Bhutan for Life Environmental and Social Management Plan for Biological Corridor 5_Samdrup Jongkhar

The ESMP outlines the environmental and social safeguards for a specific 2024 project activity: the construction of a 10m x 5m river protection wall at the Divisional Forest Office (DFO) in Samdrup Jongkhar to prevent land loss from erosion and landslides. The plan identifies minor risks related to waste generation, water quality, and worker health and safety, providing detailed mitigation measures and a budget of Nu 10,000 for ESS mitigation. It mandates 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 non-title land users and community consultation. The document also includes comprehensive occupational health and safety (OHS) standards and grievance redressal mechanisms.

• The Bhutan for Life (BFL) project is a 14-year initiative designed to maintain Bhutan's carbon neutrality by increasing forest cover and enhancing climate resilience within the Protected Area System (PAS).
• Biological Corridor 5 (BC5) covers 203.58 km2 across Pema Gatshel and Samdrup Jongkhar Dzongkhags, characterized by tropical broad-leaved forest (over 95% coverage) and an altitudinal range of 127 to 1183 meters above mean sea level.
• For 2024, the planned activity in BC5 is the construction of a river protection wall (10 meters x 5 meters) at the Samdrup Jongkhar Divisional Forest Office to mitigate land loss from erosion and landslides caused by the Dungsumchu stream.
• The project budget for the river protection wall is Nu 1 million (USD 12,195), with an additional Nu 10,000 specifically allocated for the implementation of ESMP mitigation measures.
• The ESMP identifies three primary negative impacts of the construction: waste generation by workers, sediment-driven disturbance of water quality, and risks to worker health and safety, all of which are classified as 'Minor' and 'Short term'.
• While RGoB laws and WWF's SIPP are generally aligned, the WWF SIPP prevails in cases of discrepancy, specifically regarding the eligibility of non-title land users for compensation and the requirement for extensive community consultations.
• The document establishes a multi-tiered Grievance Redressal Mechanism (GRM) including BFL-specific channels, a WWF Project Complaints Officer, and the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Independent Review Mechanism.

APA

WWF International (2024). Bhutan for Life Environmental and Social Management Plan for Biological Corridor 5_Samdrup Jongkhar. https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/2lh4qlzxm3_BC5_SJ_ESMP_2024.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. Bhutan for Life Environmental and Social Management Plan for Biological Corridor 5_Samdrup Jongkhar. 2024. https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/2lh4qlzxm3_BC5_SJ_ESMP_2024.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=Bhutan for Life Environmental and Social Management Plan for Biological Corridor 5_Samdrup Jongkhar |date=2024 |url=https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/2lh4qlzxm3_BC5_SJ_ESMP_2024.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternational2024bhutan, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{Bhutan for Life Environmental and Social Management Plan for Biological Corridor 5\_Samdrup Jongkhar}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2024}, url = {https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/2lh4qlzxm3_BC5_SJ_ESMP_2024.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }