ANSAB organizes project inception workshop for “Scaling conservation of Himalayan plants and fungi through sustainable trade”
Kathmandu, August 7 – ANSAB and TRAFFIC jointly organized a project inception workshop for “Scaling Conservation of Himalayan Plants and Fungi through Sustainable Trade” on August 7, 2024, in Kathmandu, Nepal.
The main purpose of the workshop was to present an overview of the project and gather feedback from key stakeholders. The workshop shared ANSAB’s and TRAFFIC’s past interventions on conservation and sustainable utilization of high-value/conservation priority NTFPs in the western Himalayan region, and on how this new initiative is built upon the successes and achievements of the two preceding projects. The workshop was attended by approximately 70 participants, including the Secretary of Nepal’s Ministry of Forests and Environment, Director Generals from Department of Plants Resources and Forest Research and Training Center, as well as representatives from different government offices, civil society organizations, bilateral and multilateral agencies, the private sector, associations, and universities.
The project’s goal of conserving high-value, priority medicinal plants in the Himalayan region through sustainable management, traceable, and equitable trade received positive feedback from the workshop participants. The participants appreciated this approach, noting that the project is both relevant and well-designed.
Funded by the UK Government through the Darwin Initiative, the project is being implemented by ANSAB and TRAFFIC International in partnership with Federation of Community Forestry Users Nepal; FairWild Foundation; University of Copenhagen; Tribhuvan University; University of Oxford; and WWF-India in Nepal, along with some project activities planned in the regional level.
Ministry of Forests and Environment, Nepal; Nepal Herbs and Herbal Products Association (NEHHPA); China Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine (CATCM); China Standard Conformity Assessment Co. Ltd. (CSCA); and Terra Himalaya Pvt. Ltd. are project collaborators.