Pheasants and schools at Pipar in the Annapurna Himalaya, Nepal

The Himalayas are home to WPA's longest-running project: a partnership with villages near Pipar, at 3,300m in the Annapurna Himalayas, Nepal. For more than 25 years, WPA has been monitoring Pipar’s forests and Galliformes, which include five of Nepal’s six Himalayan pheasants, such as the spectacular Himalayan monal and the beautiful satyr tragopan. Surveys are now carried out by WPA’s affiliate in Nepal - Bird Conservation Nepal.

WPA also has a long-standing commitment to education in the surrounding villages by funding teachers’ salaries, and building and renovating schools and their classrooms. This has vastly improved the availability of education to many children in the area, who previously had to walk up to four hours to get to school or did not attend at all.

To match WPA’s assistance in education, local villagers give their support to conserving the rich surrounding forests. The villagers are asked not to hunt in the spring, during the pheasant breeding season, but in the autumn instead and only for subsistence purposes. They also agree only to collect timber for their own needs and not to sell commercially. This has provided a sound understanding that support for the schools is linked to the quality of the forest and the health of the pheasant populations, as well as many other species.