WWF Nepal Staff - Purna Kunwar

Mobilising communities in buffer zones & outside protected areas

As a Field Officer, Purna Kunwar spends most of his time out in the field. He is responsible for providing assistance and financial support to local communities and groups implementing the various conservation acitivities.

After completing his studies in forestry, Purna found it fascinating to mobilise local communities into conservation activities. He worked for 12 years with the Annapurna Conservation Area, the first community-based conservation project in Nepal. After that, he was employed by WWF to work for the Terai area, which he has been doing for 2 years now.

"I am lucky to be employed by an organization that gives me a chance to work with communities", he says.

"In TAL, my main responsibility is to mobilize communities in buffer zones and outside protected areas, and to coordinate project implementation and monitoring on a field level. In addition to this, I am also responsible for updating the technical supervisor and project coordinator."

As he also is very interested in nature, he enjoys the fact that his job gives him opportunities to see wildlife.