Broadening Conservation Knowledge

"The view of pine forest from the pipeline-walking trail was more than just beautiful and the pugmarks of some big cats on the trail made the hike more exciting. After beholding the beauty of the place, it was not surprising to know that the Ayubia National Park, Nathiagali is a good getaway for a lot of Pakistani people from the busy city life especially during the summer season", the participants of Pakistan Nepal Youth exchange Program 2003 expressed after visiting the chilly weather of Nathiagali.

"It was quite a different experience to be in Ayubia National Park and to see such lovely pine forests," said Anita Khadka, a student from Jana Jyoti higher Secondry School , Bardia as it was her first visit to a National Park located in the hilly region.

The participants (4 students, 1teacher, 1 journalist and representative of WWF Nepal) were surprised and excited to see the Nepalese rhinos Maila and Maili in the Lal Suhanra National Park, Bahawalpur. The Nepalese government had gifted these two rhinos in 1981. "More thrilling was the drive through the Cholistan Desert and to see the barren land, low bushes, camel and to know that the people of Cholistan lead a semi-nomadic life, moving from one place to another in search of water and fodder for their animals", students expressed their very first experience of the desert in an interaction program held on 1 September 2003 in Kathmandu.

The experience shared by the participants reveals that the trip to various places of ecological and historical significance in Pakistan was an enlightening and a lifetime experience for them. It really had enhanced their knowledge on biodiversity, culture and nature of Pakistan , which seem to motivate them to work harder for conservation in Nepal . WWF Pakistan and WWF Nepal coordinated the Pakistan Nepal Youth Exchange Program (16-27August, 2003), supported by Syed Babar Ali Foundation.

The Exchange Program was organized with an aim to improve nature conservation initiatives in both the countries. The objective of the program was to encourage students, teachers and journalists of Nepal and Pakistan to develop a better understanding of each other's traditions, environment concerns and to share each other's experience. The Pakistan Nepal Youth Exchange Program was also intended towards promoting the accurate image of both the countries among the youths. In this regard, WWF Nepal and WWF Pakistan had signed an MOU for the Nepal Pakistan Youth Exchange Program on December 2000.