Fire Fellowship Strengthens Australia–Nepal Ties
Photo credit: DFAT
About AHF’s Fire Fellowship
The Australian Himalayan Foundation is strengthening ties between Australia and Nepal. In October 2025, we hosted 15 Nepali fire management professionals through an Australia Awards Fellowship.
With more than 4,500 forest fires recorded in Nepal in 2024 alone, the Fellowship funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and delivered in partnership with leading Australian fire agencies and UNSW helped to build vital skills in fire prevention and response.
"Australia has a long history in managing large-scale and complex bushfires. By sharing some of this knowledge with Nepal, we can work together to address this mutual and growing challenge, helping remote communities prepare, respond and recover more effectively while building resilience and saving lives," said AHF CEO Andrew Judge.
Photo credit: DEECA Loddon Mallee
Over the course of the program, the Fellows took part in hands-on firefighting training, learned about forest fuel management, community-led fire preparedness and Australia’s advanced fire incident management systems, with guidance from UNSW Bushfire, Forest Fire Management Victoria, Country Fire Authority, NSW Rural Fire Service, Gender and Disaster Australia and Romsey Neighbourhood House. They also met with First Nations experts to learn about cultural burning practices and explore how these approaches could inform fire management in Nepal.
By bringing together Australian fire experts, researchers and Nepali professionals, this Fellowship aims to create lasting networks and knowledge that will help strengthen Nepal’s capacity to prevent and respond to wildfires, building resilience across communities in the Himalaya.
"This Fellowship has helped lay the groundwork for a more coordinated and evidence-based approach to fire management in Nepal. We’ve seen the Fellows recognise that effective fire management relies on research, planning, strong community engagement and standardised training. We’re now planning a follow-up component in Nepal in February to support the fellows in applying their learning and strengthening these approaches on the ground,” shares Alina Clark, AHF Program Manager.
Photo credit: DFAT
AHF’s Fire Fellowship featured on SBS World News
The Fellowship gained national attention when SBS World News visited a training session in Macedon, Victoria, to film interviews and classroom and field activities. The three-minute segment showcased how this vital exchange is building knowledge and will ultimately help save lives across the Himalaya.
“There are so many lessons and practices from Australia that we can adapt and replicate in Nepal,” said Fellow Reena Chaudhary, Environment Inspector, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.
“It’s important for Forest Fire Management Victoria because it’s an opportunity for us to share our knowledge and experiences, but also to get from the Nepali Fellows their experiences and their stories,” said Vince Cafari, Workcentre Operations Coordinator at Forest Fire Management Victoria.
Visit from Minister for International Development, Dr Anne Aly
The Honourable Dr Anne Aly, Minister for International Development, and her Policy Advisor, Mustafa Agha, also visited the Australian Himalayan Foundation’s office to meet with the Fire Fellows.
“Australia has a lot of skills and a lot of knowledge to help development in other countries, and this is a perfect example, through the Australian Himalayan Foundation, of just how much we can do in developing and supporting other countries, in this case, around fire management,” said Minister Aly.
Minister Aly congratulated the Fellows on their dedication to the program and spoke about the importance of international collaboration in addressing the growing threat of wildfires.
“We know that this is an issue that is globally one of our greatest challenges, particularly in our region,” she said.
Photo credit: DFAT
She encouraged the participants to share their learnings when they return to Nepal and took time to speak with each Fellow individually about their experiences and highlights from the Fellowship.
“Through this program, we learned about Australia’s approach to fire management and found it to be very well planned and strongly connected to science. I’ve learned so many valuable things,” Fellow Ranita Baral, Divisional Forest Officer, Kavreplanchok Ministry of Bagmati Province shared with Minister Aly.
The visit brought together Fellows, AHF team members and Australian fire specialists. Minister Aly’s warmth, insight and enthusiasm made it a truly special afternoon celebrating the power of shared learning and partnership.
“They’re going to go back to Nepal and take all of these learnings and all of this knowledge. This is the stuff that builds bridges between countries,” Minister Aly concluded.
Protecting the Himalaya together
The Australian Himalayan Foundation is increasingly focused on addressing the impacts of climate change in the Himalayan region. As an organisation we are evolving to meet these urgent environmental challenges, recognising both the opportunity and the responsibility to unite people and organisations in confronting this shared and escalating threat. This Fire Fellowship and our pilot project in forest fire prevention and management in Nepal are doing exactly that.
In partnership with ForestAction Nepal, we are supporting community-led forest fire management in high-altitude regions of Nepal. The project works across four community forests in Bagmati Province, training community members, forest user groups and government officials in fire behaviour, safety and response. Together communities are developing local fire management plans, running fire drills and improving preparedness through access to protective equipment, tools and water sources. By strengthening local capacity and reducing human-caused fires, the project helps protect lives, livelihoods and biodiversity in the Himalaya from the growing threat of forest fires.
