During the first week of June, 2026, Nepal hosted the 6th Conservation Asia Congress in Kathmandu, that was attended by almost 500 conservationists, mostly belonging to Asian countries, working on Asian ecosystems, habitats, species and people.
The Conference was organised by the Asia Region of the Society of Conservation Biology (SCB), in partnership with Nepal chapter of SCB and a Nepal-based community-centric organisation, Burhan Community Regeneration and Conservation Foundation (BCRCF).
Conservation Asia Congress 2026 at a glance
Under the theme “Harmonising Biodiversity and Human Well-being in Asia,” the Congress brought together community leaders, early-career researchers, and international specialists to discuss the crucial nexus of evidence-based policy, community stewardship, and nature protection.
The participants belonged to 42 different countries which made this regional conference truly global. The majority of the participants worked mostly on Asian ecosystems and biodiversity and were either based in Asian or non-Asian institutions.
Among these participants, 390 represented countries in the Global South, 357 were conservationists in their early careers with a median age of less than 45, 151 were students, 38 identified as members of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, and 43% identified as women and other gender minorities.
The strong scientific program demonstrated the evolving landscape of conservation practice and research in the continent.
It included 11 plenary addresses by prominent conservationists, 300 oral presentations over 24 sessions and 19 symposiums, and 59 poster presentations in addition to countless networking opportunities, blossoming collaborations, partnerships, and friendships.
Furthermore, seven full-day and five half-day workshops led by subject matter experts provided in-depth, specialised training and capacity-building.
Participation of Indian Conservationists
The Indian contingent at the conference comprised of almost 120 participants, showing the depth of conservation research and practice happening in the country.
Moreover, Nepal being a neighbouring country to India and no Visa restrictions, the travel logistics and the cost associated with participation was far less for Indians than other Asian countries from West Asia or Southeast Asia or Russia and Mongolia.
The registration cost for this conference was graded, with Indian participants’ cost ranging from USD 229- 374, based on career stage and SCB membership. Many Indian participants felt that this cost was steep even though registration costs for comparable global conferences are much higher.
However, the conference through its innovative fundraising model, targeted grantmaking and commitment to bring equity in conference participation provided grants to 160 participants by the means of either travel support or registration cost waiver and discounts.
In this cohort, almost 50 Indians received such support, many of which were students, independent scholars and early career researchers or practitioners.
Out of these, Wildlife Trust of India, a leading conservation NGO in India supported almost 25 of them by providing full travel support. All these supports could enable a strong participation of Indians at the conference.
Scientific presentations from the Indian participants were diverse which included conservation status and action of several charismatic species such as tigers, leopards, elephants, gibbons, endangered avian, reptilian, amphibian and insect fauna, ecosystems from high Himalaya to central Indian drylands, tropical forests of Western Ghats and northeast India, coasts and wetlands.
Through human-wildlife interactions, the relationship between conservation attitude and behavior, political ecology, community stewardship, policy analysis, and conservation education, the presentations also comprehensively examined the human aspects of conservation.
Strong Representation from Northeast India
In the Conservation Asia Congress, more than 16 participants were from the region. The numbers might not be high but unprecedented as far as participation of researchers from NE India is concerned at global and even national conferences.
Their scientific presentations included community stewardship in endemic species conservation such as clouded leopard and sun bear in Mizoram, red panda in Sikkim and north Bengal, human-wildlife (tiger, elephant) relations in Arunachal Pradesh, ecology of odonates, butterflies and seeds from Sikkim, community-centric natural resource management in Nagaland, among others.
Calling the conference and important milestone, Neera Rawat and Aita Subba Limboo, both from Sikkim University mentioned that presenting their research on odonates and butterflies, respectively, for the first time in front of a global audience increased their confidence in communicating research, and also explore new ideas.
Aditi Ramchiary, an independent Bodo scholar working on village ecological futures at Mon, Nagaland and Lipoksungkum Jamir, project co-ordinator at Mokokchung-based Grace society, working at multiple villages on Hoolock Gibbon conservation through CCAs felt that the networking opportunity broadened their horizons of work intellectually, and the conference was key for personal and career development.
Amit Kr. Bal, a PhD scholar and biodiversity expert from Mizoram mentioned, “The conference gave me a platform to represent myself, my conservation work, and the community-based conservation efforts I am involved in.”
Avantika Thapa, post-doctoral fellow with ATREE who works in ecology of Darjeeling Himalayas firmly stated, “being seen [in a public conference] plays an important role in being considered for collaborations, hiring, etc. in this career.”
