Two Nepalis have been honored with the prestigious Finnish award of Knight First Class, the Order of Lion of Finland in recognition of their contribution towards promoting biodiversity conservation in Nepal. Chandra Gurung (right) and Mohan Man Sainju (left) received the award on 17 May. Founded in 1942, the Order of the Lion of Finland has been awarded to a large number of foreign diplomats and top industrialists around the world. Nepal is one of the few South Asian countries to receive the honor.

This is such a great honor and inspires us to do more, says conservationist Chandra Gurung, the architect of the worldclass conservation project Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP). The country representative of the World Wildlife Fund for Nature Conservation (WWF) Nepal, Gurung also worked at the King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation.

Economist Mohan Man Sainju heads the Institute for Integrated Development Studies (IIDS) a national think tank. A former Royal Nepali Ambassador to the US and Canada, Sainju was also the vice chairperson of the National Planning Commission, Nepal.