Professor’s Australia-Nepal collaboration honoured with new role

A decade of collaboration, exchange and shared learning between Federation University Australia and Nepal has been further strengthened with the appointment of Professor Wendy Wright to the Governing Board of Trustees of Nepal’s National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC).

From immersive study tours benefiting almost 100 Federation students so far, to research projects addressing human-wildlife conflict and the discovery of five new species of gecko, the longstanding relationship between the University and the NTNC is a great source of pride for Professor Wright.

Now, she will join the NTNC Board of Trustees as one of only two international members, supporting the not-for-profit organisation’s work in nature and wildlife conservation including species such as the Bengal Tiger and One-Horned Rhinoceros.

“I am very honoured to accept the role. It's a great opportunity for me to continue to work with colleagues who have become very important to me over the last 10 years or so,” Professor Wright said.

Originally visiting Nepal in 2015 at the invitation of her first Nepali PhD student, Professor Wright was introduced to key members of the NTNC team.  She then returned to lead a nature-training guide program with NTNC in 2016 and established the first Federation student study tour in 2019.

The study tour gives Federation students hands-on skills in wildlife and habitat monitoring while learning about Nepal’s rural society, natural resource management and local culture through homestays.

“We can show students something they would never see in Australia, which is a real connectedness to the environment and to wildlife conservation demonstrated by local communities,” Professor Wright said.

“The student visits really consolidated the relationship because it allowed me to visit Nepal regularly, building on and developing relationships and collaborations. We’ve since had a couple more Nepali students come to do their PhD with Federation because of these relationships.”

Professor Wright said it was the dedicated team of wildlife conservation specialists at NTNC who kept her going back to Nepal, along with her fascination with the research questions that exist there, particularly those around human-wildlife interactions.

“Nepal is still a very rural and regional society where many people’s livelihoods are directly connected to forests and other natural landscapes, so they are faced with daily challenges around managing conflict with wildlife, including predators such as tigers, who threaten livestock and human lives, and megaherbivores such as elephants who inflict substantial crop damage,” Professor Wright said.

“The stakes are so high for people, and I feel we can really make a difference in the research space and help improve the lives and livelihoods of people while also taking care of the wildlife.”

One of the ways Professor Wright’s research has made a difference is by advocating for better support for Nepali farmers who face losses from human-wildlife conflict.

Other research has investigated the role of women in Nepalese forest management, while PhD student Santosh Bhattarai, working on the reptiles and amphibians of Nepal, discovered five new gecko species.

Work led by Federation Associate Professor Fiona Hogan, in collaboration with Professor Wright, has identified a new genetic line of pangolins in Nepal – a fascinating group of mammals with similar habits to Australian echidnas.

During the five-year board term, Professor Wright will support the NTNC’s efforts in advancing biodiversity conservation, sustainable development and environmental resilience in Nepal.