Resources Himalaya Foundation (RHF) was established under the leadership of Dr Pralad Yonzon as a non‐governmental, non‐profit organization. It was established as Resources Nepal, a self-governing private organization in 1986. It became an independent, not-for-profit research foundation managed by a Governing Board and administered by its executive office since 2004. Dr Yonzon raised funds to tran
sform Resources Himalaya, a 18 year old private institution into a non-government, not for profit, regional research foundation through Nepal Government approval in 2004. He donated his personal assets and cash worth US$ 108,571 (audited by Associates of Pricewater Cooperhouse in 2005) to the Foundation. He also provided the leadership that enabled the Foundation for nomination of the Global 2007 McArthur Award for Creative andEffective Institutions with a prize money of US $ 350,000. RHF has completed its 25 years of innovative research and capacity building on aspects of wildlife, biodiversity, and environment in Nepal, Bhutan and Sikkim. The milestones include Count Rhino '94 ‐ the first comprehensive rhino survey in Nepal, GIS of high‐altitude forests and biodiversity, Status of the red panda in the Himalayas, Hornbill ecology, GIS database of protected areas of Nepal,Annapurna Conservation Area Management Plan, Elephant Conservation Action Plan, Snow Leopard Conservation Action Plan, Nepal Biodiversity Action Plan Draft, and 10 volumes of Conservation Plan of the Western Terai - Churiya Region as the primer for Terai Arc Landscape (TAL). In 1998 Resources Himalaya pioneered in preparing a nationwide baseline information on the ecology of the Churiya (Siwalik). Also, Resources Himalaya assisted in developing “Rapid Biodiversity Survey Framework” for all nine protected areas of Bhutan including Phobjikha Conservation Landscape Area Plan. RHF’s competitive edge over others is its ability to deal with contemporary knowledge and issues connected with nature conservation.
