Bhutan for Life Environmental and Social Management Plan for Jigme Dorji National Park

The document outlines a site-specific management plan for Jigme Dorji National Park (JDNP) to ensure that BFL project activities—including infrastructure maintenance, renewable energy installation, and habitat restoration—comply with both Royal Government of Bhutan laws and WWF social safeguards. It identifies potential risks such as construction waste, methane emissions from biogas plants, and community conflicts over resource rights, providing specific mitigation measures and a monitoring schedule for 2020.

• The Bhutan for Life (BFL) project is a 14-year initiative designed to secure biodiversity conservation, human well-being, and climate resilience in Bhutan, with specific goals to maintain carbon neutrality by increasing forest cover and enhancing the socio-economic wellbeing of local communities.
• Jigme Dorji National Park (JDNP), covering 4,316 km2, is a critical conservation area and the only park in Bhutan with thriving populations of both the endangered Royal Bengal Tiger and the endangered Snow Leopard.
• Planned 2020 activities in JDNP include the installation of biogas plants in critical tiger habitat areas (Khamoed, Goenshari, and Chhubu Gewogs) and solar lighting for herders in snow leopard habitats and remote religious sites to reduce dependency on firewood and forest resources.
• Other 2020 project activities involve habitat and infrastructure work: maintaining offices at Damji and Soe Park Range, improving waterholes and salt licks in Lingzhi, Soe, Lunana, and Gasa ranges, restoring 50 acres of lowland grassland in Soe and Laya, and protecting riverbanks along the Wangchu river at Gypethang.
• The ESMP identifies several potential risks, including methane emissions and fire risks from biogas plants, water contamination from riverbank construction, and community conflicts regarding natural resource usage rights during zonation and pillar fixing.
• Where discrepancies exist between the Royal Government of Bhutan (RGoB) laws and WWF's Social Safeguards Integrated Policies and Procedures (SIPP), the WWF SIPP prevails, particularly regarding the eligibility of non-title holders for compensation and the requirement for extensive community consultations.
• The total budget for the 2020 activities is distributed across office maintenance (US$ 5,800), biogas and solar initiatives (US$ 70,000), riverbank protection (US$ 3,000), zonation and pillar fixing (US$ 10,000), waterhole improvement (US$ 4,761.90), and lowland grassland restoration (US$ 3,000), with an additional US$ 1,128.37 for mitigation measures.

APA

WWF International (2020). Bhutan for Life Environmental and Social Management Plan for Jigme Dorji National Park. https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/84lo7wok65_JDNP_ESMP.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. Bhutan for Life Environmental and Social Management Plan for Jigme Dorji National Park. 2020. https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/84lo7wok65_JDNP_ESMP.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=Bhutan for Life Environmental and Social Management Plan for Jigme Dorji National Park |date=2020 |url=https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/84lo7wok65_JDNP_ESMP.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternational2020bhutan, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{Bhutan for Life Environmental and Social Management Plan for Jigme Dorji National Park}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2020}, url = {https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/84lo7wok65_JDNP_ESMP.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }