The program directly engaged 33 undergraduate students from CCT, focusing on bridging academic research with wildlife conservation to highlight the ecological status and threats facing Nepal’s turtle fauna.

Highlights of the Event

• Peer-Reviewed Literature Analysis: Participants were divided into five working groups, each tasked with analyzing a unique peer-reviewed scientific paper on turtle biology, habitat management, ethno-medicinal exploitation, and local conservation challenges.
• Scientific Poster Synthesis: Students extracted core objectives, methodologies, and key findings from their assigned studies to design visual research posters.
• Focus Areas Covered by Student Presentations:
  • Ghodaghodi Lake Area (Kailali): Diversity and conservation status of local turtles.
  • Kankai (Mai) River: Ethno-medicinal uses and trade pressures on riverine species.
  • Terai Region: Species accounts, distribution patterns, and notes on illegal trade.
  • Eastern Nepal Wetlands: Occurrence and threats to the endangered Indian Softshell Turtle (Nilssonia gangetica) in the Kankai River basin.
  • Jalthal Forest: Ecological drivers and community perceptions surrounding the critically endangered Elongated Tortoise (Indotestudo elongata).
• Academic Defense & Knowledge Sharing: Each group presented their poster to their peers, translating technical field data into structured visual layouts to foster peer-to-peer discussion.

Impact & Moving Forward

By training undergraduate students to critically evaluate, synthesize, and present primary scientific literature, the event strengthened research communication skills while emphasizing the critical role of data-driven action in saving Nepal’s threatened reptiles.

Special thanks to the Central Campus of Technology, our student participants, and the Research Association Hattisar for advancing reptile conservation and scientific capacity in eastern Nepal.

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