Empowering Youth Towards Zero Waste National Park

Past Project

Start Date: Mar 01, 2021

End Date: Sep 28, 2021

Empowering Youth Towards Zero Waste National Park

An initiative to encourage local participation in conservation and waste management of national parks.

National parks in Nepal are home to many endangered species of flora and fauna. This diverse natural environment is a point of attraction to humans for educational as well as recreational purposes. The annual inflow of visitors- both local and international- to national parks has been a great source of revenue for local communities as well as park authorities. However, economic perks have also put pressures on the environment in the form of degrading wildlife habitat and risks to their survival. Especially the mounting problem of waste management in national parks has led to pollution in various forms which has eventually impacted the wildlife.

Empowering Youth Towards Zero Waste National Park is an initiative supported by WWF Nepal to drive change in national parks for proper waste management through efforts and activities of the local youth. The project envisions a zero-waste national park through proper collaborations with the local stakeholders and awareness to the park visitors.

Impact Numbers

Our Impact

Waste Smart Eco Clubs Launched

Waste Smart Eco Clubs Initiated

Children Familiarised with Waste Segregation

1000+

Children Educated on Waste Segregation

Youth Groups Activated

Youth Groups are Engaged

Youth Engaged In Environment Advocacy

200+

Youth Empowered for Environmental Advocacy

Projects

Questions We get
asked about

Where has the project been implemented until now?

Empowering Youth Towards Zero Waste National Park was officially launched in March 2021 in support of WWF Nepal and has come to an end on 28th September 2021. The project has been piloted in Chitwan National Park as of now.

What are the primary interventions under this project?

The project’s major objective is protecting the biodiversity of the national park from unwanted human activities mainly haphazard disposal of waste. All of our interventions have been designed by putting this into consideration. Waste Smart Museum, Waste Smart Eco Club, Zero Waste Training and Clean Up Campaigns are our major activities that cater to fulfilling our objective.

Who are the major beneficiaries of the project?

Protecting the natural state of the park which is also the habitat of the wildlife is our main objective. The project plans to do this through proper waste management- by establishing means to strengthen the mechanism and involving local stakeholders and communities in the process. Hence, local communities, the wildlife as well as local children and youth are our major beneficiaries.

How does the project ensure sustainability?

This project is an initiation of CREASION in support of WWF Nepal. However, there are many collaborative partners who are involved in the implementation of this project. As a primary beneficiary, local youth and children are expected to internalize their learnings as well as encourage their communities towards proper waste management. Similarly, the Waste Smart Museum is a one-of-a-kind approach envisioned as a means to incite interest among local communities and visitors alike towards waste management and biodiversity conservation. It is a structure fitted with two bottle crushers, a giant LED board, four informative posters, and three separate dustbins. The all-in-one structure serves as a means to establish awareness about animals and birds found in Chitwan National Park and enhance engagement in their protection through the right waste management approach, hence ensuring its sustainability.