Marking International Mountain Day with "Tracking the Mountain Ghost"
Posted on December, 11 2019
Kathmandu, Nepal – As a part of this year’s Kathmandu International Film Festival (KIMFF)—and on the occasion of International Mountain Day—WWF Nepal organized an interactive storytelling event at City Hall, Kathmandu.The session, led by three snow leopard conservationists from WWF Nepal with more than 30 years of experience between them, engaged the audience on the realities of living with snow leopards, working in their habitats and the science behind it all. Aptly named ‘Tracking the Mountain Ghost,’ the event also took students behind the scenes of the snow leopard collaring process—delving into details about the importance of snow leopard research and its impacts in informing national and international conservation approaches.
The global theme for this year’s Mountain Day Celebration, #MountainsMatterforYouth, strives to highlight the role of the next generation in conserving mountain habitats and overall ecology. As such, a core part of the event focused on the role of youth in taking Nepal forward as a leader in global snow leopard conservation.
Addressing a hall brimming with curious young minds, Dr. Ghana S. Gurung, Country Representative of WWF Nepal said, “What started out as an expedition led by an International wildlife biologist, Dr. Rodney Jakson in the 1970s, today is being spearheaded by Nepal’s next generation of wildlife researchers.”
The session saw a participation of over 300 attendees—over 80% of whom were youth. Representatives of various organizations and journalists, among others, were also in attendance.