KATHMANDU, June 30: Sonam Lama Hyolmo, a Nepali environment journalist based in Kathmandu and Helambu and staff writer for the global conservation news site Mongabay.com, has been selected as one of the five winners of this year’s Developing Asia Journalism Awards (DAJA). Her winning entry, “Indigenous Gurung farmers revive climate-resilient millet in Nepal,” published by Mongabay, highlights the efforts of Indigenous Gurung farmers in central Nepal to revive a drought-resilient millet amid changing climatic conditions.

Hosted by the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), DAJA recognizes outstanding journalism that accurately reports on global efforts advancing sustainable development amidst escalating climate risks. Selected from over 160 entries across Asia and the Pacific, the winning journalists’ articles shed light on the diverse impacts of climate change on people’s lives and livelihoods.

Sonam Lama Hyolmo covers topics at the intersection of environment, indigenous rights, climate science, and conservation. She is a member of the Indigenous Journalists Association (IJA) and represents the Himalayan Indigenous community of Hyolmo in Nepal. Previously a reporting fellow with the Nepal Investigative Multimedia Journalism Network, she has contributed articles to local and national media outlets including Indigenous Voice, OnlineKhabar, Nepali Times, and Republica.

She will be honored at an award ceremony in Tokyo on July 8th, where she and the other awardees will discuss how journalism and research can collaborate to inform climate risks, adaptation, and mitigation efforts with ADBI staff, DAJA judges, and the advisory panel.

Sonam Lama Hyolmo also recently received a 2024 Indigenous Media Award in the Best International Indigenous Coverage category for her feature “Traditional healers push for recognition and licensing of age-old Himalayan practice.”

Mongabay.com, an award-winning nonprofit environmental news platform with bureaus worldwide, publishes original daily reporting in six languages, reaching 5 million monthly readers.