• Home
• About Us
• Student Exchange
  • Incoming Student Information
  • Outgoing Student Information
• Short Term Programs
  • Overview
  • Arts
  • Business
  • Education
  • Science
  • College Programs
• External Programs
• Summer Schools
• Conferences
• Volunteering
• Happenings
• Our Global Adventurers
• Scholarships and Funding
• Latest news
• Media
• AHEGS
• Contacts

SEARCH CSU

International Experience Program: Nepal

Faculty of Science

School of Environmental Sciences

Proposed 2013 program

This study program explores Nepal's natural environment and human cultures with a primary focus on the conservation of biodiversity and the sustainable use of natural resources. The program examines ways by which long-term conservation objectives can be achieved and maintained while at the same time enabling the quality of life of the human population in and around protected areas to improve and develop. Approaches to the management of biodiversity that attempt to maximise the long-term benefits for both nature and people are studied.

Program Dates: approx. November/December, 2013 - exact dates TBC

Number of places: 12 -14 students

Cost: Approx. $3200 - based on 2012 program fees

Costs include: program costs and accommodation.

Costs do not include CSU subject fees. 

Students are required to purchase their own flights, visas and insurance for this program. These documents MUST be provided to CSU Global as soon as possible.

Eligibility: TBA

Credit: TBA

Application Timeline:

• Application closing date: 
• Successful students notified (email):
• Passport submission for visa processing: 
  (You MUST have obtained your passport prior to this date. Please note it may take 4-6 weeks to obtain a passport)
• Payment required: 
• Pre departure session: 

An application form will be available here shortly

Further enquiries should be directed to:

Iain Taylor
School of Environmental Sciences
Charles Sturt University
Elizabeth Mitchell Drive
Albury-Wodonga NSW 2640
Bldg/ Room No.
Phone: 02 6051 9952
Fax: 02 6051 9897
Email: itaylor@csu.edu.au

Indicative Program Outline:

In Nepal many people live in areas immediately adjacent to protected areas and in some cases, within protected areas. This has presented many challenges. There is rarely a clear seperation of the activities and reqirements of humans and wildlife. Wildlife can be pests of crops and in some cases a direct threat to humans. Likewise humans can be a threat to wild animals and plants through poaching, attempted pest control, overharvesting, habitat destruction, pollution, overgrazing and disturbance. There are many opportunities for animal and plant species, particularly exotics that are harmful to natural systems, to cross from cultivated land into natual areas.

On the other side of the coin natural areas can offer incomes through nature-based tourism. Protected areas are also often the only remaining sources of many natural products, such as building materials, firewood and medicinal plants, upon which local people depend. Nepal has some 40 years of intensive research and practical experience of protected area management and approaches to achieve compatibility between the needs of conservation and local human populations. This has resulted in the development of general models of successful management of protected areas and many successful case histories for the conservation of threatened species within protected areas such as the Tiger, India Rhinoceros, and the fish-eating Gharial. Many detailed species and protected area management plans have been produced. Nepal is therefore an excellent location to learn about the challenges and solutions to many aspects of protected area and species management.

This program was developed by Dr. Iain Taylor PhD of Charles Sturt University, Australia and Himalayan Nature, Nepal; Dr Hem Sagar Baral PhD of Himalayan Nature, Nepal; and Gangaram Singh MSc. of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation and Himalayan Nature, Nepal, all of whom are also the tutors for the subject in the field.

Iain Taylor has more than 30 years of experience in Nepal having undertaken many research projects in wildlife ecology and management in Chitwan and Annapurna. He has supervised many Nepali postgraduate students. Hem Sagar Baral has very extensive experience of wildlife ecology and management as well as ecotourism in Nepal stretching over many years. His research speciality is the ecology of grassland birds and he was Nepal's Director for Birdlife International for many years. He has also organised and lead many groups in Nepal to study the country's wild places and culture. Gangaram Singh is a senior member of Department of National Parks and WIldlife Conservation in Nepal and has many years experience in the management of Nepal's protected areas. He has worked mostly in the field and has lived in and been responsible for the planning and management of these areas such as Koshi Tappu, Chitwan, Bardia and Rara Lake for most of his career. He has a detailed understanding of people-park relationships.

This scientific team is backed up by Sharad Singh, Director of Himalayan Nature specialist on ectourism, and Ram Rai, a mountain guide with Himalayan Nature.

Draft itinerary:

Date	Month	Activity	Location	Details	Accommodation
27	Nov	Kathmandu Rendezvous Day	Kathmandu	All students to rendezvous at Accommodation on this day.	Overnight Accommodation in Kathmandu
28	Nov	Bus Trip: Kathmandu -Pokhara	Kathmandu/ Pokhara	Full day bus trip	Overnight Accommodation in Pokhara
29	Nov	Pokhara Day	Pokhara	TBA	Overnight Accommodation in Pokhara
30	Nov	Bus Trip: Pokhara- Mountains (Gandruk)	Pokhara/ Gandruk	Full day bus trip	Overnight Accommodation in Gandruk
1	Dec	Gandruk	Gandruk	TBA	Overnight Accommodation in Gandruk
2	Dec	Gandruk	Gandruk	TBA	Overnight Accommodation in Gandruk
3	Dec	Gandruk	Gandruk	TBA	Overnight Accommodation in Gandruk
4	Dec	Walking/ Hiking Tour	Gandruk Area	TBA	Overnight
5	Dec	Walking/ Hiking Tour	Gandruk Area	TBA	Overnight Accommodation
6	Dec	Gandruk	Gandruk	TBA	Overnight Accommodation in Gandruk
7	Dec	Bus Trip: Mountains (Gandruk)-Pokhara	Gandruk/ Pokhara	Full day bus trip	Overnight Accommodation in Pokhara
8	Dec	Bus Trip: Pokhara- Chitwan	Pokhara/ Chitwan	Full day bus trip	Overnight Accommodation in Chitwan
9	Dec	Chitwan	Chitwan	TBA	Overnight Accommodation in Chitwan
10	Dec	Chitwan	Chitwan	TBA	Overnight Accommodation in Chitwan
11	Dec	Bus Trip: Chitwan-Lumbini	Chitwan/ Lumbini	Half Day Bus Trip	Overnight Accommodation in Lumbini
12	Dec	Lumbini	Lumbini	TBA	Overnight Accommodation in Lumbini
13	Dec	Lumbini	Lumbini	TBA	Overnight Accommodation in Lumbini
14	Dec	Bus Trip: Lumbini-Chitwan	Lumbini/ Chitwan	Half Day Bus Trip	Overnight Accommodation in Chitwan
15	Dec	Chitwan	Chitwan	TBA	Overnight Accommodation in Chitwan
16	Dec	Chitwan	Chitwan	TBA	Overnight Accommodation in Chitwan
17	Dec	Chitwan	Chitwan	TBA	Overnight Accommodation in Chitwan
18	Dec	Bus Trip: Chitwan-Saudaha	Chitwan/ Saudaha	Half Day Bus Trip	Overnight Accommodation in Saudaha
19	Dec	Saudaha	Saudaha	TBA	Overnight Accommodation in Saudaha
20	Dec	Bus Trip: Saudaha- Kathmandu	Saudaha/ Kathmandu	Full day bus trip	Overnight Accommodation in Kathmandu
21	Dec	Kathmandu	Kathmandu	TBA	Overnight Accommodation in Kathmandu
22	Dec	Kathmandu	Kathmandu	TBA	Overnight Accommodation in Kathmandu
23		Dec		Program Concludes