Kathmandu- Tree of the Year Nepal is affiliated to the Asian Tree of the Year. It is a continent-wide competition with a focus on starting a conversation amongst citizens on the importance of protecting trees and the importance to preserving Asian biodiversity. This competition helps enlighten us with the information about the different types, status and steps needed to be taken for the conservation of trees. 

The closing ceremony of the Tree of the Year Nepal was held on 26th march, 2023 at Square Hotel, Sanepa. The event started with the registration of all the guests. We were graced by the presence of many prominent figures such as our chief guest, The event was graced by prominent figures such as Ms. Nirmala Thapa, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Forest and Environment (MoFE), Mr. Aanand Mishra, Founder and President of CREASION, Ms. Nilu Basnyat, Country Focal Lead for Nepal, for DAI, Mr. Bisam Gyawali, UNV country coordinator, and Mr. Ramakanta Sharma, General Secretary, for National Youth Council. Our three judges, Dr. Sangeeta Rajbhandari (Professor, Department of Botany, TU), Mr. Chungba Sherpa (Wildlife Photographer) and Mr. Ranjit Acharya (CEO, Prisma Advertising), along with influencers and celebrities, Ms. Shilpa Maskey (actor), Ms. Sophiya Bhujel (Ms. Universe Nepal 2022) and Ms. Meera Kaskshapati (Ms. Nepal International 2019).  

The event started off with opening remarks by Ms. Sujata Koirala, the General Secretary of CREASION, where she welcomed the guests and provided thoughts on the importance of this event. The opening remarks was followed by a speech by one of our judges, Dr. Sangeeta Rajbhandary, as she spoke about the importance of Biodiversity and the need for increased awareness among people. She mentioned the context of biodiversity and mentions the country “ranks 39 in world context and 12 in Asia” in “terms of biologoical diversity”. Furthermore, Dr. Rajbhandary shone some light on the program initiated by the Nepal government regarding the conservation of forests, known as the ‘Community Forest Program’ in 1978, which focuses on preserving the forest land in the country. “Biodiversity is constantly depleting, and population growth is one of the reason for behind destruction of vegetation”. Dr. Rajbhandary appreciated CREASION’s effort towards conserving trees, indirectly. “The organization is trying to create awareness of trees and biodiversity through story-telling and photography”.  

 

After that, another one of our judges, Mr. Chungba Sherpa, gave insightful remarks on the role of photography for conservation of nature/trees. Mr. Sherpa mentioned his journey a wildlife photographer, bringing his concerns towards conserving trees and the amount of forest land in the country. Furthermore, he considered the importance of photography, along with the hope of making the industry grow.  

Mr. Tika Bhattarai, Deputy CBO highlighted the importance of such events and termed “Tree of the Year Nepal” to be something new and appreciated. He mentioned a quote by Stephen Hawkings, “the earth would turn into a giant ball of fire by 2600 and humans would need to colonize another planet or face extinction”, and connected it to tree plantation being the only way out.  

Mr. Ranjit Acharya, one of our judges and the CEO of Prisma advertising also spoke about his judging experience and explained about the criteria of the event. He stressed on making this competition a nationwide, large scale event, with the major goal of tree conservation. “रुख रोप्ने मात्र एस्तो एउटा काम हो कि आफ्नो लागि नभएर आफु पछिकोलागि रोप्ने हो।” He termed the stories to be “brilliant” and loved the photographs along with the enthusiasm of the participants. “We don’t need AC to breathe, we need trees”. After that, finally the moment everyone had been waiting for arrived. The judges announced the three winners and handed them with their certificates and cash prize. The second runner up was won by Shreyashi Bista. The first runner up was won by Nawaraj Pandey and the title of The Tree of the Year Nepal 2022 was won by Ms. Asmita Sigdel. 

The Closing Remarks were given by Mr. Aanand Mishra, Founder and President of CREASION, where he talked about his journey of starting Tree of the Year in Nepal, which was a reuslt of an impromptu discussion with his friends. Mr. Mishra mentioned the effects of climate change, and how planting trees could mitigate them.  

Our judging panel consisted of our esteemed judges who have a great eye for photography and stories joined us for the 6th Tree of the Year Nepal event. The list of judges are as follows:  

 

1. Dr. Sangeeta Rajbhandary- Professor, Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University
2. Mr. Ranjit Acharya- CEO of Prisma Advertising, Motivational Speaker, Writer, Poet and Lyricist 
3. Mr. Chugba Sherpa- Wildlife Photographer

The 2022 Tree of the Year Nepal was partnered with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) powered by Machhapuchhre Bank with our Printing Partner Photo Concern and Outreach Partner, United Nations Volunteers; International Organizers: Environmental Partnership and Asian Tree of the Year, Supported by The Carbon Consulting Company.