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KATHMANDU Nepals leading civil engineering and forestry institutions are collaborating to bridge the divide between the two disciplines in an effort to mitigate the impact of roads, railways and other infrastructure on forests and natural resources.

Educators from Tribhuvan Universitys Institute of Engineering (IoE) and Institute of Forestry (IoF) are for the first time developing a joint curriculum on linear infrastructure for undergraduate civil engineering students and postgraduate forestry students.

Previously, our graduates focused solely on core engineering skills, Sushil Bahadur Bajracharya, a professor at the IoE, told Mongabay. The new course will enable them to add the new perspective of biodiversity conservation to their work.

Following the end of Nepals decade-long Maoist insurgency in 2006 and the introduction of a new constitution in 2015, theres been a surge in infrastructure development throughout the country. These range from roads and irrigation canals, to railways, cable cars and power lines. While proponents of these projects hail them as markers of progress, observers say they also threaten Nepals forests, which cover nearly 45% of the country. The building spree has increased the likelihood of infrastructure projects impacting these areas, which are critical habitats for such iconic animals such as Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris) and greater one-horned rhinos (Rhinoceros unicornis). Recent changes to conservation laws introduced by the government go even further by opening up protected areas to infrastructure such as power lines and cable cars.

Officials at the Ministry of Forest and Environment, primarily staffed by IoF graduates, often clash ideologically with their counterparts from the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, dominated by IoE graduates. Engineers prioritize efficiency and safety, while foresters hesitate to issue permits for infrastructure through sensitive areas. This tension has led to back-and-forth accusations: foresters label their infrastructure counterparts as anti-nature, while engineers hit back with claims of anti-development.

Regardless of the labels, research indicates that linear infrastructure can directly harm wildlife through road kills, drowning and electrocution, and indirectly by fragmenting species populations. Animals like red pandas (Ailurus fulgens), which need large home ranges, suffer as a result of their habitats being carved up. Although completely avoiding these impacts is impossible, mitigation measures can minimize them but this calls for interdisciplinary communication, researchers say.

Theres currently a communication gap between the two fields of study, said Shant Raj Jnawali, senior adviser for biodiversity conservation at WWF Nepal. This issue needs addressing at the grassroots level, where engineers and foresters learn their basics, he said.

High-level officials from both sectors have started dialogues after years of deliberation, leading to the introduction of guidelines for wildlife-friendly infrastructure in Nepal. These guidelines establish minimum requirements for safe wildlife passage during infrastructure development and operation, including the building of over- and underpasses to help animals avoid vehicle traffic and power lines. However, opportunities for such dialogues at the student level have long been lacking.

At this grassroots, implementation of safeguard measures falls on the shoulders of civil engineers, mostly fresh graduates, leading construction efforts in Nepal. If we want impactful changes, we must start with civil engineers, Bajracharya said. Of the 40,000 or so registered engineers in Nepal, most are civil engineers, highlighting the need for this initiative.

The IoF already incorporates infrastructure development and safeguard courses at the undergraduate level, according to Sony Baral, assistant dean at the IoF. We needed specialization courses at the masters level, she added.

Supported by the WWF project Asias Linear Infrastructure safeGuarding Nature, or ALIGN, educators and researchers from both institutions have engaged in dialogues, workshops and consultations to draft curricula addressing linear infrastructure safeguards. They developed courses titled Natural Resources Safeguard in Infrastructure for both engineering and forestry students. The courses, which involve both theory and practice, are to be rolled out in the coming semesters.

This initiative demonstrates that development and conservation can coexist in Nepal, where they are often seen as opposites, Bajracharya said.

In Nepal, most large-scale infrastructure projects, such as expansion of major highways and power lines, receive funding from two multilateral agencies: the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank.

These donors are already integrating safeguards into projects, said Sandesh Hamal, chief of party at ALIGN, which is funded by USAID and operates in India, Nepal and Mongolia. Cross-disciplinary studies will create more opportunities for collaboration between employers and graduates.

However, the full impact on how infrastructure projects are rolled out remains uncertain, as students have yet to take up the new courses. Thakur P. Sharma, president of the Society of Consulting Architectural & Engineering Firms, said both institutions should monitor their students progress. They should periodically review and adjust the courses to meet the evolving market demands, he said.

Banner image: Greater one-horned rhinos in Chitwan, Nepal. Image by Aditya Pal via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Abhaya Raj Joshi is a staff writer for Nepal at Mongabay. Find him on @arj272.

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Nepal's top engineering, forestry colleges to align on development and conservation - Mongabay.com