Julee Jerang, PhD scholar from Arunachal Pradesh summed up experiences of the researchers from the region, through reflection of her own life, “Standing on an international platform and speaking about my community made me feel proud. As an Indigenous woman from the Bori Adi community of Payum Circle, Siang District, Arunachal Pradesh, I carried not only my research but also a part of my community with me. Coming from a remote place where access to roads, electricity, healthcare, schools, and other basic infrastructure remains limited, I never imagined that I would one day present my work on an international stage.”
However, Neera felt that smaller taxa such as insects, amphibians or reptiles were highly underrepresented in the scientific programme, even though they are facing endangerment in Asia. Dupjang Lepcha, a PhD scholar from Arunachal Pradesh stated, “I also hope future congresses give more attention to plant conservation as well, as many rare species are equally at risk.”
Experience of these participants was largely positive, and for most of them, meeting new people, learning about their work, sharing and discussing challenges helped them gaining new perspectives which Lipok stated “I can bring back to my own work in the northeast.”
For Neera, a PhD scholar, “Presenting my research and interacting with researchers whose work I had previously encountered through scientific literature was one of my most valuable experiences.”
For Avantika, she not only planned collaborations with Nepalese conservationists for transboundary conservation (Darjeeling and eastern Nepal), but also will be editing a special issue on socio-ecological changes in a leading conservation-focused journal.
Aditi felt that, “The overall experience boosted my confidence and assured me that I am on the right path and not alone.”
Apart from networking and exchanging ideas of community-based conservation, for Amit, “The conference gave me the opportunity to visit and experience a new country and learn about its culture and environment.”
Aita could not meet another butterfly expert at the conference, but commented, “I gained much more knowledge from the workshop mentors which I can incorporate in my study.”
Seeing grassroots conservationists of Nepal being recognised for their lifelong contributions, Neera felt, “it reminded me that conservation extends beyond academia.”
However, steep registration costs of the conference, USD 229-275 for students, and USD 146 for Indigenous communities almost derailed the participation at this conference for these participants. The overall conference cost (registration, travel, accommodation etc.) was more than monthly scholarship or salaries of these PhD scholars and independent practitioners.
Fortunately, almost all of them received financial support through the conference organisers, that included travel cost reimbursement, registration waivers or discounts. Some of these participants were also supported by generous travel grants from Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), a leading conservation NGO. Even with availability of such grants, some participants faced difficulty of arranging funds in advance.
Unlike registration waivers or discounts, travel grants are generally reimbursement-based, which means that participants have to shell out money from their pockets, for expenses such as flight or accommodation booking. Dupjang lamented, “While the travel funding was appreciated, the spending policy in Indian currency was difficult for many of us to manage due to limited advance funds.”
While mentioning that conferences should be more affordable while accommodating research on diverse taxa, ecosystems and human communities, all the participants felt that the conference experience had broadened their horizons.
Aditi felt a mindset shift after the conference; in stead of always looking for unique things, she now wishes to situate more context and experience to her work. Neera is now considering approaches “that connect ecological research with wider conservation needs and communities.”
For many participants, future collaborations with an international community now do not look like a distant dream, but a plausible reality. For Amit, “The experiences and approaches I learned will help me strengthen my community-based conservation activities and develop more effective strategies for long-term and sustainable conservation.”
The conference was a real confidence booster, as Julee who has developed a collaborative idea for a project on women and conservation in NE India, with two more conference participants, firmly stated, “For me, this was not simply about attending an international conference; it was about finding my voice, gaining confidence, and recognising that an Indigenous woman from a remote forest community can also contribute to and shape global conservation conversations.”
Between optimism for a sustainable future for the northeast region, and a despair that it might never be achieved, there is hope; a hope being ushered by the homegrown students, researchers and practitioners of the region who are building the next generation of conservation interventions that harmonise wellbeing of wild animals and plants, humans, and ecosystems.
The experiences of these conference participants are a testament to these budding expertise and future.
Julee reflected, “The conference reminded me that representation matters. When people from places and communities that are rarely visible in international conservation spaces are given the opportunity to speak, they do not simply represent themselves—they bring their landscapes, histories, knowledge, and communities with them. I hope my participation can encourage other young Indigenous women, particularly from Northeast India, to believe that they too have a place in conservation science and on international platforms.”
The author is a Research Associate at Coexistence Studies Group, TDU, Bengaluru, India, and a Board member of Asia Regional chapter of Society of Conservation Biology.