out the answer to why red pandas are being poached and traded,\u201d says the conservationist. Nepal\u2019s red panda population is struggling, with the Covid-19 pandemic a contributing factor, having caused increased levels of poaching. RPN is tackling this problem by collaborating with law enforcement agencies and increasing forest patrols. \u201cPrevious research indicates poaching is based on rumour and misinformation that red panda pelts have high monetary value.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Community fieldwork featuring Kumari Gurung and Bimala Moktan. \u00a9\u00a0Whitley Fund for Nature<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

\u201cThe government has prepared a Red Panda Conservation Action Plan for Nepal (2019-2023)<\/a> with the aim to protect and manage red panda populations,\u201d declares Sonam. \u201cHabitat loss is a matter of grave concern for red pandas, which is why RPN has launched \u2018Plant a Red Panda Home\u2019 \u2014 a national restoration campaign to target core habitats and establish a biological corridor where endangered wildlife, including red pandas, can flourish.\u201d The scheme has provided alternative income opportunities for local communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am very positive about the future of red pandas in Nepal because the passion for conservation among the Nepali youth is growing\u201d, he says. \u201cAlso, the communities where RPN works (approximately only 25 per cent of the whole red panda range in Nepal) are supportive as we are helping people to diversify their incomes through ecotourism, habitat restoration and red panda monitoring.\u201d<\/div>\n\n
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A camera-trap is attached to a tree in Nepal to monitor red pandas. \u00a9\u00a0Pema Sherpa<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cBeing a Whitley Award winner is the greatest achievement of my conservation career,\u201d says Sonam. \u201cMy work is not only a job but also a basic responsibility as a citizen \u2013 I have a duty for the welfare of humans and the planet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other Whitley Award 2022 winners<\/h3>\n