Welcome to Nepal Now. My name is Marty Logan.
As we’re recording this, there is news that landslides and flooding have battered some of Nepal’s hill districts. Our hearts go out to the people who have suffered the loss of lives and their homes. This is a bad sign as the monsoon has just started and will continue for months.
Today’s episode is also about nature, and also concerns the people-environment link. A much more positive story, it is about Dev Narayan Mandal’s determination to stop the destruction of the forest that loomed over his childhood in the Madhesh region. And while that forest is healthier today, what is really remarkable is that the surrounding communities are also prospering, and that Mandal and his colleagues at the Mithila Wildlife Trust are receiving requests to branch out to other communities that depend on forests (pardon the pun).
What also makes this story unique, I think, is that most nature news from southern Nepal focuses or the devastation caused by annual monsoon flooding, or on endangered tigers or one-horned rhinos. This is a story where local communities are the agents for positive change.
If you enjoyed this episode make sure you like, follow or favourite the show on your usual podcast player: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, Pocket Casts — you can find Nepal Now on all of them, and more.
Stay in touch with us by following Nepal Now or Nepal Now Pod on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn (links below). You can write to me directly at marty@martylogan.net.
Inspiration for today’s episode came from an article in a recent issue of Nepali Times newspaper. You can find a link below.
Suraya Logan works on social media for Nepal Now. I’m Marty Logan. I produced this episode and I’ll talk to you again soon.
Resources
Nepali Times article about MWT
Nepal Now social links
Thanks as always to Nikunja Nepal for advice and inspiration.
Music: amaretto needs ice ... by urmymuse (c) copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/urmymuse/57996 Ft: Apoxode
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Music by audionautix.com.
Thank you to the Association of Community Radio Broadcasters of Nepal and Himal Media for use of their studios.