The Resource Conservation and Utilization Project (RCUP) was a 5-year project (1979-1984) formulated to halt the rapid degradation of Nepal's environment in two river drainage basins in the western part of the country. The RCUP strategy incorporated two primary approaches. 1. implementation of resource conservation practices and social change procedures to restore and protect the soil, water, and forest resource bases. 2. strengthening of Nepalese institutional capacities to train adequate numbers of skilled technical and supervisory resource management professionals to carry out the project and to deal with the problem over the longer run.