WWF Nepal Staff - Santosh Nepal

"I grew up very close to nature"

Santosh Nepal is Coordinator for the Terai Programs. Having studied biology and forestry, he first worked more than 15 years in the forest service of the government of Nepal and then chose to work for WWF. During his tenure as District Forest Officer (DFO), His Majesty’s Government of Nepal, he worked actively against wildlife poaching . He became the first DFO to receive Abraham Conservation Award from WWF in 1997 for the outstanding contribution in the field of conservation. "The most fascinating thing about WWF for me is its adoption of the holistic approach for conservation", he says.

"In addition, the freedom of conceptualization, experimentation and practicing has been very interesting, and this is possible only at WWF. While working for WWF, you never feel that you are alone. There are many hands supporting your conservation endeavors if you are doing the right things” he admits.

Santosh was born in Bhojpur district, in the eastern hills of Nepal. He completed his high school education from there and later came to Kathmandu for higher education. "I grew up very close to nature. The village people’s livelihoods entirely depend on the forests ", he says.

"They have an age-old tradition of managing forest resources at local level, using locally developed norms. When I learnt that it is possible to study conservation and management of natural resources, it was logical for me to choose that field and I became a forester."