“Conservation Is Needed For Now, Today And Tomorrow”
Prabhu Budhathoki
Prabhu Budhathoki is the Country Representative of The World Conservation Union (IUCN) Nepal. Budhathoki has contributed significantly to the cause of natural resource management and sustainable livelihoods in his various capacities, and his other numerous posts at national and international fora. Before joining IUCN Nepal in July 2006, he was associated with a UNDP/GEF funded project as the Chief Technical Advisor of the Carbon Sequestration Project in Iran. Budhathoki's professional track record in the fields of natural resources and protected area management, his first-hand knowledge of the local communities living in the buffer zones of Nepal, as well as his experiences in the forestry sector, has marked him an excellent choice to lead the IUCN Nepal program as its country representative. Excerpts of the interview:
What is your perception about IUCN's works both globally and nationally?
The World Conservation Union (IUCN) is the oldest and largest conservation network in the world, which brings together 83 States, 110 government agencies, more than 800 non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and some 10,000 scientists and experts from 181 countries in a unique worldwide partnership. As the world's leading authority on conservation with an observer status in the United Nations, IUCN has the reputation of being apolitical and a neutral organization to convene dialogues and debates on conservation and sustainable development issues between governments, civil society and the private sector. It provides policy advice and technical support to governments, UN organizations, international conventions and other groupings such as the G8 and G7. IUCN is also a global body that monitors the state of the world’s species through the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. While managing protected areas, governments all over the world have been adopting the criteria and categories developed by IUCN. The IUCN mobilizes people and organizations through its networks worldwide to produce and use conservation knowledge for the benefit of people and nature. Many countries seek support of IUCN to prepare and implement national conservation and biodiversity policies and strategies. It is an organization, which promotes idea that human lives and livelihoods, especially of the poor, who depend on the sustainable management of natural resources. In Nepal, IUCN has been recognized as an organization, which has helped the government to develop most of the environmental related policies, including National Conservation Strategy and National Environmental Policies and Action Plans. It has been active in enhancing national capacity of the government to implement multilateral environmental agreements, improve environmental governance and conservation awareness raising. Besides, IUCN has been recognized as a leading organization in supporting sustainable management of wetland resources in the country. Since late 1960s, the organization has been helping the Nepalese society in improving scientific understanding of what natural ecosystems provide to humans and need for sustainable management of natural resources to achieve Nepal's developmental objectives.
What made you join IUCN in the capacity of its new Country representative?
Since the country is in the process of transformation, I found that IUCN could be the best organization through which I could contribute, albeit little from my side, to the country's vision of making a new Nepal in near future. This is the reason I joined IUCN Nepal office last July despite possessing a satisfactory job abroad.
What, according to you, are the issues and challenges confronting the country at this period of transition in Nepal?
The country is struggling to formulate a people-centered governance system which helps in improving the livelihoods of the people. We are in the process of state restructuring and trying to develop an inclusive society by which everybody could take part in nation building and equitably benefit from the development. How to maintain unity among diversity and mobilize people for nation building is the main issue and challenge the country is facing currently. Similarly, issues such as how to collectively address political, economic and environmental agenda is another dilemma the politicians are facing now. Besides, in this transition period, pressure on natural resources and biodiversity, including poaching of rhino etc are also increasing.
What do you see the role of IUCN in managing natural resources and environmental conservation in Nepal?
IUCN’s main role is to influence, encourage and assist the Government of Nepal and Nepalese society to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable. We can assist the government to develop appropriate policies, in bringing new conservation knowledge to country and disseminating national experiences at the regional and global levels. As impacts of global warming have also been reported in Nepal, IUCN could help in building capacity of the country in climate change adoption. As economy of our neighbors has been rapidly growing, the country should prepare to cope with both challenges and opportunities coming from these mega economies, particularly the pressure on natural resources. Mainstreaming environmental issues in formal and informal education curricula and integrated watershed and wetland management are other areas where IUCN can support the government in realizing its objectives as stated in the Nepal Biodiversity Strategy and its Implementation Plan. We believe that well-functioning ecosystem is necessary to reduce poverty and to improve livelihoods, societies and economies. In summary, IUCN’s worldwide experiences in the area of integrated resource management by which we could address poverty and environment issues in a win-win way can be also be replicated to Nepal.
What and how can IUCN contribute to the making of a new Nepal?
As a unique democratic Union and a neutral environmental forum for governments, NGOs, scientists, business and local communities, IUCN can help government and Nepalese society to bring in cutting edge knowledge and experiences suitable to changing context of the country by which environmental goods and services could be managed properly for the benefit of majority of people. For example, IUCN has been taking initiative to mainstreaming environmental and sustainable development agenda in the new constitution of the country. Based on new power restructuring of the government, Nepal may need an array of new policies, plans and strategies in the coming days. IUCN is well positioned to help the government in developing required policies and strategies to ensure sustainable management of natural resources in the country. New policies and strategies are necessary to empower local communities and institutions and to ensure equity in benefit sharing. Equitable access to natural resources is essential to improve livelihood of the majority of people, to ensure peace and stability in the society and is believed to be a precondition to active participation of people in sustainable resource management. Our ‘new’ resource management policies and practices should address both sustainable development and equitable issues of resource management. Nature conservation is more than an environmental issue—it is both a social and an economic issue.
Any messages to our readers?
Nepal’s progress and prosperity depends on sustainable management of our unique landscapes and diverse ecosystems and resources associated to them. Democracy can flourish on economic progress and economic growth relies on the sustainable supply of environmental goods and services. Thus, all these fundamental pillars are very much intertwined. In order to achieve sustainable resource management, we need to empower people, educate them about the current and future values and importance of resources, devise incentive mechanisms and strictly enforce environmental laws so that people reap the benefits of inclusive conservation in its entirety.
How can young people of today be educated on importance of conservation?
Nepal is striving to make a new Nepal. We have to instill a sense of attitudinal and perception change by giving positive messages to the youths. We have to recognize the potentials of talented young professionals and help them develop their careers as they are the ones who contribute fresh and innovative ideas and insights that will in turn help in charting their future course of action and making a new Nepal.
How important is it to ensure nature conservation?
Being just to nature is being just to society. If we want to sustain our society and civilization, we must inherit livable environment to our future generation. We have not only responsibility to sustain survival of our species; the fate of all other living beings is also in our hands. We must chart our action more responsibly. The key message, therefore, is that most of the people say that conservation is for long-term benefits, which I think, is not true. Conservation is needed for now, today and tomorrow too. The air we breath in, the water we drink, and the food we eat are all environmental resources that we need to conserve and manage as ultimately the future of biodiversity is determined by our society.
