Environmental and Social Management Plan for Biological Corridor 5

The ESMP for Biological Corridor 5 (BC5) outlines the environmental and social safeguards for planned 2021 activities, specifically the improvement of salt licks at Rikhey, Demola, and Deori. The plan identifies potential risks such as increased poaching, waste generation, and worker safety, providing specific mitigation measures and monitoring frameworks. It emphasizes 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.

• Biological Corridor 5 (BC5) covers 203.58 km2 in south eastern Bhutan, connecting the Royal Manas National Park and Jomotshangkha Wildlife Sanctuary, with over 95% of its land consisting of broad-leafed forests.
• Planned activities for 2021 focus on the improvement of salt licks and habitat enrichment at Rikhey, Demola, and Deori, involving the clearing of debris, removal of invasive species, and plantation of native species.
• To prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect salt lick locations from poachers, the 2021 works will be executed solely by 15 forest officials rather than involving local communities.
• The project identifies several potential negative impacts, including increased poaching risks because salt licks become animal hotspots, the introduction of invasive species during plantation, and worker health and safety risks.
• Mitigation measures for poaching include increased patrolling and community consultation, while animal behavior is protected by prohibiting noise and fire near salt licks and keeping camps away from the sites.
• The ESMP mandates that WWF’s Social Safeguards Integrated Policies and Procedures (SIPP) prevail over Royal Government of Bhutan (RGoB) legislation regarding the eligibility of non-title holders for compensation and the requirement for extensive community consultations.
• A specific budget of Nu 15,000 is allocated for the implementation of ESMP mitigation measures, separate from the Nu 70,000 (USD 966) budget for the salt lick activities themselves.

APA

WWF International (2021). Environmental and Social Management Plan for Biological Corridor 5. https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/45fzgv6be5_BC5_SJ_ESMP_2021.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. Environmental and Social Management Plan for Biological Corridor 5. 2021. https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/45fzgv6be5_BC5_SJ_ESMP_2021.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=Environmental and Social Management Plan for Biological Corridor 5 |date=2021 |url=https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/45fzgv6be5_BC5_SJ_ESMP_2021.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternational2021environmental, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{Environmental and Social Management Plan for Biological Corridor 5}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2021}, url = {https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/45fzgv6be5_BC5_SJ_ESMP_2021.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }