Author, journalist and conservationist Anil Adhikari focuses on grassroots conservation education by creating a book for school children featuring local wildlife such as red pandas (Ailurus fulgens) and snow leopards (Panthera uncia). We aim to foster early environmental awareness and pride. Adhikari incorporates colorful illustrations and community-based stories into the book, making it more appealing and relevant to rural students, where traditional textbooks are often black and white. He advocates for local governments to take responsibility for conservation education.
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KATHMANDU — Raising awareness among local communities is key when discussing nature conservation in Nepal, home to iconic animals such as the Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), snow leopard (Panthera uncia) and red panda (Ailurus fulgens). It is often the central topic.
Many conservation projects run awareness programs through media such as documentaries, books and pamphlets aimed at adults. But journalist and author Anil Adhikari takes a different approach and engages with school children.
It all started for Adhikari, who was working as a freelance environmental journalist, in 2003 when she was awarded a writing contract by WWF Nepal to produce a playbook for school-based environmental clubs. Now in its fourth edition, this book has provided students with valuable lessons about various aspects of the environment in which they live and the role they can play in protecting it.
Over the past 20 years, his conservation efforts have transcended species boundaries. He played a central role in the publication of two books by the Red Panda Network that are now used in more than 20 schools in eastern Nepal to help protect this endangered species. Similarly, his work is used in schools in snow leopard habitat to teach students about coexisting with big cats.
Storyteller Anil Adkari interacts with children at a school in Nepal. Image courtesy of Anil Adhikari.
Adhikari, who is also one of the editors of Snow Leopard Magazine, says the experience taught her the power of visuals when reaching out to schoolchildren. That’s why his books incorporate colorful illustrations and photographs to appeal to young readers, especially in rural areas where traditional textbooks are often black and white. He is among the recipients of the 2024 WWF Nepal Conservation Award for “inspiring and educating hundreds of children, youth and individuals about environmental conservation.”
Abhaya Raj Joshi from Mongabay recently met Adhikari in Kathmandu to talk about conservation awareness education in schools and its challenges.
Mongabay: Let’s start with the early days of conservation. Can you tell us how it all started?
Anil Adhikari: After graduating from university, I was working as a freelance environmental journalist and writer when I was approached by WWF in 2003 to create a game book for school eco clubs. This job was difficult for me because I had never studied science at university. However, I used my skills as a journalist, talked to various experts, community members, and references, and completed the book within a few months. This book is currently in its fourth edition.
Mongabay: What was the book about?
Anil Adhikari: In the early 2000s, schools across the country were working with WWF to set up “eco clubs” to make students aware of their surroundings and the environment. The books I worked on focused on helping children understand the habitats of different animals and how individuals play an important role in protecting the environment. This was done through activities such as short skits and role plays.
Mongabay: It’s been 17 years since this book was published, and you must have gained a lot of experience in this field. What are the challenges in conservation education in Nepal?
Anil Adhikari: Yes, it is certainly still difficult. Some teachers we have worked with see eco-clubs as a one-time project that they just have to get through. However, in schools where teachers and students took ownership of the eco-club idea, we found that the clubs actually led to behavioral changes for both students and teachers.
Mongabay: Then, in 2017, you also wrote a book about red pandas for school children. How was your experience?
Anil Adhikari: This book was a little different from the Eco Club book because it focused on the red panda and its conservation in its natural habitat in eastern Nepal. I prepared this book for the Red Panda Network, an INGO working on the conservation of red pandas.
The Eco Club textbook allowed some flexibility regarding class and time, allowing teachers to work on the textbook whenever they had time. However, in the case of red pandas, the book was included in the class curriculum, so teachers had to follow the class schedule.
Anil Adhikari and members of the Red Panda Network. Image courtesy of Anil Adhikari.
To write this book, we surveyed students, teachers, and community members to uncover their experiences, stories, and best practices. They talked about the death of a red panda in a forest fire, the students’ encounters with poachers, and how they reported crimes. We consulted sources multiple times to create a final draft, which we implemented in 28 schools in eastern Nepal.
Mongabay: In 2020, you wrote a book about snow leopards. How would you describe that experience?
Anil Adhikari: The idea was to replicate best practices from the red panda experience. Now, the Snow Leopard Conservancy has agreed to fund the project. We held several rounds of discussions with students, teachers, and local residents to develop a syllabus for students attending schools in Nepal’s regions above 3,000 meters above sea level.
The difference between red pandas and snow leopards is that snow leopards are involved in larger-scale conflicts with humans, primarily livestock depredation. Therefore, it was difficult to come up with a textbook that would help students recognize and empathize with animals.
Mongabay: In both the red panda and snow leopard cases, you prepared books as part of some kind of project. Was there an obsession to connect everything with red pandas and snow leopards?
Anil Adhikari: To be very honest, these are books funded by donors under the Species Survival Project. We had no choice but to focus on specific species. However, I believe it is the job of local authorities to devise a more comprehensive book that incorporates the important environmental and conservation issues facing local people.
The new constitution also empowers local governments to prepare and implement locally relevant courses for schoolchildren. I think local governments should take advantage of this and introduce conservation-related courses in schools. This will make the whole effort more sustainable.
Mongabay: So why aren’t local governments addressing it?
Anil Adhikari: When you talk to town and village mayors, they say it’s the preserve manager’s job to come up with a textbook production program. In the case of the Annapurna region, they name the Annapurna Reserve Management Council as responsible for the work.
However, we have long argued that local governments need to take an active role in this. Therefore, during the Snow Leopard Day program, we organized a discussion on implementing a municipal level curriculum on snow leopards. We advocate the same thing on our radio show.
It’s not like they’re not doing anything. Let’s take the Mustang as an example. They began teaching school children about the importance of snow leopards to a healthy ecosystem through textbooks.
These books are aimed at students in grades 6, 7 and 8 and are published by the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Department of Nepal and implemented by Teka Group Nepal, an organization that I currently lead. It receives financial and technical support from the Conservation Society.
We are telling local authorities that snow leopards are connected to tourism, economics and other social aspects of life and deserve to be included in the curriculum.
Students read conservation education books in Nepal. Image courtesy of Anil Adhikari.
Mongabay: In your opinion, are awareness campaigns more effective for school children or people outside of school?
Anil Adhikari: I think school education is more effective because you can interact with the next generation. Also, the changes they experience will be more visible and measurable. When we work with school children, they talk about their learning with other families. They are quick to learn new things and are excited about learning.
Mongabay: Printing a four-color book alone has become an economic challenge as it costs about 350 rupees (about $2.50) and is expensive to do on a large scale in a country like Nepal. He said he was there. Is it time to save time and money and move to multimedia videos that can be shown in schools?
Anil Adhikari: Yes, that’s a good idea. It’s true that books are expensive. However, we found that the children felt they owned the books we gave them because they were colorful compared to the black and white books they were given in other subjects.
Children like cartoons, so if you can incorporate animation, it would be a good idea to prepare a video. There is a one-time cost, but it doesn’t cost much to spread the word. That’s an idea we have to think about.
Another idea we are considering is to provide books and training only to teachers to save on printing costs and increase the effectiveness of awareness programs.
Mongabay: What do you think is the best thing about your job?
Anil Adhikari: Well, I have had the opportunity to travel all over the country and go to places like Sagarmatha (Everest) and Mustang and interact with local people and scientists.
While working, I realized that experts and scientists are fully capable of doing my job, but they don’t have the time to do it. That’s where storytellers like us can step in to make a difference in our communities.
Banner image: Conservation storyteller and author Anil Adhikari and school students after setting up camera traps to study snow leopards in Mustang, Nepal. Image courtesy of Anil Adhikari.
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