WWF Nepal Staff - Rajendra Gurung

A great believer in community participation

"The thing I enjoy most in working with WWF is the enthusiasm among staff to do something, and the good team spirit. Another most enjoyable thing in my work is meeting with communities, learning from them and working with them", says Program Officer Rajendra Gurung.

Working in WWF enables Rajendra to work both with people and nature. Born in western Nepal, near the Annapurna mountain, he grew up in the midst of nature.

That happened also to be the first area where the concept of participatory conservation was introduced in Nepal, in the Annapurna Conservation Area Project implemented by King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation, a Nepalese non-governmental organization.

"I used to participate in conservation activities in my village which helped generate a deep interest in conservation", Rajendra recalls.

When it was time to choose a field of study, he chose anthropology, which deepened his understanding of relations between human beings and their immediate environment.

"It has helped me understand local practices and indigenous knowledge and incorporate them into conservation activities", he says.