Uttam Babu Shrestha is a Vice-Chancellor’s Research Fellow at the Institute for Agriculture and the Environment, University of Southern Queensland, Australia. He has completed PhD in Environmental Science from the University of Massachusetts Boston, USA and has two masters’ degrees, one in Geographic Information Technology from Northeastern University, USA and the other in Botany from Tribhuvan University, Nepal. Dr. Shrestha worked at Harvard University, University of Massachusetts Boston, University of Maine, and Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), USA and Technical University of Munich, Germany.
He is a recipient of Outstanding Graduate Student Award for his PhD at University of Massachusetts Boston in 2014 and the Graduate Academic Excellence Award for his Master’s degree at Northeastern University in 2008. He has received several research grants including National Geographic Society’s Conservation Trust Grant. He has published 25 peer-reviewed papers, one book, and several articles in popular press. His research was also featured in the Journal Nature and covered by several international and national media outlets. His research interests are climate change and its impact on ecosystems and species, biodiversity conservation, and human use of natural resources. He has been recently elected as a member of global young academy— a global organization of young scientists around the world.
PUBLICATIONS
Books
[B.1] Shrestha UB & Shrestha S. 2004. Major Non timber Forest Products of Nepal. Bhundipuran Publication, Kathmandu, Nepal pp 411
Peer reviewed journal articles
[J.1] Bhandari P, KC M, Shrestha S, Aryal A, Shrestha UB. 2015. Assessments of ecosystem service indicators and stakeholder’s willingness to pay for selected ecosystem services in the Chure region of Nepal. Applied Geography DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2016.02.003
[J.2] Aryal A, Panthi S, Dhakal M, Yadav BP, Shrestha UB, Bencini R, Rabuenheimer D, Ji W. 2015. Is trophy hunting of bharal ‘blue sheep’ and Himalayan tahr contributing for their conservation in Nepal? Hystrix the Italian Journal of Mammalogy 26(2)
[J.3] Shrestha UB, Shrestha S, Aryal A. 2015. Disaster response: Volunteers, unite. Science 349(6249): 699–700
[J.4] Aryal A. Ji W, Shrestha UB, Bencini R, Raubenheimer D. 2015. Factor people into tiger conservation. Nature 522: 287
[J.5] Shrestha UB & Bawa KS. 2014. Harvesters’ perceptions of population status and conservation of Chinese caterpillar fungus in the Dolpa region of Nepal. Regional Environmental Change DOI 10.1007/s10113-014-0732-7
[J.6] Shrestha UB & Bawa KS. 2014. Impact of climate change on potential distribution of Chinese caterpillar fungus (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) in Nepal Himalaya. PLoS ONE DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0106405
[J.7] Shrestha UB, Shrestha S, Ghimire SR, Nepali K, Shrestha BB. 2014. Chasing Chinese caterpillar fungus (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) harvesters in the Himalayas: Indigenous harvesting practice and its conservation implications in Western Nepal. Society and Natural Resources DOI: 10.1080/08941920.2014.928394
[J.8] Shrestha UB & Bawa KS. 2014. Economic contribution of Chinese caterpillar fungus to the livelihoods of mountain communities in Nepal. Biological Conservation 177: 194–202.
