September 17, 2021

Elephants across the Bhutanese-Indian border are increasingly coming into contact with expanding human settlements like Gelephu in Southern Bhutan. An epicenter for these, often destructive, interactions, this town is an example of the growing concern for human-wildlife conflict in the area. 

For the last year, our partners at NASA DEVELOP have been engaging Bhutanese students in the United States to look closely at these thematic issues that affect Bhutan deeply. In their terms with the program, they’ve studied elephant habitat suitability and forest cover disturbance using the latest technology and help from local partners and industry experts. Their work has resulted in a cutting-edge app Bhutanese can use to track forest cover disturbances and even the mapping of potential migratory pathways for Asian elephants in the region. 

The question today is, can that student-led research influence on-the-ground policies and interventions to potentially save lives and create a more harmonious relationship between human-elephant communities in southern Bhutan?

We hope you’ll join us this Monday, September 20th at 11am ET (9pm Bhutan) as we talk LIVE with student researchers at NASA DEVELOP featuring special guests Dr. Nawang Norbu the Executive Director of the Bhutan Ecological Society and Mr. Tenzin Wangchuk, Chief Environment Officer, Gelephu Municipality. Together, we’ll delve into their work and what could be next steps in elephant conservation in Bhutan.
 
Following the presentations by the student researchers, Tshewang Wangchuk, Executive Director of the Bhutan Foundation will host a LIVE Q&A with the audience, so be sure to join live to ask your questions!