Field Insights

Despite conservation emerging as a priority for the government of Nepal, infrastructure development has taken precedence, and each year, investments in linear infrastructure continue to rise. ALIGN collaborated with the Nepal Forum of Environmental Journalists to organize a workshop that raised awareness in the media on the importance and urgency of integrating biodiversity and ecosystem consideration into linear infrastructure development.

To address the shortage of professionals in Mongolia who can integrate biodiversity and ecosystem considerations into infrastructure projects, ALIGN partnered with the National University of Mongolia to develop courses on natural resource safeguarding in infrastructure development. Through this initiative, over 600 students have gained valuable knowledge on the importance of protecting biodiversity, fostering a new generation of professionals committed to sustainable development and conservation.

In Nepal, civil engineers have traditionally focused on construction without considering the environmental impacts, but the rapid growth of infrastructure projects is forcing a shift. ALIGN is bridging the divide between conservation and development by partnering with academic intuitions to introduce new courses.

Within the infrastructure sector, there is a shortage of skilled professionals capable of integrating natural resource safeguards into infrastructure development. ALIGN collaborated with Shushant University in India to establish an infrastructure planning course aimed at equipping future generations with a deep understanding of sustainable infrastructure development.

Apes, which include critically endangered species such as gorillas and orangutans, are particularly vulnerable to the effects of linear infrastructure (LI) development as their forest homes become further fragmented and human disturbance increases. The Center for Large Landscape Conservation (CLLC) embarked upon the A.P.E. Project (Assess. Protect. Evaluate.) to address these threats of rapidly expanding LI to three endangered species in three key great ape and gibbon habitats in Asia and Africa. The goal of A.P.E. was to increase capacity and deliver best practices, knowledge, and tools to safeguard ape and gibbon populations. The project’s final report includes reviews of relevant literature and national policies; spatial analyses of the three landscapes using satellite imagery and public data; and recommendations for ways to mitigate the harmful effects of LI. As part of the project, CLLC also hosted and recorded a webinar, during which experts share a variety of solutions and discuss needs for further research. In addition, 10 case studies were published that make up a globally diverse collection of real-world best practices, projects, and lessons that aim to provide practitioners exemplary ways of protecting apes—and other species—from LI development.