Kathmandu, May 2 -- Raju Acharya from Nepal is one of the winners of the Whitley Award to protect owls in central Nepal after spearheading a government-backed ten-year plan to safeguard the birds which had been overlooked from conservation efforts.

Acharya is the founder of Friends of Nature, a Kathmandu-based environmental group and was instrumental in driving The Owl Conservation Action Plan in 2020 which addresses threats to owls from hunting, illegal trade, and habitat loss.

The Whitley Award funding will help boost initiatives in central Nepal, home to the greatest density of birds and 19 of the country's 23 owl species.

Acharya received the award on 1 May at the Royal Geographical Society in a ceremony that marks three decades s...