Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge is part of the local community and provides a range of support through its Community Support Partnership. Our focus is on education, environment and health issues.

Since the Lodge’s inception the company, staff and guests have supported various projects including financing for local schools, health posts, community forestry projects, a forest nursery, school teachers and forest rangers.

Amar Jyoti Secondary School – our key project

Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge and our guests’ donations have supported the re-building of the lower secondary (up to Class 8) school block providing facilities beyond that available from the local government education budget. Improved desks, well rendered classrooms and electricity have all been provided as part of this project.

The school committee has worked closely with the wider community and is now raising funds to enable to school to operate up to Class 10 – School Leaving Certificate, the equivalent of UK GCSE. They have already raised some Rs.700,000 to cover costs of deposits with the Local Education Office and starting a fund to pay for additional teachers.

Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge continues to support this excellent community-lead project and has raised over US$25,000 to date towards the costs of more classrooms and infrastructure. As a result the children can complete their main schooling in the community and not have to travel to Pokhara and other towns for their last two years of school. This will also encourage higher enrolment of girl pupils up to Class 10

We are thrilled that a major tour operator’s charitable trust has pledged to cover the construction and finishing costs for the additional class rooms and expanded toilet facilities. A branch of the Rotary Clubs International is also supporting this project.

We will now be seeking further funding for a science laboratory and may be considering further support for the construction of improved facilities for the Primary School.

Rakhi Shillinge Forest Ranger Tiger Mountain Pokhara lodge and ITNC provide wages for a community forest ranger to monitor and protect the community forest.

Shiva Shakti Gaun Pharka School

Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge guests donations support the wages for an additional teacher beyond the level provided by government budget thus improving teacher / pupil ratios at this local primary school.

Just US$85 (£55) a month pays for a primary school teacher. There is a vital need to ensure class sizes are sensible at primary school if children are to be well grounded in the “Three Rs” – reading, writing and arithmetic.

This is an ongoing commitment Tiger Mountain has made to invest in the best possible local primary education for the community. We look to you all to support us in this worthy cause.

In common with other elements of the Tiger Mountain Group, the guides at Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge undertake a range of basic research and monitoring works to provide important baseline data for conservation.

The International Trust for Nature Conservation (UK Registered Charity No.281101)

Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge provides logistic and management support for the International Trust for Nature Conservation’s Shillinge Project that operates in the vicinity of the Lodge. This project aims at a novel integration of non-timber forest product development with longer term community forestry management practices.

For more details visit ITNC web page [ www.itnc.org]

Weather Monitoring

Staff have recorded the basic weather data since 2004. Daily readings at 0845 and 1745 Nepal standard time log the maximum, minimum and actual temperature, barometric pressure and relative humidity. This is recorded in the format required by the Department of Meteorology of the government.

View Weather Data [weather data]

Waterfowl Monitoring

Birdlife International (formerly the Asian Wetlands Bureau) have been monitoring waterfowl throughout Asia for many years. Building on the monitoring systems started at Tiger Tops, guides at Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge have been conducting a census of the various lakes in the Pokhara Valley since 2005. This data is sent to Bird Conservation Nepal and thence to Birdlife International.

View Waterfowl Data :

[ waterfowl database -2010]

[ waterfowl database -2009]

[ waterfowl database -2008]

[ waterfowl database -2007]

[ waterfowl database -2006]

[ waterfowl database -2005]

[ waterfowl database -2004]

Butterfly Monitoring:

Butterflies are a convenient indicator of bio-diversity. The guides monitor all new species identified within the Lodge compound and take monthly counts of species sighted. These are logged in a database and available for researchers, conservationists and others. Colin Smith, perhaps the leading expert on Nepal’s butterflies, lives part of the year in the village and has helped with training, advice and identification of species.

View Butterfly Data [ butterfly data]

How you can help

Contact Marcus Cotton on tmpkr@tigermountain.com to discuss how you can become part of our Community Support Partnership.