Centre News
New appointments at ICIMOD (to August 2009)
Ms Ayushma Rana Basnyat, Ms Celeste Harris, Wetlands
External Relations and Specialist, Integrated Water and
Monitoring Collaborator, Hazard Management Programme
Strategic Planning and
Monitoring, Directorate
Ms Harris joined ICIMOD as a
Wetlands Specialist in March
Ms Basnyat was appointed 2009. Her work revolves around
External Relations and Monitoring knowledge building, conservation,
Collaborator in the Strategic and the promotion of wise use
Planning and Monitoring Section of the Directorate of wetlands in the Himalayan region. Prior to this, she
in July 2009. Before joining ICIMOD, she worked was working at the Riverine Landscapes Research
as an intern in Adopt-A-Minefi eld, a UN-affi liated Laboratory in Australia. Her past experience includes
organisation in London, where she posted articles to interdisciplinary study of wetlands and rivers for the
the organisation’s website and assist in fundraising sustainable management of natural resources, which
activities. Ms. Basnyat joined ICIMOD as an intern in resulted in papers, conference proceedings, articles,
May 2004 in the Policy and Partnership Development technical reports, and manuals. She has extensive
Programme where she created, updated, and managed experience with geographical information systems and
the ICIMOD donors’ database, and was appointed worked as a GIS offi cer and tertiary level trainer at the
Communications In-charge in the Human Resources University of Canberra. She has studied marine and
section in June 2005. She holds a Master’s degree coastal science, ultimately specialising in landscape
in International Business from Schiller International geomorphology and hydrology, and graduating with the
University, London, and a Bachelor’s degree in highest honours.
Commerce from Lady Sri Ram College in Delhi, India.
Ms Mirjam Macchi, Adaptation
Dr Bishnu Bhandari, Wetlands Specialist, Sustainable
Specialist, Integrated Water and Livelihoods and Poverty
Hazard Management Programme Reduction Programme
Dr Bishnu Bhandari joined ICIMOD Ms Macchi recently joined the
as Wetlands Specialist in August SLPR team as Climate Change
2009. His major responsibility Adaptation Specialist. Ms Macchi
will be for conservation and has wide international experience
sustainable use of the high altitude in sustainable development issues, including climate
wetlands of the Himalayan region under the Himalayan change vulnerability and adaptation; policy analysis;
Wetlands Initiative. Prior to joining ICIMOD, he worked biodiversity management; indigenous peoples; and
at IUCN Nepal as chief technical advisor in the gender. She has a Master’s degree in geography with
Wetlands Project. He brings with him more than 18 biology from the University of Berne. For her thesis,
years of experience in the fi eld of wetlands. Dr Bhandari Ms Macchi spent several months in Bolivia where she
started his career as a senior programme offi cer for investigated problems and confl icts between peasant
wetland conservation in IUCN in 1991. After eight farmers and authorities resulting from the top-down
years, he joined the Institute for Global Environmental implementation of a national park. During the past fi ve
Strategies (IGES, Japan) where he was responsible for years she has worked with several institutions active in
managing activities on environmental education, forests, the fi eld of international cooperation including FAO in
and wetlands in Asia Pacifi c. He also worked at Pusan Rome, Italy; IUCN in Gland, Switzerland; the Centre
National University, South Korea as a visiting scholar for Mountain Studies in Perth, Scotland; and Helvetas in
where he was engaged in teaching, action research, Zurich, Switzerland. Ms. Macchi is a JPO funded by the
and guiding postdoctoral students on wetlands. He is the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
founder of Nepal Wetlands Society and has contributed
to bringing stakeholders and partners together for the
cause of wetlands and associated resources.
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