Academic Venture Fund Supplemental Grants
Living with Leopards
Exploring the effects of human-leopard interaction on food security and public health in Nepal
AVF project: In Nepal, the conflict between humans and leopards results in the loss of livestock, injuries and death to leopards and people and threatens the food security of local communities. This project aims to understand key drivers and impacts of human-leopard interactions across the rural-urban spectrum of human settlements and forests in the foothills of the Himalayas. A national-level policy document will be developed to enable sustainable site-specific conflict management responses and promote local stewardship for the survival of leopards in shared landscapes without compromising human well-being.
The supplemental grant funds three upper-level undergraduate students who will travel to Nepal to assist in field work and analysis. The students will be involved in all elements of the field research, where they will have extensive interactions with community partners, including local officials, NGO representatives, university students and the community members who co-occupy the space with leopards.
Topics: Energy, Environment and Sustainability
The Team
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Angela Fuller, Department of Natural Resources
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
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Martin Gilbert, Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences
College of Veterinary Medicine
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Richard Stedman, Department of Natural Resources
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
- Community partner: National Trust for Nature Conservation
- Community partner: Government of Nepal, Ministry of Forests and Environment
Academic Venture Fund Supplemental Grants
Supporting undergraduate participation in cutting-edge, community-engaged projects funded by the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability