“In Nepal, in the remote mountains, everyone grows up in nature,” says Rinzin Phunjok Lama, a Nepalese conservationist and Rolex Award for Enterprise laureate. “It’s very isolated and the only thing they have to enjoy is the vast wilderness.”

In Humla, the rugged mountain province where Lama grew up, many locals also observe a combination of Tibetan Buddhism and traditional shamanism, both of which emphasize living in balance with the natural world. “The Buddhist philosophy is basically about non-violence, co-existence, and respect for life,” he explains. “Every life matters and all life is sacred.”

Humla is one of the most remote and sparsely populated corners of Nepal, home to ancient monasteries and 6,000-metre mountain peaks, where Tibetan yaks and endangered snow leopards roam the rock-strewn slopes.

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It’s also home to communities of villagers who eke out a living from livestock herding and subsistence agriculture as they have for hundreds of years. Despite their reverence for the natural world, the harshness of the environment, and a lack of basic infrastructure in Humla have forced these villagers to overexploit local resources to survive.

Lama grew up exploring the mountains and forests of this secluded corner of the Himalayas. After observing its ecosystem straining under the weight of overexploitation, poaching, and illegal logging, he became focused on finding a way to protect it.

With the help of local communities and funding from Rolex, Lama is working to preserve Humla’s wild places for future generations.

“People in Humla don’t think about conservation because they are so concerned with making a basic livelihood for themselves. When I was a kid there used to be a community forest close to town, and I would go there to collect fuel. Now, there is no forest there, it’s all gone.”

As one of very few conservationists working in the Humla region, Lama has taken it upon himself to help his community realize the importance of their impact on the landscape, both for their own prosperity and that of future generations. With his combination of local knowledge and his adaptation to the region’s high altitude and challenging terrain, Lama is uniquely suited to the task.

Since 2013, Lama has pioneered several innovative conservation initiatives, many of which aim to empower Humla’s local people as stewards of their homeland. By emphasizing community-based leadership, his programs have given locals the skills, tools, and authority to take charge of their own futures, from fending off poachers and illegal loggers, to launching eco-tourism outfitters and other sustainable businesses.

Among the many initiatives Lama has introduced, he says, some of the most successful are those involving Humla’s young people. “The conservation sector is not very well developed in Nepal, but it’s very glamorous to the youth.”

From photographing and counting wildlife in the field, to writing blogs about Humla’s unique ecosystem, Lama is pleased to see the next generation taking to conservation with such zeal. “It is an opportunity for us to improve their knowledge, to train them, and to help them understand the depth of the work.”

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Receiving a Rolex Award for Enterprise in 2021 provided a major boost for these programs, both in terms of funding and global visibility.

“The Rolex award is the biggest breakthrough we have had,” Lama says. “It has given global recognition to our community effort, and a global endorsement of our work.” Created more than four decades ago, the Rolex Awards for Enterprise are dedicated to supporting individuals such as Lama who are working to advance human knowledge, improve lives, and protect the environment.

In addition to funding his programs for several years, the award enabled Lama and his team to expand the scale of their initiatives, take on more community partners, and work more closely with local governments and municipalities. “All of this was possible thanks to the funding and recognition from Rolex,” he says.

Lama has started to see an impact, both at home and abroad, with his work increasingly in the spotlight. In addition to attracting new supporters around the globe, Lama and his team are seeing something even more crucial in Humla: a growing awareness of the value of its unique ecosystem, and a desire to protect it for future generations.

“Now, if someone sees a new bird or another kind of new wildlife, we get a call. This is very rewarding and this is what makes us realize we are on the right path.

Advertising feature produced by Globe Content Studio with Rolex. The Globe’s editorial department was not involved.