Integrated Conservation & Development


( Project BT0008 )

Asignificant percentage of Bhutan's population is located near or in protected areas, often in remote communities which have not received much development aid from the government. In their efforts to support themselves, communities around Manas have often encroached into the park, clearing land crops, cutting trees for timber, and overharvesting certain plants. In Jigme Dorji National Park, where there are numerous villages inside the park, the most pressing conservation issues are overgrazing and overharvesting of medicinal plants. To reduce pressure on these and other protected areas, WWF is helping to develop alternative sustainable income-generating activities and establish other community development efforts.

During 1993/94, socioeconomic surveys were carried out in the villages in and around Royal Manas, Black Mountains and Jigme Dorji national parks. Based on the data collected, WWF developed two pilot integrated and conservation development programmes (ICDPs) for Manas and Jigme Dorji. A long-term strategy has been developed based on these pilot activities and written into the management plans of both parks.

In Manas, WWF and the National Women's Association of Bhutan (NWAB) provided low interest loans to women in Panbang district for the purchase of agricultural tools and weaving materials (Project BT0008). The project also provided vocational training, skill oriented literacy courses, and informal adult education. Training centres were set up by NWAB to teach traditional weaving practices and promote local handicraft production. The project also helped locate markets and assure good returns for their products. Future project activities include promoting awareness of conservation issues among the communities living in and around Manas through non-formal education programmes. The Rural Credit Scheme will continue to enable households to buy agricultural tools and seeds, as will training programmes for weavers and local craftspeople to promote and improve these cottage industries. In addition, cane and bamboo nurseries will be established to reduce pressure on the park's resources and support existing cottage industries. Project staff will be trained to provide on-site monitoring and quality control, and to assist artisans with marketing and distributing their products.

In Jigme Dorji National Park, local residents participated in drafting an ICDP proposal, which was developed and submitted to the Royal Government. WWF will help implement community support programmes including forestry plantations, pasture management, alternative energy projects and income generating activities (Project BT0019).

Through these ICDPs, WWF hopes to balance the needs of the local communities and the parks. As a crucial element of the ICDPs is the participation of local people, WWF also hopes that they will draw the local people into conservation activities and replicate these projects.

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Copyright 1996, The World Wide Fund For Nature