Central Himalayan Institute for Nature & Applied Research
(CHINAR)
(A member of FAO Mountain Partnership of the United Nations & IUCN Nature for All)
About us
CHINAR is registered as a Trust under Trust Registration Act 1882. The organization is mainly dedicated for mountain development which include environmental sustainability, livelihoods improvement of mountain communities, conservation and promotion of culture, documentation and promotion of traditional knowledge system and research in the mountains.
The main objectives of the organizations are:
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To work for livelihood improvement of the Himalayan Communities to raise the quality and standard of living;
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To document and promote indigenous knowledge of the Himalayan communities;
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To raise awareness on environmental, cultural and social issues of Himalaya among citizens/society at large;
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To develop the capacity of Himalayan communities for ecological restoration, livelihoods and cultural improvement;
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To research and document the ecological and cultural richness of the Himalaya and work for its betterment;
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To research, develop and promote appropriate technologies for the Himalaya;
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To improve the education standard through experiential learning, new methodologies and capacity development of teacher.
Meet our Trustees and Advisory Board
Our trustees and advisory board comprises of experienced, energetic and dedicated people from different backgrounds.
Dr. Pradeep Mehta - Chairman (Honorary)
Doctorate in Forestry and Management course from Maastricht School of Management, The Netherlands, has approximately 20 years of experience of working in the Himalaya with national and international organizations. Member of IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM), Commission on Environment Communication (CEC), World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) and World Citizen Science Association. IPROMO Diploma (2017) and Summer School in Agro-biodiversity in a Changing Climate (2018) from FAO Rome. Member of Strategic Academic Advisory Board of Xavier School of Sustainability, Xaviers University, Odisha, India.
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Ghanshyam Kalki Pande - Trustee
A passionate bird lover and traveler. Masters in sociology and worked for National and International environment and development organizations. Experience in leading expeditions related to bird watching, trekking, wildlife, and citizen science teams, etc., in the Himalaya.
Experience of developing eco-tourism in Himalaya. Leads citizen science and eco-tourism projects at CHINAR. IPROMO Diploma (2019) from FAO Rome.
Ram Singh Koranga - Trustee
Masters in Sociology, has almost 17 years of experience in community development projects in Himalaya. Worked in Uttarakhand and Laddakh on different issues like agriculture, natural resource management, livelihoods, capacity development, social surveys, micro-finance, etc. Worked for national and international organizations.
Advisory Board
Dr. B.S. Bisht - Currently the Director of Birla Institute of Applied Sciences, Bhimtal (since July 2013) and also Chairman, Research Advisory Committee, CIPHET; Chairman, Governing Council of two Engineering Colleges; and Member, Finance Committee, CAU Imphal
Posts held in past: Principal Scientist, Director, All India Project Coordinator, Assistant Director General, Vice Chancellor The GB Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar; Director, IDBI Bank; Member, Governing Committees/ Boards of Central/ State Universities.
He is B.Tech., M. Tech., PGDM (MBA), Ph.D. 40 years of experience in Research & Development, teaching, and education management
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Neeraj Negi - Working at the Global Environment Facility Independent Evaluation Office (GEF IEO), Washington DC, in different capacities since 2005. Since 2012, he has been working as the Senior Evaluation Officer at the GEF IEO.holds a Master’s Degree in Public Affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, with specialization in Economics (2003-05). He also holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Forestry Management (PGDFM) from the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM) (1996-98).
Dr. S. S. Samant - Scientist "F"; Scientist In-charge at G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment and Sustainable Development, (An Autonomous Institute of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Govt. of India). Specialized in conservation and management, and has conducted research in the Indian Himalaya for more than 30 years. He is Doctor of Science and Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences (FNASc; 2010) India and Fellow of the Society of Ethnobotanists (FSE; 2010).
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Dr. Neeraj Khera (Ms.) - Team Leader, Human Wildlife Conflict at Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Biodiversity Programme Office. She leads the Human Wildlife Conflict Programme. She has expertise in capacity development and has designed and delivered training's for wide audience like forest front line staff, IFS probationers, senior IFS, media students, NGO’s and university faculty. Before GIZ she was Associate Professor at TERI University and Research Associate at NBPGR, ICAR.
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