Management of Royal Manas National Park
( Project BT0010 )
oyal Manas National Park is the oldest protected area in Bhutan, having been declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1966, and upgraded to a national park in 1988. Encompassing an area of 1,023km2,
Manas is located at the foothills of the Himalaya on the Indo-Bhutan border. Adjacent to the Manas Tiger Reserve in India, and linked with the Black Mountains National Park to the north, Royal Manas National Park is part of an extremely rich protected ar
ea complex, with habitats ranging from open savannah woodlands and deciduous subtropical forest to permanent ice on the high mountain peaks. With populations of wild buffalo, tiger, leopard, guar, bear, several species of deer, elephant, and the endemic
golden langur, Manas contains more significant fauna species than any other area in the country. Many of these species are threatened with extinction elsewhere in the Himalayas.
With WWF support, the Forestry Services Division (FSD) has established basic park infrastructure -- guard posts, staff quarters, a guest house, patrol trails, watch towers and water holes, and has provided field equipment including boats and vehicles.
WWF and FSD initiated intensive biological and socioeconomic assessments of Manas and adjacent areas to compile an inventory of flora and fauna. Boundaries were also demarcated and buffer zones established. Data collected was input into GIS (geographica
l information systems), and working maps of Manas were produced for management planning. Throughout 1994, WWF and FSD jointly developed a five-year operational management plan for the park. This is the country's first management plan for a protected are
a, and will serve as a model for Bhutan's other protected areas. The plan includes guidelines on boundary demarcation, zoning, infrastructure development, staff training, ecological restoration work and bufferzone/community development.
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