- B.Sc. Forestry (with elective course on GIS Application in Natural Resource Management)

April 3, 2001 - date: GIS Officer, National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC)

Major projects undertaken:

(1) Develop and manage a GIS based Management Information System (MIS) for biodiversity conservation and sustainable rural development;

(2) Develop and test a methodology to integrate geo-information tools into community based biodiversity monitoring system; and

(3) Validate a mobile GIS system for forest mapping and study of forest carbon dynamics.

September 1999 to March 2001: Worked as Consultant (as GIS technician and/or Database Manager) for a total of 9 research projects related to protected area management, community forestry and agro-biodiversity.

1. Chapagain N.R. and Chetri M. (2006): Biodiversity Profile of Upper Mustang. National Trust for Nature Conservation, Annapurna Conservation Area Project, Upper Mustang Biodiversity Conservation Project (UMBCP), Kathmandu, Nepal. 32 + iv pages.

2. Chetri M., Chapagain N.R. and Neupane B.D. (2006): Flowers of Mustang: A Pictorial Guidebook. National Trust for Nature Conservation, Annapurna Conservation Area Project, Upper Mustang Biodiversity Conservation Project (UMBCP), Kathamndu, Nepal. 196 + vi pages.

3. Tucker G., Bubb P., de Heer M., Miles L., Lawrence A., Bajracharya S. B., Nepal R. C., Sherchan R., Chapagain N.R. (2005): Guidelines for Biodiversity Assessment and Monitoring for Protected Areas. King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation, Kathmandu, Nepal. 123 + vi pages. (http://www.unep-wcmc.org/collaborations/BCBMAN/publication.htm 

Edited Books:

1. Chetri M., Chapagain N.R. and Pandey M.R. (editors) (2006): Important Fauna and Flora of Upper Mustang (text in Nepali). National Trust for Nature Conservation, Annapurna Conservation Area Project, Upper mustang Biodiversity Conservation Project, Kathmandu, Nepal. 82 + vi pages.

2. Chetri M., Maskey L.K., Chapagain, N.R., Sharma B.D. (editors) (2004): Mustang - the Land of Fascination. King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation, Kathmandu, Nepal. 72 + ix pages.

Journal/Newsletter Papers:

1. Chetri M., Chapagain N.R. and Pokharel A. (2007): Tibetan Sandgrouse Syrrhaptes tibetanus in Upper Mustang, Nepal. BirdingASIA, Vol 8 December 2007. pp 64-65.

2. Chapagain N.R. (2005): Biodiversity Surveying and Monitoring: Using GIS and GPS in Annapurna Conservation Area of Nepal. GIM International, Vol 19 (7) July 2005. pp 53-55.

3. Sharma B.D., Clevers, J., Graaf R.D., and Chapagain N.R. (2004): Mapping Equus kiang (Tibetan Wild Ass) Habitat in Surkhang, Upper Mustang, Nepal. Mountain Research and Development Volume 24, No. 2. pp 149-156.

4. Chapagain N.R. (2004): Geo-information Science for Conservation Organisations. Prakriti (Newsletter of King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation), Vol. VIII, No. 2, pp 11-12.

5. Sharma B.D., Clevers, J., Graaf R.D., and Chapagain N.R. (2003): Assessing the Land Cover Situation in Surkhang, Upper Mustang, Nepal, using an ASTER Image. Himalayan Journal of Sciences Volume 1, No. 2. pp 93-98.

6. Shah K.B., Ale S., Chapagain N.R., Acharya R., Thapa K. and K.C. H. (2002): New Mammal Records from Upper Mustang, Nepal with the Notes on Mammalian Fauna of the Area. Journal of Natural History Museum, Vol 21, 2002, pp 33-44.

7. Shah K.B., Chapagain N.R., Shrestha K., K.C. Heera, Neupane B. Adhikari K.R., and Sharma B.D. (2002). Tibetan Sandgrouse Syrrhaptes tibetannus Gould, 1850 (Pteroclidae): a new species for Nepal. Danphe Volume 11, No. 3. pp 1-2

8. Chapagain N.R. (2001): GIS Based Management Information System for Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal. GIS@Development, Vol. 5, Issue 10. October 2001, pp 32-33.

Conference Papers/Abstracts:

1. Sharma B.D., Karky B.S., Dahal N., Chapagain N.R., Basnet B. (2004): Prospects and challenges in bringing Nepali Community Forestry under Kyoto Protocol's carbon trading regime. Paper presented to the 4th national Workshop "Community Forestry: 25 Years of Community Contributing to Millennium Development Goals, August 4-6. Kathmandu, Nepal.

2. Chapagain N.R. (2003): Using ASTER Imagery for Land Cover Discrimination in Trans-Himalayan Landscape: Assessment of Results from Upper Mustang, Nepal. Map Asia 2003 (October 13-15). Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

3. Sitaula B.K., Awasthi K.D., Newpane R.P., Chapagain N.R., Paudel, G.S. Sankhayan P.L., Singh, B.R. & Hofstad, O. (2000): Land use Changes and Soil Degradation Affecting Soil Quality in Watersheds of Nepal Proceeding of Nordic Seminar (NJF-Seminar no. 310): Soil Stresses, Quality and Care. April 10-12. Ås, Norway. Organiser: Center of Soil and Environmental Research (JORDFORSK), Ås Norway and Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Foulum, Tjele, Denmark.