A rapid assessment of the management effectiveness of Bhutan's protected area system

This report presents the findings of an assessment of Bhutan's protected area management effectiveness, conducted in April, 13 002. It is intended to be a supplement to, and not a replacement of, an initial assessment conducted by the Nature Conservation Division of Bhutan (NCD). This assessment only covers four protected areas: Thrumsingla National Park (TNP), Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park (JSW), Jigme Dorji National Park (JDNP) and Bomdeling Wildlife Sanctuary (BWS). Four additional parks are not fully operational, and one park, Royal Manas National Park, is under severe political pressure. The assessment was based on the World Wildlife Fund for Nature - WWF's Rapid Assessment and Prioritization Methodology. Major threats include grazing and road construction; moderate threats include poaching and collection of non-timber forest products (NTFPs); and, minor threats include fishing, timber felling, anthropogenic fires: slash and burn agriculture and firewood collection. Grazing is widespread; characterized as a threat to all four protected areas. Yet, there is little, if any, systematic analysis of the extent and impact of threats within the protected area system, notably, given future threats may include global climate change, bio-prospecting/bio-piracy, and ecotourism. Key recommendations include: development of a range of threat detection and assessment tools aimed at grazing, poaching, and NTFP collection; prioritization support to threat prevention, and abatement activities within integrated conservation development programs; development of specific management objectives for all parks, linking these to their biodiversity assets; law enforcement improvement through an increased park presence at field levels; clarification of zoning, and grazing policies and procedures system wide; cancellation of plans to build bypass roads through core areas; and, improvements in communications, natural resources management, financial management, analytical tools, organizational structures, and, community-based development for delivery of some services, particularly for wildlife monitoring and threat prevention.