red-panda-projectThe Red Panda Network’s Forest Guardian programme not only empowers communities to protect red panda habitat but it also employs locals as professional forest stewards. They work within their own communities and perform red panda monitoring and outreach activities. They organize public workshops where participants learn about the status of red pandas, what is being done locally to save them, and valuable red panda monitoring skills.

54 local people have now been trained as forest guardians and are performing monthly monitoring in Community Forests. The newest forest guardian is 19-year-old Nima Dawa Sherpa. Nima lives within walking distance of red panda habitat; the forest of Dobate-Kalapokhari. He is not only a forest guardian but also a nature guide for the eco-trippers. His parents work hard on farmland to support a better education for him. Since joining as a forest guardian, he has received a good source of income to support his education. The Red Panda Network is also supporting him in the cultivation of medicinal plants by providing necessary training. Two nurseries of Paris polyphylla, a highly valued medicinal plant, have been established which will financially support at least 100 local households as well as two nurseries of plant species that will help improve red panda habitat quality.