Learning Across Landscapes: Our 2025 New Colombo Plan Study Tour to Nepal

In December 2025, The Centre for Conservation Science delivered our second New Colombo Plan-supported study tour to Nepal, following the success of our inaugural 2024 program. This year, Professor Matt Hayward, Dr Rose Upton and ten University of Newcastle students— ranging from environmental science, marine studies, biology to engineering—took part in a three-week immersive experience exploring conservation, culture, and community. We were hosted by Nepal’s National Trust for Nature Conservation – a key organisation that uses science and community values to deliver conservation projects across Nepal.

A central theme throughout the tour was the critical role of community involvement in conservation. While based in Chitwan, students engaged directly with Nepal’s innovative buffer zone management systems, where local communities actively participate in protecting forest ecosystems whilst also benefiting from the natural resources the forest provides. These approaches not only enhance biodiversity conservation but also create meaningful livelihoods, reinforcing the connection between people and place.

Students also explored how human–wildlife conflict is managed in practice, gaining valuable insights into the coexistence challenges faced in regions home to iconic species such as rhinos and tigers. Through lectures, fieldwork, camera trap exercises, and wildlife surveys, they experienced conservation as both a scientific and social endeavour. The full day safari gave us a fantastic opportunity to see local wildlife such as rhinos, elephants, chital (spotted deer), hog deer, Sambar deer, Rhesus Macaque, Gharial and mugger crocodiles, and abundance of birds such as peacock, the Great hornbill, kingfishers and eagles. We didn’t spot a tiger, but our camera trap did spot a Leopard!

Beyond conservation, the program highlighted the importance of culture. In Kathmandu, visits to sites such as Bhaktapur Durbar Square and Boudha Stupa provided a deeper understanding of Nepal’s cultural and spiritual landscape. These experiences emphasised how conservation is shaped by history, tradition, and community values.

The latter part of the tour took students into the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP), where trekking through diverse landscapes offered a different lens on conservation. Here, students observed how tourism, local livelihoods, and environmental management intersect, while also engaging with rural communities and cultural traditions.

Across the three weeks, students developed a deeper appreciation of how conservation works on the ground—shaped by community engagement, cultural context, and environmental complexity. The experience reinforced the value of interdisciplinary learning and the importance of global perspectives in addressing environmental challenges.

This second iteration of the program continues to build meaningful partnerships and transformative learning opportunities, and we look forward to growing its impact in the years ahead.