Biodiv’Sport

RED PANDA NETWORK

Red Panda Network cooperates with local authorities and communities since 2001 to protect the red panda and its natural environment in Nepal.

RED PANDA NETWORK

With less than 2,500 individuals in the wild, the red panda is classified as endangered by the IUCN (2015).

The association fights against deforestation and poaching with solutions such as increasing the cover of the forest habitat and protecting the water sources that are useful to the species. Together with local authorities and communities, it carries out actions to restore water sources, reforest and vaccinate and sterilise stray dogs that can transmit fatal diseases to red pandas. The association recruits and trains local forest guards who patrol the territory to fight poaching and fires. The Red Panda Network also carries out awareness-raising activities among local populations to provide knowledge about this species and the protection measures in place.

Our support

We are supporting Red Panda Network in their sport awareness-raising project. A marathon will be organised for the conservation of the red panda in eastern Nepal for International Red Panda Day in 2024. The association has already organised a marathon in the region in 2013, which helped raise awareness among 5,000 people in the surrounding villages and internationally. The marathon will be organised in the Pathivara area along the habitat of the red panda. This is a place with a temple that attracts thousands of pilgrims every year and tourists who are not always aware of the species’ presence and the need to preserve it. The project will be carried out in collaboration with the local municipal government, which will be the main organiser, the local sports club and the temple management committee. A time of exchange on the importance of red panda protection and its ecosystem in general will take place before the departure. To involve local people, students, forest rangers and others will be mobilised as volunteers along the race.

The aim is to raise awareness among 20,000 people, including spectators, volunteers, runners and local politicians. 50,000 people will be reached through the communication around the event.

We have a strong link with this association as Pascal Damois is a member of the executive board of Red Panda Network.