Studying and protecting red pandas and their habitat

Baptiste Mulot

Red Panda Network

Dear difteur-ses,

For several years now, Bimala Moktan has been tirelessly protecting the Panchthar forests and the fragile habitat of the red panda, thanks to the support of Beauval Nature.

This year, her mission took a new turn: due to her pregnancy, she had to pause her patrols in the field.

But her commitment hasn't wavered! Her husband, Anil Rai, and brother, Dawa Lama, have taken up the torch:
- Monitoring the red panda population in the Jaljale community forest
- Anti-poaching patrols and trap removal
- Restoration of degraded areas to preserve red panda habitat

As for Bimala, she continues to monitor and coordinate actions from home, proving that female leadership can inspire and mobilize an entire family.

Portrait of a forest heroine in Nepal

Beauval Nature

Dear difteur-ses,

We interviewed Terrance Lee, deputy director of the Red Panda Network: Could you tell us about Bimala Moktan? What actions did she take in 2024?

"Bimala Moktan works as a forest ranger in Nepal and her salary is fully covered by Beauval Nature, thanks to your support.

In 2024, she took part in multiple actions.

First of all, her mission is to monitor the red pandas and their habitat. Each ranger intervenes on a quarterly basis, in his or her community forest. Bimala carries out this monitoring in the Jaljale village forest (Terhathum district). The presence of the species is studied by direct observation and via analysis of feces: 25 sites had red panda droppings in 2024.

Following this, Bimala takes part in anti-poaching surveillance. This is carried out in teams, twice a year, in the months of March-April and October-November, in sensitive areas prone to poaching. In 2024, 14 rangers, including Bimala, covered 36 km within 10 community forests. They neutralized 19 traps.

In 2024, Bimala also attended further training for 14 forest guards (in Panchthar district): GPS settings, monitoring techniques, field data collection, photographic trap handling, planting, etc."

36 km covered and 19 traps neutralized!

After weeks of suspense and over 11,000 participants, the votes for the Beauval Nature 2024 Awards have chosen their winner ... and their winner!"

With 34% of the votes, the Red Panda Network wins this second edition, organized to celebrate 15 years of Beauval Nature, in partnership with Dift. Behind the NGO's actions are more than 100 rangers committed to the preservation of red pandas, including Bimala Moktan, the ranger honored in these Awards.

Following in her uncle's footsteps, Bimala Moktan decided to become a ranger for the Red Panda Network at the age of 24, in 2017. Originally from the Panchthar district in eastern Nepal, she says in her interview that it has become impossible to deny the importance of saving Nepal's forests and the wildlife that lives there. Since then, she has attended numerous training courses, carried out anti-poaching patrols and participated in vaccination campaigns for stray dogs, whose diseases can be transmitted to red pandas. As one of the few women in this position, Bimala defies societal norms in the region where she lives.

A big congratulations to the Red Panda Network and to Bimala!

The Red Panda Network, big winner of the Beauval Nature 2024 Awards

Dear difers,

On the occasion of International Soil Conservation Day, Nepal has recognized the importance of the Puwamajhuwa Community Protected Area, located in the municipality of Ilam, in the east of the country.

This is the first community protected area, so declared by the local government, for the conservation of red pandas. This shows the government's commitment to the cause championed by the Red Panda Network (RPN).

Following this decision, the RPN has teamed up with the District Forestry Office and the municipality to create a steering committee, to ensure the management of this conservation area.

A big thank you for your invaluable support and difts!

The first forest officially protected by local communities

Some time ago, the Red Panda Network hired Sanjita Thami, a mother of 4 living in the Ilam district of Nepal. Having come to Jaubari to find a job, she then became a Restoration Guardian, replanting tree after tree of red panda habitat.
Today, Sanjita's children are also part of the NGO's reforestation team, and the Thami family are experts in habitat restoration and nursery management - a commitment and know-how passed down from one generation to the next.

Conservation from generation to generation

Planting is underway at Jaubari, where 10,342 seedlings have already been planted. The restoration of this pastureland of over 680 ha located in eastern Nepal is a priority for the conservation of red pandas. The area links unprotected Nepalese forests with protected areas in Nepal and India. By 2023, the Red Panda Network's restoration project, Plant A Red Panda Home, had planted over 40,000 saplings in Nepal and built 3 nurseries. This project also enables the employment of villagers, who thus benefit from a new source of income that is not deleterious to nature.

Studying and protecting red pandas and their habitat

The project

Use of the money