About me

I come from the District of Lalitpur which is located in the southern side of the Kathmandu Valley. I live with my wife Shrija and daughter Serene. Serene is 6 years old and has started her school this year (2007).

I firmly believe that the conservation should be guided by good science. Thus, I am proud to be a member of this network for it has been a highly efficient platform to share knowledge and experience among the natural resource professionals.

Academic background

As for my academic background, I graduated from the Insitute of Forestry in 1990. Then I did my Masters in Natural Resource Management and PhD in Wildlife Ecology from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences in the following years. My focus has especially been the ecology and conservation of mountain ungulates in the Nepalese trans-Himalaya. Of late, I studied the potential for competition between blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur) and livestock in the Phu Valley, Manang, Nepal. Professor Per Wegge supervised my work in the mountains.

Professional experience

Currently, I am working with the WWF Nepal as a Conservation Biologist. Prior to joining WWF, I worked for IUCN/HKKH partnership project in the capacity of the Research Coordinator. From 1993 to 2001, before pursuing PhD degree, I worked for Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) and Manaslu Conservation Area Project (MCAP) of the National Trust for Nature Conservation. Then I was mainly involved in the management of integrated conservation and development projects. As a matter of fact, I learned the crucial aspects of the field work during my tenure with the ACAP and MCAP.

Publications

International Journals (Peer-review) 

• Shrestha, R., and P. Wegge. 2006. Determining the composition of herbivore diets in the Trans-Himalayan rangelands: A comparison of field methods. Journal of Rangeland Ecology and Management 59: 512-518.
• Shrestha, R., P. Wegge, and R. A. Koirala. 2005. Summer diets of wild and domestic ungulates in Nepal Himalaya. Journal of Zoology (London) 266:111-119
• Shrestha, R., and P. Wegge. 2008. Habitat relationships between wild and domestic ungulates in Nepalese Trans-Himalaya. Journal of Arid Environments 72: 914-925.
• Shrestha, R. and P. Wegge. 2008 Wild and domestic ungulates in Nepal Trans – Himalaya: competition or resource partitioning?. Environmental Conservation 35: 1-12.
• Shrestha, R. and P. Wegge. Effect of human interferacne on the activity budgets and habitat utilization by naur Pseaudois nayaur. (in prep). 
• Wegge, P., Shrestha, R. and Flagstad, O. Local abundance of snow leopards and their predation on wild and domestic prey in north-central Nepal: implication for conservation management. Animal conservation (submitted).

Papers presented in Seminar/Workshop

• Wegge, P., R. Shrestha, M. Conradi, and O. Flagstad. 2006. Density of snow leopards and their predation on naur (Blue sheep) and domestic livestock in Phu Valley in Nepal Himalaya. Abstract presented in the 4th World Congress on Mountain Ungulates, Munnar, Kerala, India.
• Koirala, R. A., R. Shrestha, and P. Wegge. 2000. Grasslands in the Damodar Kunda region of Upper Mustang, Nepal. Pages 53-69 in C. Richard, K. Basnet, J. P. Sah, and Y. Raut, editors. A workshop on grassland ecology and management in protected areas of Nepal. International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Kathmandu, Royal Bardia National Park

Manuscript, reports and popular articles

• Shrestha, R., and I. Flatin. 2002. Ecoregions as a tool for global biodiversity conservation: A review. Department of Ecology and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB).
• Shrestha R., S. Ale 2001. Modi Khola species diversity survey. A report submitted to Annapurna Conservation Area Project, Pokhara, Nepal.
• Flatin, I., R. Shrestha, and N. M. B. Pradhan. 2004. Samliv med rovdyr i rike og fattige land (Management of predators in rich and poor countries). in Aftenposten, Oslo, Norway

Theses

• Shrestha, R. 2007. Coexistence of wild and domestic ungulates in the Nepalese Trans-Himalaya: Resource competition or habitat partitioning? PhD Thesis. Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norway
• Koirala, R. A., and R. Shrestha. 1997. Floristic composition of summer habitats and dietary relationships between Tibetan argali (Ovis ammon hodgsonii), naur (Pseudois nayaur), and domestic goat (Capra hircus) in the Damodar Kunda region of Upper Mustang in Nepal Himalaya. M.Sc. Thesis. Agricultural University of Norway
• Shrestha, R. 1991. Assessment of carrying capacity of a pasture land at District Livestock Services Section, Matepani, Pokhara Nepal. B.Sc. Project paper, Institute of Forestry, Nepal

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