Submitted by Albina Mamedova on Thu, 03/04/2025 - 17:29
Kumar Paudel, an alumnus of the University of Cambridge's Master's in Conservation Leadership (cohort 2019–2020), has been named a winner of the prestigious Future For Nature Award 2025 for his groundbreaking work protecting pangolins in Nepal.
Growing up in rural Nepal, Kumar witnessed firsthand the poaching of pangolins and their sale in nearby markets across the border. This early exposure to wildlife exploitation inspired a lifelong commitment to conservation that eventually led him to Cambridge and beyond.
"I actually grew up seeing pangolins in my village and then I have seen how they are being killed and sold in the towns nearby my village," Kumar explains. "That kind of connection was there. And then I learned about conservation only after starting my university education."
Pangolin by Kushal Shrestha at Greenhood Nepal
Recognition and Future Impact
The Future For Nature Award has brought significant attention to Kumar's work. "The next day of my award announcement, Nepal's most popular national newspaper brought up big news on their front page with my photo, which I have never seen before. I've received so many emails and phone calls, so much interest from across the world, which is very motivating."
The award provides not only recognition but also practical support: "It's not just an award, it's also financial support to continue my work. I'll be joining the Future For Nature family and community. I think it will help a lot to scale up my projects and programs and also my future conservation thoughts."
In addition to this prestigious award, Kumar was recently appointed to an important international role: "I have joined the UK Government's IWT Challenge Fund Advisory Group. I have never thought that one day I would get involved with this. It's the board that advise UK Government on the development of the initiative, reviewing applications and making technical recommendations on funding and grants to control illegal wildlife trade across the world." Also, he is in the granting committee of the Pangolin Crisis Fund which supports pangolin conservation programs globally to eliminate the demand, trafficking, and poaching crisis that puts all eight species of pangolins at risk of extinction.
Kumar also serves as the Vice Chair for the IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group, a voluntary network of pangolin experts from around the world. This group includes field biologists, social scientists, zoologists, veterinarians, ecologists, and geneticists, all actively involved in pangolin research and conservation. This role further demonstrates Kumar's international standing in pangolin conservation and allows him to help coordinate global efforts to protect these vulnerable species.
The Value of the Master's programme Experience
When asked what he considers the best aspect of the Conservation Leadership at Cambridge, Kumar doesn't hesitate: "I think it's definitely the people. It exposes you to diverse experiences and diverse involvement of different people. And then that allows you to reflect on yourself."
A Transformative Cambridge
Experience Kumar arrived at Cambridge as an experienced researcher and local conservationist but was looking to broaden his conservation toolkit. "I was a researcher and a conservation practitioner. I'm still a researcher, but also a researcher who wants to use and communicate what I do to the policymakers to change things on the ground," he says. "I was quite trained in research already, but I was looking for opportunity to train myself in networking, fundraising, and gain a broad understanding of the conservation landscape in the world."
Having started his conservation journey in 2009-2010 during his first year of undergraduate studies, Kumar brought substantial field experience to Cambridge. His time at Cambridge provided him with a global perspective that complemented his deep knowledge of Nepal's conservation issues.
"Meeting people with Conservation Leadership alumni from across the world who have gone through a lot and exchanging information helped me to understand the global perspective and global landscape of conservation," Kumar reflects. "Understanding what are the common challenges, what are the solutions that exist between regions was really crucial for me."
He particularly values the unique environment of the David Attenborough Building, which houses numerous conservation organisations. "You see all of them all the time in the common room, or you get the opportunity to meet and talk with them, so it's kind of a direct access to the world's leading conservation communities, which is quite rare to get—an interesting, helpful, and very enriching experience."
When asked about the most influential aspects of his time at Cambridge, Kumar highlights the leadership training. "If I have to remember one thing, definitely it's about understanding the difference in leadership styles, how we approach problems, how we develop solutions. Also self-reflection was very motivating—to understand myself more, what kind of leader I am, what are the limitations of my leadership approach, and what I should do about them."
Catalysing Pangolin Conservation in Nepal
Kumar founded Greenhood Nepal in 2012, an NGO dedicated to threatened but traditionally neglected wildlife conservation with a special focus on pangolins—one of the world's most trafficked mammals.
