Astha Poudel

Ms. Astha Poudel is a Master’s student in Botany (Ecology) at Amrit Campus, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu. For her master’s thesis, she is researching the diversity of mistletoe species and their associated insect communities in the Panchase Protected Forest of the Central Himalayas, Nepal. Her work examines mistletoe species distribution across elevations, their host plant relationships, and the structure of insect assemblages linked to mistletoe parasitism.

She is co-supervised by Prof. Mohan Devkota, a leading expert in mistletoes and Dr. Prayan Pokharel of the Center for Environmental and Sustainable Agricultural Research (CESAR), whose expertise bridges insect ecology and plant–insect interactions. Together, they guide her interdisciplinary study of mistletoe-driven ecological networks.

Astha completed her Bachelor’s degree in General Biology at Prithvi Narayan Campus, Tribhuvan University, Pokhara. Her bachelor’s thesis focused on documenting ethnomedicinal plant use in Fainchowk, Rupa Rural Municipality, Kaski, expanding local knowledge on traditional botanical practices.

During her master’s program, she has developed strong field and ecological research skills. She conducted non-vascular plant surveys along the Daman–Hetauda and Hetauda–Chitlang transects and performed vegetation analyses in Sindhupalchowk and Dolakha districts. These experiences strengthened her expertise in plant diversity assessment, ecological sampling, and Himalayan vegetation studies.

Astha’s research interests center on Himalayan plant ecology, parasitic plants, and species interaction networks. Her ongoing thesis bridges botany and entomology to provide new insights into how mistletoe diversity shapes insect communities in mountain forest ecosystems.