Posted on February, 12 2018
Dr. Ghana Shyam Gurung is the newly appointed Country Representative of WWF Nepal. As the Country Representative, Dr. Gurung’s key responsibility lies in providing strategic direction to the organization, raising funds for projects in Nepal, and ensuring conservation successes that contribute to WWF’s global mission to stop the degradation of the planet's natural environment and build a future in which people live in harmony with nature.
He previously served as the Senior Conservation Program Director at WWF Nepal, and has worked in nature conservation for the last two decades. Under his leadership in conservation programs, Nepal has witnessed growth in key wildlife species including tigers, rhinos and snow leopards and has celebrated four years of zero rhino poaching while encompassing community-based institutions as local stewards of nature conservation. He is one of the founding members of community based conservation areas and landscape level conservation, playing a key role in designing and implementing these landmark achievements in Nepal. He is also the Snow Leopard Champion for the WWF Network, and has also been instrumental in formalizing transboundary cooperation with China and India for conservation and wildlife trade control.
Ghana holds a PhD in Natural Science from University of Zurich in 2006. He has over 20 years of experience in species and people centred natural resource management, ecotourism development, linking conservation with faith groups, policy engagement and project negotiations. Before joining WWF, Ghana worked for National Trust for Nature Conservation in different management capacities.