Nepal, June 21 -- Anew generation of Nepali environmental activists is filling the void left by the tragic 2006 Ghunsa crash that saw the loss of many pioneering conservationists including Harka Gurung and Chandra Gurung.
Rinzin Phunkjok Lama, the first graduate in environmental science from Humla district, is one of them. In an announcement on Monday, Lama was named among five laureates of this year's Rolex Awards for Enterprise for his role in promoting local initiatives for biodiversity conservation in Nepal's trans-Himalayan region.
Born and raised in one of Nepal's remotest regions, Lama was inspired and mentored by 1981 Rolex Laureate, wildlife biologist Rodney Jackson, who spent four decades of his life protecting the threatened s...