Dr. Mukesh K. Chalise awarded a 2017 Charles Southwick Conservation Education Commitment Award by the International Primatological Society (IPS)

This award, established in honor of Dr. Charles Southwick's longstanding commitment to conservation education, is intended to recognize outstanding individuals living in primate habitat countries who have made a significant contribution to formal and informal conservation education in their countries.

Dr. Mukesh K. Chalise is an internationally known and respected Primatologist and Wildlife Biologist from Nepal. He is an Associate Professor in the Central Dept. of Zoology at Tribhuvan University and President and Founder of the Nepal Biodiversity Research Society (NEBORS). He also is a Fulbright Fellow of the University of Washington, USA. It is no exaggeration to say that Dr. Chalise is at the forefront of primatology in Nepal. His outstanding career in primatology spans more than 25 years and includes seminal research, training programs, outreach education activities, and wildlife consultant to the Nepali government and national media. This dedication to science and education has earned the highest respect and recognition by his colleagues both nationally and internationally.

There are few people around the world who have played such a major role in promoting the conservation of nonhuman primates in their country and insuring future generations of primatologists to carry on this legacy. Dr. Chalise is an innovator and visionary for conservation. He understands the big picture and has an innate ability to communicate the concepts and issues both to educated scholars as well as to the local people living in the most remote villages of the high Himalayas. He has committed his life to primatology and the conservation of biodiversity. The Charles Southwick Conservation Education Commitment Award provides well-deserved recognition for Dr. Chalise’s extraordinary efforts.