KATHMANDU: The government has appointed three internationally renowned conservation experts to the Governing Board of Trustees of the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) in a move aimed at strengthening the institution’s global profile and advancing scientific conservation efforts.
The appointments were made by Geeta Chaudhary, who also serves as chairperson of the NTNC, in accordance with the National Trust for Nature Conservation Act.
The newly nominated trustees are Lord Camoys, renowned conservation scientist Eric Dinerstein, and Australian academic Wendy Wright.
According to the ministry, the appointments are intended to enhance the Trust’s international standing and accelerate science-based conservation initiatives in Nepal.
Among the international members, Lord Camoys and Dr. Dinerstein have longstanding ties to Nepal’s conservation history.
Lord Camoys, the eighth Baron Camoys and chair of the UK Nepal Trust, comes from a family with historic links to Nepal’s political, diplomatic and conservation sectors. He has continued to support biodiversity conservation in Nepal through British philanthropic initiatives.
Dr. Dinerstein is widely recognized for pioneering research on the feeding ecology of the endangered one-horned rhinoceros and tigers in Chitwan National Park during the 1970s and 1980s. He also served as Chief Scientist of the World Wildlife Fund for 25 years, where he played a leading role in the Terai Arc Landscape conservation program.
Professor Wendy Wright, a former dean at Federation University Australia, has collaborated with Nepali institutions for the past decade. Her work has involved Australian students in projects focused on conserving sal (Shorea robusta) forests, managing buffer zones, and reducing human-wildlife conflict.
Established more than four decades ago, the National Trust for Nature Conservation has earned recognition for its contributions to community-based conservation and biodiversity protection across Nepal.
The government said the newly appointed international experts are expected to provide strategic guidance and further strengthen the Trust’s policies, governance and conservation mission.
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