Biodiversity and Conservation in Bhutan

Biodiversity and Conservation in Bhutan

2nd South Asia Judicial Roundtable on Environmental Justice, Taj Tashi , Thimphu, Bhutan30-31 August 2013

Brief on Bhutan’s conservation historyStarted as early as 1960s; RMNP in 1966; PAs (early 90s), PAS with BC in the late nineties.

Currently PAS includes 10 parks connected by BCs- 51.32% ; comprehensive in the world due to biological and ecosystem representation.

70.46 percent of the total area under forest cover. Conservation areas- Phobjikha, Dochula etc

Brief on Bhutan’s conservation history

Biodiversity – within one of the global biodiversity hotspots- Eastern Himalaya hotspot.5603 species of vascular plants, 400 ferns, 200

mammals and about 700 birds. 105 endemic plant species , globally threatened species including 27 mammals and 18 birds.

Brief on Bhutan’s conservation historyEnabling factors- Leadership; GNH philosophy; Constitution, religion (existence in harmony with nature, e.g keeping lakes clean, not scaling mountains, sacred sites, cultural practices like “la dam” and “ri- dam”, guardian deities etc)

Policy and Legal Framework

Policy and Legal Framework1. Constitutional requirement - minimum forest cover of

60 percent for perpetuity.

2. State ownership- Article 1 Section 12 on the Environment states “the rights over mineral resources, rivers, lakes and forests shall vest in the State and are the properties of the State, which shall be regulated by law”.

3. GNH philosophy- Environmental conservation pillar

Policy and Legal Framework4. Forest Act– oldest piece of legislation

(1969) FNCA (1995); “thrimzhung chenmo” -provided certain legal provisions to protect the environment; Biodiversity Act of Bhutan 2003, National Forest Policy (1974, 2010), Biodiversity Action Plan (2009, 2002, 1998), NEPA (2007), National Environment Strategy for Bhutan 1998 , Vision 2020

5. Party to CBD (Nagoya, Cartagena protocol), UNFCCC, UNCCD, ITPGRFA, Ramsar Convention, CITES, IUCN

Issues impacting conservation and maintenance of natural resources and biodiversity

1.Balancing conservation and development

2.Meeting constitutional mandate of 60 % forest cover.

3.Forest fire- usually man-made- habitat degradation and also loss of species.

4.Human wildlife conflict (retaliatory killing; negative perception towards conservation)

5. Agro-biodiversity- rural- urban migration, loss of diversity, more vulnerable to impact such as from CC

6. Poaching (of high valuable medicinal plants and animal parts, eg. Musk deer )

7. Adapting to new and emerging issues like climate change- impacts of climate change uncertain and adaptation by biodiversity is a long term event.

8. High demand for timber and fuel wood–construction (inadequate/ no alternative), still high per capita fuel wood consumption)

9. Strong in conservation but weak in sustainable utilization and generating income out of the rich resources.

10. People-centric conservation- shifting conservation responsibilities from state to community (CFs, BP)

11. Biological diversity understudied (lack of expertise and resources= paucity of data and knowledge = impedes policy advice, decisions; lack of justification to support conservation actions.

How are these problems addressed?

1. Leadership (Environmental conservation) and policy support

2. Other initiatives: HWC endowment fund, insurance, BABS Fund, decentralization of forest to communities, community groups for NWFP.

3. Institutional strengthening and capacity development- different agencies with clear mandates- DoFPS- in situ conservation of wild biodiversity and management of forest resources, NBC- ex-situ of wild flora and both in and ex situ of domestic biodiversity, sustainable use promotion through bioprospecting, knowledge/info. bank- e.g. Herbarium, civil society- RSPN, funding- BTFEC. However coordination weak.

4. Specific/targeted conservation – e.g Tiger, black necked crane, white bellied heron.

5. Party to international conventions and regional initiatives like landscape conservation/transboundary cooperation initiative- Kanchenjunga Landscape

6. Advocacy and awareness raising programs

7. Sustained financing for conservation and

sustainable utilisation

What are the challenges that we face on the way ?

1. Inadequate Funding

2. Inadequate human resources in terms of both number and expertise.

3. Not able to generate tangible benefits from conservation, lack of valuation of ecosystem services (good air quality or serene landscape)

1. 4. Balance between Conservation and genuine need for development ; eg LU change for urbanization, infrastructure etc

2. 5. Difficult terrain – to manage forest fire, patrolling etc

Thank you for your kind attention!