Ramesh Timilsina is a Senior Associate specialising in Rangeland Restoration and Management at ICIMOD, a role he assumed in September 2024 after joining as a Research Associate in August 2023. He focuses on mapping the climatic and socio-economic transformation of high-altitude rangelands and the associated pastoralism of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region, contributing to restoring and managing high-altitude rangelands and wetlands in the HKH region for multiple social and ecosystem benefits.

With a strong background in sustainable forest management, Ramesh has worked extensively with community forests and engaged with both local and national stakeholders to promote and expand sustainable practices. Prior to joining ICIMOD, he served for five years as a Program Officer with the Federation of Community Forestry Users Nepal (FECOFUN), where he provided technical support for biodiversity and climate initiatives within the USAID-funded Hariyo Ban Program. He later advanced to the role of Program Manager, leading stakeholder and community capacity-building efforts on REDD+.

Among his key accomplishments, Ramesh played a vital role in scaling up forest fire insurance to over 20,000 community forests across Nepal and pioneered the concept of Model Community Forests. His published work includes a South Asia-wide study of the important tree species Pterocarpus and an analysis of REDD+. He has represented various organisations at national and regional conferences, as well as international forums such as CoP27. A committed youth leader, Ramesh has also contributed to organisations like Rotaract and the U.S. Embassy Youth Council.

Ramesh holds an undergraduate degree in Forestry and a graduate degree in Biodiversity and Wildlife Management from the Institute of Forestry, Tribhuvan University.