UKALI (Upper Karnali Alliance for Leadership and Inclusion) is a community-led conservation initiative in the rugged northwest of Nepal, centered in the Humla district and surrounding landscapes. The project emphasizes participatory engagement, local leadership in biodiversity protection, and collaborative management of human-wildlife conflicts and community forests. UKALI supports local communities to retain autonomy over natural resource decisions and integrates traditional ecological knowledge with scientific practices.
| Creation date | 2024 |
|---|---|
| Topics | Commons, Democracy, Environmental justice, Land Use |
| Context | Rural |
| Typology | Community Organizing |
| Languages | English, Nepali |
| Thematics | Radical Democracy |
In the remote Humla district of northwest Nepal, local communities have been actively engaged in conservation efforts through UKALI (Upper Karnali Alliance for Leadership and Inclusion), an initiative that places **community leadership at the center of environmental governance**. UKALI works with agro-pastoralists, herders, and small villages like Nhyam to develop consensual approaches to biodiversity protection, including mitigating human-wildlife conflict and supporting sustainable use of forest resources. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}
A key aspect of this process is ensuring that local voices and decisions shape conservation rather than external authorities alone. UKALI actively travels into remote areas to build relationships, document community experiences with wildlife, and collaboratively design strategies that respect both ecological needs and livelihoods. Activities include community forest management, aerial surveys, and conservation education co-designed with residents.
In addition to ecological goals, UKALI emphasizes building local capacity and intergenerational participation by engaging youth in eco-clubs and citizen science activities like camera trapping and species monitoring. This approach not only supports biodiversity but strengthens community governance over their own landscapes in a region where state reach is limited and traditional decision-making remains vital.