Environmental and Social Management Plan for Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary

The Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) for the Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary (BWS) outlines the safeguards and mitigation strategies for four key activities planned for 2020: Ramsar campsite development, bank protection for Dungtsho lake, boundary zonation, and the construction of a guard post. The plan ensures compliance with both Royal Government of Bhutan (RGoB) laws and WWF's Social Safeguards Integrated Policies and Procedures (SIPP), with the latter prevailing in cases of discrepancy regarding land use rights and community consultation. The ESMP identifies potential minor short-term impacts, primarily related to construction waste and worker health and safety, and assigns responsibility for monitoring and mitigation to the BFL focal person and contracted engineers.

• The Bhutan for Life (BFL) project is a 14-year initiative designed to improve the management of Bhutan's protected areas to increase climate resilience, maintain carbon neutrality by increasing forest cover, and protect biodiversity.
• The Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary (BWS) covers 1520.61 km² across Trashiyangtse, Lhuntse, and Mongar Dzongkhag, featuring an Eastern Himalayan ecosystem that includes a Ramsar-recognized floodplain and habitats for species such as Black-necked cranes and Snow Leopards.
• Four specific activities were planned for 2020 with a combined infrastructure budget of USD 84,500: Ramsar campsite development (USD 10,000), Dungtsho lake bank protection (USD 13,000), combined zonation and demarcation (USD 11,500), and guard post construction at Tsikang (USD 50,000).
• The ESMP identifies construction waste and worker health and safety as the primary potential adverse impacts across all 2020 activities, classifying these impacts as 'Minor' and 'Short term'.
• In instances where WWF’s Social Safeguards Integrated Policies and Procedures (SIPP) are more extensive than Royal Government of Bhutan (RGoB) laws—specifically regarding the rights of non-title holders to compensation and the requirement for community consultations—the WWF SIPP takes precedence.
• A dedicated budget of USD 1,072.76 has been allocated specifically to implement the ESMP's mitigation measures, which include providing safety gear and managing waste cleaning.

APA

WWF International (2020). Environmental and Social Management Plan for Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary. https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/1ieoz2gwrg_BWS_ESMP.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. Environmental and Social Management Plan for Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary. 2020. https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/1ieoz2gwrg_BWS_ESMP.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=Environmental and Social Management Plan for Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary |date=2020 |url=https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/1ieoz2gwrg_BWS_ESMP.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternational2020environmental, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{Environmental and Social Management Plan for Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2020}, url = {https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/1ieoz2gwrg_BWS_ESMP.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }