ABOUT KTK-BELT
KTK-BELT (www.belt-project.org) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 2014 to catalyze new models of biodiversity conservation and environmental learning in eastern Nepal. Its mission is to work with teachers, farmers, youth, and women to create a ‘Vertical University’ that will span from Koshi Tappu Wildlife Sanctuary (67 m.) to Kanchenjunga (8,586 m.), the third tallest peak in the world. The idea is to give a framework to local farmers to become ‘professors’ of the Vertical University, to share their indigenous knowledge while conserving threatened species and landscapes.
KTK-BELT works with non-profit cooperatives called ‘Learning Grounds.’ Each Learning Ground, governed by a diverse local Board, owns its own biodiversity-rich conservation land base, which it holds in perpetuity in order to prevent ecosystem fragmentation and deforestation. Local BELT Youth Fellows, trained by KTK-BELT staff, run and administer the Learning Grounds.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
KTK-BELT is working with the Rainforest Trust to create new Conservation Areas in the eastern region of Nepal. The new Conservation Area will help expand protected areas, safeguarding endangered species on the IUCN Red List. To achieve this, KTK-BELT is building a team of project managers, thematic experts, community mobilizers, and youth fellows, to work at both the community level and at the advocacy level.