06/09/2026
At Conservation Asia Congress Nepal 2026, Red Panda Network brought lessons from Nepal’s red panda habitat range into regional conversations on community-led conservation, conservation technology, innovative community-led habitat restoration initiatives, mountain ecosystems, and the 30x30 goal.
The question we carried into CAC Nepal was practical:
How do we make Himalayan conservation work that is based on species conservation go beyond project cycles, conference halls, and protected-area systems maps?
Our sessions pointed to four answers:
🌿 Conservation is sustainable when it is led by community Build conservation from the forest outward.
Rakshya Basnet presented Community-based Red Panda Conservation in Nepal during the EarthRanger Asia Regional Workshop, showing why local communities, forest users, and field teams remain the foundation of red panda protection.
🌿 Secure habitat, not just attention. Land sparing is important!
Sonam Tashi Lama presented Purchase of Nature for conserving endangered red pandas in Nepal, highlighting land purchase and restoration as tools to reconnect fragmented habitat and create long-term conservation security of endangered wildlife while supporting livelihoods of the communities.
🌿 Turn field evidence into decisions.
Munmun Tamang presented EarthRanger-based monitoring for red panda conservation in Nepal Himalayas under Leveraging Technology in Asia for the 30x30 Goal, showing how digital monitoring can strengthen patrols, data use, response, and accountability.
🌿 Keep Mountain wildlife at the center of regional conservation dialogue.
Dr. Damber Bista chaired the session Wildlife in Mountain Ecosystem, contributing to discussions on the future of wildlife in fragile Himalayan landscapes where discussions were made about red pandas and Kiang to small cats and snow leopards.
RPN’s work shows what this looks like in practice: conservation that connects community stewardship, habitat protection, restoration, monitoring, technology, and long-term local participation.
Our message from CAC Nepal 2026 was clear:
For 30x30 to work succeed in the Himalayas, conservation must be measurable, locally led, and rooted in habitat connectivity. Protecting red pandas means protecting the forests, watersheds, and mountain biodiversity and supporting community local livelihoods that sustain life far beyond red panda range.
We thank the organizers, partners, and conservation community for creating a platform to move these conversations forward for Asia’s biodiversity and human well-being.
Asia Section Society for Conservation Biology