[J.9] Paudel PK, Shrestha UB, Ameixa OMCC, Bontzorlos V 2014. The new journal for conservationists worldwide Conservation Science 1(1): 53–54 (editorial)
[J.10] Thapa BB, Panthi S, Rai R, Shrestha UB, Aryal A, Shrestha S, Shrestha B. 2013. An Assessment of Yarsagumba (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) collection in Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve, Nepal. Journal of Mountain Science 11(2): 555–562
[J.11] Shrestha UB & Bawa KS. 2013. Dimensions of caterpillar fungus (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) decline—a response to Stewart et al. Biological Conservation 167: 448–449
[J.12] Aryal A, Brunton D, Pandit R, Ji W, Lama N, Shrestha UB, Raubenheimer D. 2013. Rangelands and Society: Status, rights, conflicts and traditional conflict management strategies in upper Mustang region, Nepal. Mountain Research and Development 33(1):11–18
[J.13] Shrestha UB & Bawa KS. 2013. Trade, harvest, and conservation of caterpillar fungus (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) in the Himalayas. Biological Conservation 159: 514–520
[J.14] Shrestha UB, Gautam S, Bawa KS. 2012. Widespread climate change in the Himalayas and associated changes in local ecosystems. PLoS ONE 7(5): e36741
[J.15] Shrestha UB. 2012. Science in Nepal Needs Neighborly Aid. Science 335: 1439–1440
[J.16] Shrestha UB. 2012. Asian Medicine: A fungus in decline. Nature 482: 35
[J.17] Uprety Y, Poudel RC, Shrestha KK, Rajbhandary S, Tiwari NN, Shrestha UB, Asselin H. 2012. Diversity of use and local knowledge of wild edible plant resources in Nepal. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 8(1): 16
[J.18] Shrestha BB, Thapa-Magar KB, Paudel A, Shrestha UB. 2011. Beetle on the battle: Defoliation of Parthenium hysterophorus by Zygogramma bicolorata in Kathmandu valley, Nepal. Botanica Orientalis 8: 100–104
[J.19] Shrestha UB, Shrestha S, Chaudhary P, Chaudhary RP. 2010. How representative is the protected areas system of Nepal? A gap analysis based on geophysical and biological features. Mountain Research and Development 30(3): 282–294
[J.20] Shrestha UB, Shrestha BB, Shrestha S. 2010. Biodiversity conservation in community forests of Nepal: Rhetoric and reality. International Journal of Biodiversity and Conservation 2(5): 98–104
[J.21] Gandhi KN & Shrestha UB. 2008. Iseilema hackelii, a new name for I. laxum Hack. 1889 (Poaceae). Harvard Papers in Botany 13(2): 295–296
[J.22] Shrestha BB, Duwadee NP, Uprety Y, Shrestha UB. 2005. Regeneration of Quercus semecarpifolia Sm. in Shivapuri hill, Kathmandu, Central Nepal. Banko Jankari 14(2): 25–29
[J.23] Shrestha UB. 2003. Cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs): A tool for biodiversity conservation. Botanica Orientalis 3(1): 52–56
Under review
[J.24] Poudyal S, Shrestha UB, Kumar L, Sharma K. 2015 Land use changes: A result of urbanization and Government interventions in a small-scale peripheral catchment, Kathmandu, Nepal (Under review)
[J.25] Aryal A, Su J, Shrestha UB, Coogan SCP, Sathyakumar S, Dalannast M, Meng X, Dou Z, Suoyila, Dabuxilite, Fu H, Wuliji, Ji W. 2015. Decreasing brown bear habitat due to climate change in Central Asia and the Asian Highlands (Under review)
[J.26] Aryal A, Shrestha UB, Ji W, Ale S, Shrestha S, Ingty T, Maraseni T, Cockfield G, Raubenheimer D. 2015. Predicting the distributions of predator (snow leopard) and prey (blue sheep) under climate change in the Himalaya (Under review)
[J.27] Shrestha S, Shrestha UB, Bawa KS. 2015. Economic Contribution of REDD+ Payments to the Economy of Rural Households in Nepal (Under review)
[J.28] Uprety Y, Shrestha UB, Rokaya MB, Shrestha S, Thakali A, Chaudhary RP. 2015. Climate and the Community: Perceptions of the highland communities to climate change in Nepal Himalaya (Under review)
[J.29] Limin H, Jianwei Z, Aryal A, Shrestha UB, Yanshan Z, Bin C, Li L, Guizheng W. 2015. Habitat use of the grassland pest plateau Zokor (Eospalax fontanierii) in the northern Qilian Mountain in China (Under review)
POPULAR ARTICLES (Selected 10)
[P.1] Shrestha UB. An account of the Himalayan Viagra, Nepal Magazine, July 26, 2015
[P.2] Shrestha UB. Selling Data? Nagarik National Daily September 7, 2014
[P.3] Shrestha UB. Vulnerabilities of Big Dams in the Himalayas. Nagarik National Daily August 5, 2014
[P.4] Shrestha UB. Management of Yarsagumba (Caterpillar fungus) Conflict. Nagarik National Daily June 26, 2014
[P.5] Shrestha UB. Following Biological Gold. Nagarik National Daily July 13, 2013
[P.6] Shrestha UB. Collaboration with China and India for Saving the Environment, Nagarik National Daily November 2, 2009
[P.7] Shrestha UB. Nepalese Scientists in Abroad, Nagarik National Daily February 16, 2010
[P.8] Shrestha UB. Nepal’s Representation in Cancun, Nagarik National Daily November 28, 2009
[P.9] Shrestha UB. Saving Himalayas, Nagarik National Daily November 15, 2009
[P.10] Shrestha UB. Recognizing Our Knowledge, Nagarik National Daily October 26, 2009