"This is all for the pangolin conservation work that I have done so far," Kumar says about his Future For Nature Award. "I did a couple of things to help save pangolins in Nepal, and most of my service started in 2015. I initiated the Nepal Pangolin Roundtable inviting all the key decision-makers and conservationists to the same place, discussing what we're going to do, how we can help save pangolins in Nepal, and it still continues for the last 10 years."
Pangolin by Kushal Shrestha at Greenhood Nepal
This initiative catalysed a national movement. "It has influenced a lot. So many conservationists have started working on pangolin conservation, the government also developed the conservation action plan, the national survey. There's so many things that came up, and definitely it's led by the government and implemented by many others. I think we really helped to catalyse that kind of movement and change in Nepal."
A Three-Pronged Approach to Conservation
Kumar explains his comprehensive approach to pangolin conservation: "If you want to know what I'm exactly doing on pangolin in Nepal, we're doing three things: We are monitoring pangolin in the forest, so generating baseline information and knowledge. And it's not only about the population of pangolin and where they are, but it is also about the threats they face, what are the challenges, what's the interaction with the local communities, what are the laws and regulations and their implementation."
This scientific foundation informs targeted interventions: "Using that information, we develop very targeted conservation interventions with the local communities and law enforcement agencies to break the trade and international smuggling network."
Education forms the third pillar of his strategy: "We try to make policymakers and local communities aware of pangolins. In many cases, when decision-makers are not aware of the importance of pangolin conservation, then we cannot really secure investment and attention to these issues. So we try to educate the policymakers and also try to change the perception of the local communities and how they can be more helpful to save pangolins."
Kumar summarizes his approach as "doing science, generating new knowledge and ideas, and also taking it to the communities and policymakers."
Evidence-Based Conservation
Kumar's approach has evolved significantly since his time at Cambridge. "I think I have changed one habit of seeing things," he reflects. "Earlier my conservation work was a bit like some sort of activism. And then slowly I turned into an evidence based conservation, a researcher plus practitioner."
His work now emphasises collaboration rather than confrontation: "Over the time I have changed my approach on how I engage with stakeholders. I've found that constructive dialogue is more effective than simply identifying problems. When addressing challenges with various partners, including government agencies, I focus on creating pathways to improvement rather than highlighting shortcomings. When you're trying to effect change, your goal should be finding ways to help communities and authorities implement better practices, rather than focusing on what isn't working."
He also credits his Cambridge education with helping him focus more on evidence-based conservation: "I started to value conservation evidence more—tracking and documenting what we have done, tracking the progress, and then checking whether it's really working or not. It's about looking at impact in a more detailed way."
The Cambridge experience also influenced his organizational approach: "We thought a lot about our organization, Greenhood. Earlier, we were doing a lot of things, but it was quite scattered. So we started to think a little bit more about our core model—what we are doing, the more institutional aspect of the organization and the work we do."
Overcoming Conservation Challenges
Kumar identifies several major challenges in his conservation work. "Resource constraints present a significant hurdle. Conservation often falls lower on the priority list for many people who are understandably focused on immediate needs like livelihoods and economic opportunities," he explains.
He notes the disparity between more iconic and less visible species: "Charismatic megafauna like rhinos and tigers receive substantial government investment and protection efforts. Nepal has achieved remarkable success in bringing these species back from the brink of extinction. However, less visible species without obvious tourism or economic value receive far less attention. The challenge lies in effectively communicating the ecological importance of these species to secure necessary support for their protection."
Nepal's geographic location presents another significant challenge: "We face geopolitical complexities due to Nepal's position between major nations and proximity to substantial international wildlife markets. This geographic reality creates considerable pressure on our wildlife populations and conservation efforts."
Securing sustainable funding remains an ongoing struggle: "For conservation organizations, maintaining financial sustainability is exceptionally difficult. There are limited domestic fundraising opportunities and minimal government support for civil society conservation initiatives. This leaves us heavily dependent on competitive international grants, which creates significant challenges for long-term operational planning and sustainability."
Despite these challenges, Kumar maintains unwavering motivation: "My commitment to conservation is deeply personal and connected to my upbringing. Growing up in a humble family environment, I faced and overcame numerous challenges to pursue education and independence. These experiences fostered resilience that serves me well in conservation work. When you're truly committed to a cause, you find ways to navigate the difficulties."
"The challenges I encountered in my early life have given me perspective. Compared to those foundational struggles, the obstacles in my professional conservation work, while significant, feel manageable."