|| History of Establishment | Indroduction || Objectives | Programmes | Research and monitoring of Natural condition |
||Blackbuck-The most endangered wildlife||  Photo gallary||

APEC-NEPAL

Status

(APEC-NEPAL), is a Non Governmental, non profit, membership base organisation of Nepal, was established under a NGO act and Esatablished on 1988, by Ms. Prajita Devkota, Mr. Medini Bhandari, Mr. Pradeep Banskota, Mr. Bhaktalal Upadhayaya, Mr. Gyanendra bahadur Thapa et.al on Jan 1, 1988. It had been Commenced its operations from 1985 on personal level.

History of the Organisation

General Background
The story starts in 1985, when Medini Bhandari was working as a student of sociology & anthropology, doing research on indigenous knowledge religious believe about plant conservation, such as the Banyan tree. Hindu people plant these trees on important moments in life, like the birth of a child or the dead of a relative. One day, he heard someone from India give a speech on the environment and environmental protection. It struck him as one of the most important issues in life. He started to motivate the local people to plant Banyan and Ficas religiosa trees as well as other religiously important plant species on their important event of life such as marriage, childbirth, death of relatives' etc. These species are supposed holly tree in Hindu Mythology, so normally people do not cut these plant species if they are planted according to ritual. However, this believe is not very powerful, but still people feel sin if they cut these species. Mentioned species are also very good food and habitat source of many bird species. Therefore, these species have a great importance from the bio-diversity conservational point of view. Generally, mention plant species needs high temperature for germination, therefore to establish a nursery is expensive.

Fortunately, these plants are common and could be found in the old house wall, roof as well as other places where normally birds came and stay or drop their fical. From the birds fical seed spray in different and difficult place, where the seedlings appears. Mr. Bhandari and Miss Prajita started to collect those plant species by riding wall or anywhere they saw the plant seedlings. Later on Mr. Pradeep Banskota also joined this work and they established a nursery from the collection. This plant collection created awareness in the Biratnagar City in Nepal and people started to give new name to them like MAD Conservationist.

They got tittle MAD Plant carrier also. At the same time, They started to survey the marginal land and started plantation as well. In 1986, they stared awareness campaign. They also started the survey and monitor the forest degradation as well as recording the wild animal, birds and plant species in Jhapa and Morang districts on the base of interview with local residence. They also started to visit same place again and again to monitor the forestry encroachment by the locals illegally and ligulae. In 1987, 10 people from different village development council also joined Mr. Bhandari's group. In this year, he got married with Prajita. People were increasing in the group, so Prajita Bhandari proposed to establish a official forum to work regularly and systematic way. All group members supported his new ideas, said that something should be done with it and the couple decided to give their lives a sharp turn and work for the environment. In 1988 they founded the APEC group (Association for the Protection of Environment & Culture), in the leadership of Mr. Bhandari. In the charge of group formulation and people movement the Panchayat Government of that time arrested and kept him in prison on political charges.

These types of punishment were repeated many times and it was very normal and common. In the same year 1988, a group of 50 elephants from India invaded eastern Nepal, destroying houses and paddy fields. Several people were killed. The government gave unofficial orders to shoot the elephants. Mr. Bhandari, his wife Prajita and the secretary of APEC Mr. Pradeep Banskota went to the area to find other ways to solve the problems. With drums, dances and fires they managed to scare away 46 of the 50 elephants. The remaining four elephants stayed in Nepal (they became 6 now), but do not cause very big problems any more. As the Panchayat government was not happy with the solution, Mainly, Mr. Bhandari, Pragita and Pradeep faced many problems on political charges, in fact they have moral support to Nepalese Democratic movement but they were not doing politics. However, the conservational activities did not stopped in any movement. In spite of suppression by the Panchayat government APEC continued to grow. In 1991 democratic government was installed, creating a much more favorable climate for NGO's like APEC.

|| History of Establishment | Indroduction || Objectives | Programmes | Research and monitoring of Natural condition |
||Blackbuck-The most endangered wildlife||  Photo gallary||

Central Office: 40, Dharma Bhakta Marga, Hatkhola Road Biratnagar-10, Morang, Nepal.  Phone 977-21-30803, Fax 977-21-24099. Postal Address: GPO Box 12822, Kathmandu, Nepal For further information email to APEC. Go to >Home >Go to Next <